MARCH
7-14
2026
7-14
2026
Adrian Raso is a respected guitarist/composer from Guelph, Ontario, Canada and has been the proud recipient of several Ontario Arts Council Grants in Popular Music. Adrian has recorded two instrumental EPs and eleven full-length instrumental albums.
Adrian’s latest 2025 release, The Devil Rides Again (Asphalt Tango Records) has once again reached #1 on the World Music Charts and Transglobal Music Charts. A world tour will begin in spring of 2026 to support the album.
2020 saw Adrian transition into the world of film and begin his journey as a screen composer. His music has been featured in Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020) and Konstantin Statskiy’s Hotel Belgrade (2020).
Prominent Mexican guitarist who has performed in various cities in and outside of Mexico, such as Puebla, Guadalajara, Oaxaca, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, Córdoba, Antwerp, and Brussels. Alejandra has participated in notable festivals such as the Radio UNAM Guitar Festival in Mexico City, the Lucca Chamber Music Festival in Italy, and the ICPNA International Guitar Festival in Peru. She has also performed as a soloist at the Palacio de Bellas Artes accompanied by the UNAM Guitar Orchestra. As a lecturer, she has taught at prestigious institutions such as UNAM and the University of Veracruz. Currently, she is a guitar professor at the Yamaha School of Music in Mexico City and serves as president of the Mexican Guitar Association.
Mè'phàà guitarist originally from Tlapa de Comonfort, Mexico, in the mountain region of the state of Guerrero. He is a recipient of the 2020 State Youth Award for "Artistic Expressions and Popular Arts," a 2023 FONCA scholarship in the category of Traditional Mexican Musicians. He is also the director of the Guitar Orchestra and the "Mekahuehuetl" Guitar Festival. He has performed at festivals such as the 47th International Cervantino Festival in 2019. His repertoire includes the work of Guerrero composer Margarito Damián Vargas (1873-1919), concert music, and traditional music from the mountain region of the state of Guerrero.
The composers and guitarists Julio César Oliva and Ernesto García de León have dedicated works to him for their repertoire, he has been a guest on the program "Miércoles de Guitarra" on Uruguay's national radio station hosted by Alfredo Escande and Numa Moraes, among his compositions for guitar is "Guerrero Suite" inspired by the 8 regions and traditions of his native state, the music for the first Guerrero fiction short film in the Mè'phàà (Tlapaneco) language "Goo'n Ma ́ñaán" (Red Moon) premiered at the Cineteca Nacional in 2018 and for the documentaries "Un México Perro" under the direction of Rafael Aparicio and Andrés Klimek (2021) and Cine Hidalgo directed by Olivia Heffernan & Ian Volpi winner of the best short documentary at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival, Argentina (2022).
The Cuerdas del Alma guitar quartet is dedicated to the performance of concert and classical music in a broad and diverse sense, encompassing a rich range of genres, styles, and historical periods. Our artistic approach is based on the in-depth exploration of the repertoire written and adapted for guitar quartet, with a focus on both interpretive fidelity and contemporary expressiveness. We perform works ranging from Cuban concert music, including genres such as danzón, son, guajira, and more contemporary expressions within the national academic repertoire, to Latin American music by composers from countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Mexico, featuring styles such as milonga, tango, chacarera, and bossa nova. Our repertoire also includes arrangements and original works of North American music, especially in genres such as blues, ragtime, and minimalism, as well as Spanish music, with an emphasis on the legacy of Spanish nationalism, stylized flamenco, and the works of composers such as Albéniz, Falla, and Granados. The quartet also tackles a repertoire of European music from different centuries, from the Renaissance and Baroque periods to Romanticism and contemporary music, adapting works by composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, and Tchaikovsky, and also working with living composers who write specifically for this type of ensemble. This versatility allows Cuerdas del Alma to stand out by offering programs that reflect both the richness of musical traditions and the dynamism of current creation, providing the audience with a diverse and deeply moving sonic experience.
Damián Tuso is a musician and guitarist with over twenty years of experience in the field of Tango and Argentine Folklore. Born in Junín, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, he graduated as a Superior Professor of Music with a specialty in Guitar from the Manuel de Falla Conservatory in Buenos Aires. He has developed as a musician with maestros such as Máximo Diego Pujol, Enrique Bocaccio, Nicolás Alí, Juan Falú, and César Angeleri, among others. His artistic debut began with the group "El Revire Tango Trío" in 2001 alongside pianist and arranger Eduardo Minervino and Juan Martín Decarre on violin, where he recorded his first album, "Del Bajo Fondo." He has developed his career in various countries, including guest guitarist at Guitarras del Mundo, a festival organized by Juan Falú on six occasions; special guest at the International Guitar Festival, Taxco, Tango Festival, Casa del Lago UNAM, Quimera Festival, Zacatecas International Festival, Cervantino Barroco Festival, Fiesta de la Música, among others. Accompanist of the singer Anita Co, Pecado (2008), Martín Rodríguez Episodios Tangueros (2009). He has formed the following projects: Revire Tango Trio, Orquesta Sonidos de Época of the Época Foundation in Buenos Aires, and in Mexico De Retache Tango and Pablo Ahmad and his tango rock quartet, with whom he has made several record productions and national and international tours. As a solo guitarist he has made the productions: Donde aflora el agua (2024), Porque sí (2018), En la Cola del Diablo (2009) and De llanto y barro (2008) which he has presented at festivals and various forums in Latin America.
Cutberto Cibrián Tapia
Cutberto is originally from San Pedro Cahro, in the municipality of Venustiano Carranza, Michoacán. He studied at the Conservatorio de las Rosas under the direction of Juan Andrés Loreto, and later with Francisco Gil and Eva Pleskova upon entering the Escuela Popular de Bellas Artes (Popular School of Fine Arts) at the UMSNH. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree with a specialization in Classical Guitar from the Popular Faculty of Fine Arts, UMSNH, and later a Master's degree in Arts Education from the University of Buenos Aires (UBC).
He has taken classes with Víctor Pellegrini, Alex Garrobé, Javier Bravo, Adam Holzman, Enrique Salmerón, Mauricio Hernández, and David Russell. He has performed in the United States and at various national and international festivals of classical music, popular music, jazz, regional music, rock, and boleros, among others.
As a cultural manager, he founded and directed the Ciénega de Chapala Classical Guitar Festival for eight years. Cutberto Cibrián is the creator, organizer, and artistic director of the 1st and 2nd University Classical Guitar Meeting (2023 and 2024) in collaboration with the Classical Guitar Chair, the FPBA, and the UMSNH, and of the First Cupatitzio Classical Guitar Festival in Uruapan (2024).
Cutberto is an eclectic musician and one of the most prominent musicians of his generation. He is active as a classical guitarist, blues and jazz guitarist, solo requinto player, bolero requinto player, session musician, arranger, and composer.
Janet Noguera is an award-winning Mexican-American fingerstyle guitarist and composer known for her lyrical melodies and innovative techniques. Winner of the Lowden Young Guitarist of the Year Award and the Fretmonkey International Guitar Solo Contest, she was featured in Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s “30 Great Guitarists Under 30” and “The Future of Fingerstyle.” Janet has performed at NAMM, International Guitar Night, and MusiSHEans, sharing the stage with Kaki King, Andy McKee, and Andrew York. She was the only solo instrumentalist finalist in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest 2024. Her acclaimed debut album Myriad Worlds blends classical and contemporary influences, captivating audiences worldwide.
John Fohl has over 45 years of professional experience playing guitar in myriad situations showing astute dexterity in nearly any kind of music. The Grammy winner has backed artists from Bo Diddley to Shemekia Copeland, Dr John to The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies in concert and in the studio.
The New Orleanian has also been releasing his own records and touring everywhere since the last century, sharing his formidable acoustic guitar skills and soulful voice with the world. John’s heartfelt original songs have been covered by several artists from New Orleans to Prague.
Jossy Gallegos is a singer-songwriter originally from Petatlán, Guerrero, with a musical career that fuses trova, folklore, and rock. She began as a child in mariachi and as a soloist in Zihuatanejo, also training in the U.S. She has produced three albums, including Hormonía, which highlights her intimate and versatile style. She has represented Guerrero at the International Cervantino Festival and other national and international stages. She is currently preparing her new project, "Wila" (Seed of the Word), where she offers a fusion of Latin American, authored, and international music.
Lavinia Negrete is a Mexican cultural manager, guitarist and singer-songwriter. She has performed on national and international stages (Scotland, UK, Argentina, United States, France, Holland, Italy, Puerto Rico and Romania). She has collaborated musically in short films and composed jingles for some Mexican and international companies such as Swiss International Cooperation.
Andrea Esquitín, guitarist and singer-songwriter with more than 10 years of experience. It was at the age of 12 that she decided to take an interest in the guitar and sought to expand her knowledge by studying the Jazz Instrumental Technician course at the Conservatory of Music of the State of Mexico. Throughout her career, she has ventured into musical projects of all kinds, always seeking to expand her musical language and connect with different artistic expressions.
He completed his bachelor's degree at the Puebla Conservatory of Music and later a master's degree at the UV under the guidance of Alfredo Sánchez. In 2023, he was awarded the "Creation and Knowledge Towards the Future" scholarship by the SACPC (INBA Foundation) and CONHACYT (National Council of Musicians of the Arts) Support for Professionals in Culture and the Arts for Studies Abroad. He then pursued a Master's degree in Musicology, Music Education, and Performance of Early Music at ESMUC under the guidance of Xavier Diaz-Latorre. In 2023, he released his album Santiago de Murcia Guitar Music on the Brilliant Classics® label.
Morgan Szymanski was a scholar at the Royal College of Music. Since then he won the National Guitar Competition in Mexico, the Young Classical Artist Trust in London and has performed in over 20 different countries. Highlights include the Wigmore Hall in London, Queens Hall Edinburgh, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre and Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
He is an alumni of Live Music Now! the project started by Lord Yehudi Menuhin to reach audiences that would otherwise have no access to live music. In 2016 he founded PRISMA, an artistic outreach programme aimed at taking workshops in the performing arts to socially disadvantaged areas in Mexico. This project has benefitted over 18,000 Mexican children.
Pepe Alcocer began his guitar studies with his father and later graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Guanajuato. He studied with renowned guitarists such as Mario Ortiz, Rafael Cuen Garibi, Francisco Ramírez, and Christian Saggese. He has participated in festivals including the International Cervantino Festival, the Cancún International Music Festival, the Festival de las Almas in Valle de Bravo, the 2014 Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival, and the Mannes School of Music Guitar Festival (five editions) in New York, where he collaborated on the premiere of Arthur Kampela's La Meccanica Segreta.
He taught at the Autonomous University of Nayarit and founded the Cuerámaro Music Seminar and Camp. He has recorded the albums Fuego Latino (Guitar Duo) and Sonata del Frío, for which he participated in the 2018 Latin Grammy. Currently, he combines his work as a concert artist and composer with a Bachelor's Degree in Artistic Education at IBAE Ex-Hacienda de Tupátaro. He was also Director of Education, Culture and Sports at Cuerámaro, Gto. (2021-2024).
With more than 30 years of music work experience, He began at the age of 8 alongside his father, who was his first music teacher. A well-known local musician and singer from Zihuatanejo, Guerrero who has participated in different music venues in Mexico, the United States and a 3-time performer at ZIGF. A multi-instrumentalist who dominates the bass guitar along with being skilled on the piano and percussion. His style includes a wide versatile repertoire from Flamenco, Bolero and more popular musical genres.
Sara d’Ippolito Reichert is an award-winning performing artist, composer, and educator from Lamezia Terme, Italy. She holds a degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. She has performed extensively as a soloist and as part of an ensemble throughout Europe and North America. In 2024, Sara received first prize at the Guitar Symposium at Queens University of Charlotte and at the University of Louisville Guitar Festival and Competition.
She is currently pursuing a DMA at the University of Minnesota. Her research is focused on highlighting diverse women composers from the past, present, and future.
San Francisco Bay Area guitarist Teja Gerken has enchanted audiences ever since coming onto the acoustic fingerstyle scene in the late 1990s. Initially influenced by guitarists such as John Renbourn, Michael Hedges, and Leo Kottke, Teja ultimately began weaving together his diverse musical interest into a style that is his own, releasing his debut album "On My Way" in 1999. In the two decades since, Teja has fine-tuned his sets to include original compositions, Celtic traditionals, classical pieces, jazz standards, and some favorite tunes by his fingerstyle guitar peers, several of which are included on 2005’s "Postcards." Teja’s latest release is 2024’s "Test of Time," the opening track of which, “Vicki’s Red Boots,” was a finalist for the 2024 USA Songwriting Award, which Acoustic Guitar magazine called "A Sonic marvel from top to bottom."
The Austral Trio was founded in July 2023 by Guadalupe Arias and Kimberlyn Maradiaga. The ensemble was born with the intention of performing Latin American guitar repertoire. A year later, Miriam Rosas joined, bringing dynamism to the group and enriching its creative process. The ensemble has performed in various cultural centers in San Cristóbal de Las Casas and Chiapas. The Austral Trio is a reference to its roots: they are three guitarists, music educators, researchers, and content creators representing southern Mexico and Central America.