Titles by: ADAM DEL MONTE
ADAM DEL MONTE
Born in Israel but growing up in Spain, England, Germany and Holland, Adam del Monte studied both flamenco and classical guitar beginning at the age of eight, with his father as his first teacher. Having had the opportunity to learn the Spanish guitar from two very different traditions, has been at the center of del Monte's driving force and influence in the Spanish guitar world. As one of the leading flamenco and classical guitarists/composers of his generation, del Monte has made it his life's mission to fully express himself in these two genres, transcending labeling and convention. Having incorporated a wide array of musical styles in his compositions, he embarked on a journey of creating a unique sound and language of flamenco that is both steeped in tradition and progressive in its openness to musical flavors from around the world. Beginning with his first prize win at the 1997 Stotsenberg International Classical Guitar Competition, del Monte has become one of his generation's dynamic forces in the guitar world. He studied flamenco and classical guitar in Spain, Israel and England. Beginning with his father, he continued his training with such famed Gypsy performers as Pepe "Habichuela", Paco Cortez, Nino Miguel, and Gerardo Nunez. His classical guitar teachers were Menashe Baquiche in Israel and Gordon Crosskey at Chetham's School of Music and at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, England. Among del Monte's major contributions to the development of the flamenco repertoire, and its fundamental nature are two flamenco guitar concerti and a first-of-its-kind flamenco opera, called Llanos 1492. Since 2000, Adam has been a member of the Studio Guitar Department faculty at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC), where he teaches flamenco and classical guitar.