Guitar Competition Premieres

Born in Buenos Aires and initially self-taught, Diego Tedesco (b. 1974) went on to formally study piano, violin, guitar, and music theory. At the same time, he studied fine arts and graphic design at the Universidad de Buenos Aires. In 2007 he received first prize at the Juan Carlos Paz competition from the Fondo Nacional de las Artes for his work for two choirs, Amor constante más allá de la muerte. He has received numerous commissions in Argentina and abroad, including a Koussevitzky Foundation award in 2017. His opera El Fiord, commissioned by the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires, was premiered in 2016. His works have been performed in Argentina, the United States, and Europe by renowned soloists and ensembles such as Patricia García, Martín Devoto, Victor Torres, Dan Lippel, Miranda Cuckson, Lois Martin, Molly Morkoski, Nunc, Bracelet, New York New Music Ensemble, Compañía Oblicua, counter)induction, KlangKonzepte, and Plural ensemble, among others.

Carolina Barenbaum is an Argentine charango player, guitarist, and composer who has released four albums, both as a soloist and with her bands. Her album Inimaginario (2020) is dedicated to solo guitar and features her own arrangements and compositions based on traditional music. Her second solo album, Simisonte (2021), focuses on the sounds of the charango family. She is currently recording her third solo album. Barenbaum has appeared at festivals in Argentina and abroad, including Charangos del mundo (Rosario, Argentina), rEstate in Ascolto (Rome, Italy), and Guitarras del mundo (Misiones, Formosa, and Buenos Aires, Argentina). 

Mak Grgić is a three-time Grammy-nominated classical guitarist, educator, and entrepreneur, praised as “a guitarist to keep an eye on” (Washington Post). A versatile performer, he has appeared on the world’s leading stages—Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Musikverein, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the Kennedy Center—performing a repertoire that spans from Bach to contemporary and world music. His collaborations with artists and composers across genres reflect his commitment to expanding the guitar’s expressive reach, and his recordings such as Balkanisms, Mak|Bach, Slavic Sessions, and Entourer have earned critical acclaim for their artistry and imagination. Beyond the concert stage, Mak is deeply engaged in education and innovation. He serves on faculty at the University of Southern California and the University of South Carolina, where he mentors the next generation of classical guitarists. As founder and CEO of Notey Inc., an AI-powered music learning platform, and co-founder of the Virtual Guitar Orchestra, he bridges art, technology, and community to make music education more accessible worldwide.

Guitarist Daniel Lippel, called an “exciting soloist” (New York Times) is active as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and collaborator in diverse contexts. Recent solo performances include the University of New Mexico, National University of Colombia in Bogota, Sinus Ton Festival in Germany, Le Poisson Rouge (New York), University of Texas at San Antonio, UC Davis, Lawrence University (Wisconsin), the Cleveland (CIM) and Connecticut guitar festivals, and the New York, Triangle (NC), and U.S. Classic Guitar guitar societies. He has been the guitarist for counter)induction ensemble since 2019 and the International Contemporary Ensemble since 2005. As a chamber musician, Lippel has performed at the Macau Music Festival (China), Teatro Amazonas (Manaus, Brazil), Dutch National Opera, Ojai Festival, Darmstadt Festival (Germany), Alba Music Festival (Italy), Acht Brücken Festival (Cologne, Germany), Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, Guitar Foundation of American Conference, Time Spans Festival (NYC), and as a guest with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New York New Music Ensemble, Pheonix Symphony, and Talea Ensemble, among others. 

Lippel is co-founder, owner, and director of New Focus Recordings, releasing several recordings as soloist, chamber musician, and producer on the label, and has also recorded for Sony Japan, Bridge, Kairos, Wergo, Innova, Albany, Starkland, and Tzadik. Lippel has worked closely with many eminent composers including Mario Davidovsky, Nils Vigeland, and John Zorn, and collaborated with several prominent mid-career composers, including Dai Fujikura, Tyshawn Sorey, Reiko Fueting, Du Yun, Mikel Kuehn, Christopher Trapani, Ken Ueno, and Wang Lu. As an educator, Lippel has given guitar masterclasses and presentations at institutions including the Hanns Eisler Hochschule (Berlin), Curtis Institute, Sydney Conservatorium of Music (Australia), San Francisco Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, Peabody Institute, University of Texas at Austin, and New York University. He received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music studying with David Starobin, writing his dissertation on the guitar works of Mario Davidovsky, also attending Cleveland Institute of Music and Oberlin Conservatory of Music for prior degree study.