JOHN ZARADIN

John Zaradin was born in the UK and began playing the guitar at the age of thirteen. He was initially tutored by Albert Kay in the Schillinger System of Musical Composition and Arranging Techniques and later completed his formal guitar studies with Alexander Lagoya in Paris. He began his professional life performing in Germany and the UK. In 1968 his solo London debut concert at the Purcell Room, Royal Festival Hall, launched him into the London musical world where he was active in studios, in theatre, and on the concert platform. He made, at this time, the guitar recordings for the television series The Strauss family with the London Symphony Orchestra. His theatre life began at the London Royal Court Theatre with Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, evolved onto the West End stage at the Piccadilly Theatre with Man of La Mancha, and continued into touring with, amongst others, the musicals Hair, and Fiddler on the Roof and with the companies Ballet Rambert, London Contemporary Dance, and Glyndebourne Opera. In 1972 he made his recording of Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo (EMI/CFP) which won him a gold album award in 1983. During 1972 and 1973, as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he made the world tour of Peter Brook's production of Midsummer Night's Dream (USA venues: Kennedy Center Washington DC, Music Center, LA, Geary Theater, San Francisco). This tour with the RSC included six weeks in Japan where a chance meeting with Brazilian musicians awakened in him an interest in the music of Brazil and the Latin Americas. When the tour ended, he decided to devote time to learning more about this music by traveling to its different countries of origin and evolution. It was at this time that he began to create his own catalog of compositions. Upon returning to Europe, he toured as a soloist with the companies Brazil Tropical, Brazukas, and Tangos of Brazil, and recorded a second album - Zaradin's Guitar for EMI (1976).