Sat, Apr 01
|St. Francis Episcopal Church
South Bay Guitar Society - Gaëlle Solal, Guitar Virtuoso in Concert
Born into a music-loving family, Gaëlle Solal discovered the classical guitar at age five and began studying at the Marseille Conservatoire the following year. As a little girl she wrote in a notebook, “When I grow up, I want to be a dancer and musician.” Some dreams do indeed come true.
Time & Location
Apr 01, 7:30 PM
St. Francis Episcopal Church, 1205 Pine Ave, San Jose, CA 95125, USA
About The Event
Solal entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 16 and graduated three years later with a Premier Prix honors degree and a desire to keep learning. Fun-loving, ambitious, and keen not to let any new challenge pass her by, she took part in international competitions while studying for her master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne. In 1998, Solal became the first Frenchwoman to win the City of Alessandria Competition, one of the world’s leading classical guitar competitions. She also won prizes in 12 other national and international competitions and was awarded grants and scholarships by numerous foundations.
In the early 2000s, Solal moved to Andalusia to begin a teaching career, obtaining professorships at the conservatories of Córdoba and Seville while continuing her own studies through masterclasses around the world. After ten years in the Astor Duo, she resumed her solo performing career in 2006 and won second prize in the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Concert Artist Competition. Solal went on to perform at prestigious venues in more than forty countries as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with orchestra.