Thursday - March 6

1:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Preliminaries (no public admission)

The guitar concert featuring Marco Sartor IS POSTPONED TO SATURDAY AT 4PM in the UT Dallas Conference Center.
Thursday - March 6, 8:00 p.m., $15
Laureate Concert by Marco Sartor and announcement of Finalists.
7:15 p.m. - Pre-concert music by UT Dallas Guitar Ensemble.

Friday - March 7, 8:00 p.m. , free
Top 4 Finalists Compete. The Finalists of the Texas Guitar Competition are Scott Borg, Silviu Ciulei, Nemanja Ostojic and Mircea Gogoncea.
7:15 p.m. - Pre-concert music by Collin College One O'clock Ensemble.

Saturday - March 8

$20 admission
7:15 p.m. - Pre-Concert Music by Bella Corda Guitar Ensemble from Austin, TX.
8:00 p.m. - Concert by Michael Chapdelaine and announcement of winners. Chapdelaine is the only guitarist ever to win 1st prize in the world’s top competitions in both the classical and fingerstyle genres.

-----------------------------------------------------------

About the performers

Marco Sartor was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and studied guitar with Robert Ravera and Mario Paysee at the School of Music, University of Uruguay and later with Eduardo Fernandez. He moved to the United States in 2001on a full scholarship to study at the School of the Arts, College of Charleston, under the direction of Marc Regnier, receiving his B.A. and Artist Certificate.

Marco has been awarded top prizes in more than ten competitions in North and South America including First Prizes in the 2002 Schadt String Competition, 2003 Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Artists Competition and 2004 Appalachian GuitarFest Competition and most recently the 2006 Texas Guitar Competition. He performed in Pittsburgh, New Orleans, San Diego, Miami, Salt Lake City, Long Island, Dallas, Buffalo and others. The Allentown Symphony Orchestra featured him in its 2003-04 season. Marco has also given recitals, masterclasses and appeared in radio and television broadcasts throughout Spain, Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay. In recognition to his artistic merits, Marco has been elected a member of the Hispanic Society Sigma Delta Pi and the Honor Societies Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key. He has also taught at the Charleston Academy of Music.

Michael Chapdelaine won First Prize in the world's top competitions in both the Classical and Fingerstyle genres; the Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar Competition and the National Fingerstyle Championships at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in Winfield, Kansas. His performances, played on both steel string and classical guitars, include musical styles ranging from blues to Bach to country to rhythm n' blues. In the 80's and 90's Michael proved himself to be one of the world's finest classical guitarists; twice winning the coveted National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Grant, and taking First Prize in both the Guitar Foundation of America's and the Music Teachers National Association's Guitar Competitions. He also won the Silver Medal in Venezuela's VIII Concurso International de Guitarra "Alirio Diaz". He has toured four continents while giving hundreds of performances for Affiliate Artists Inc., and various arts promotion organizations. I

n 1992 he recorded the Sonata Romantica CD, (now re-released as Mexico), which many critics and connoisseurs of classical guitar consider to be one of the definitive recordings for the instrument. Acoustic Guitar magazine wrote "... if I were marooned on a desert island with a limited selection of recordings, this one would be among my choices...I have seldom heard a more beautiful album. Other young guitarists have excellent technique, but few have such style and musicality, and Chapdelaine's beautiful tone is the nearest to Segovia's that I can recall." In 1994 Michael turned his attention to pop music, in arranging, producing and recording Time-Life Music's beautiful Guitar by Moonlight collection (also released as "with love"), which sold 250,000 copies in it's first two years in the stores. In 1998, he once again, expanded his musical range and gained instant notoriety and credibility in the "acoustic music" world as a "fingerstyle" guitarist and composer, by winning the National Fingerpicking Championships at Winfield.

Michael is Professor of Music and head of guitar studies at the University of New Mexico, and has previously been on the faculties of the University of Colorado at Denver and Metropolitan State University. He has given master classes throughout the world including, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Peru, Venezuela, Taiwan, Indonesia and at institutions such as, University of Miami, Mannes School of Music, University of Texas, and California State University. His teachers included the great Spanish maestro Andres Segovia.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to the 7th Annual Guitar Competition Winners!

First Place - $3000 winner: Nemanja Ostojic

Second place - $2000 winner: Mircea Gogoncea

Third Place - $1000 winner : Scott Borg

Fourth Place : Silviu Ciuleu