BIOGRAPHY
Juan Almada is considered by the public and critics like one of the most important Argentinian guitarist in his generation. He graduated on classical guitar at Faculty of Fine Artes (UNLP, La Plata National University) and has been awarded by the UNLP and La Plata Municipal Government. He attended seminars and masterclasses with Fábio Zanon, Pablo Márquez, Eduardo Fernandez, João Luiz and Jordi Mora amongs others. He pos graduated with the highest qualifications as Especialist on Latin-American Music guided by Eduardo Isaac (Luis Gianneo Conservatoire, Mar del Plata, Argentina).
He was awarded in competitions in Spain (Concurso Internacional de Benidorm 2015), Uruguay (Concurso César Cortinas 2005) and Argentina (Mozarteum Santa Fe 2010).
On the academic field, he was awarded on 2013/15/16/19 by the Escala Docente Program (AUGM), being invited to teach Guitar Degree Courses at Universities in Brazil and Uruguay (USP, UFMG, UFRGS, UDELAR). He was creditor of a National Arts Fund Grant (Bicentenary Grant, Argentina) to study baroque music guided by lutenist Miguel de Olaso. He received scholarships to Campos do Jordão International Festival and Santa Catarina International Music Festival (Brazil).
He participated as guest artist on Art Llobet Festival (Barcelona), 6th City of Castalla International Classical Guitar Festival (Spain), 8th Latin-American Week (Frankfurt, Germany), Research Hands On Guitar Festival (Aveiro, Portugal), 1st International Guitar Seminar IFRG and 1st International Pampa Guitar Festival (Brazil), Art-Cultural Biannual UNLP and 1st Rosario University International Guitar Festival (Argentina). He frequently performs guitar and mandolin at Teatro Colón Opera Center in Buenos Aires (Falstaff -Verdi-, Beatrix Cenci -Ginastera-, Don Giovanni -Mozart-, Die Soldaten – Zimmermann-). He performed as guitarist on stage on the theater show “Michel Legrand Concert” (under conduction by French composer himself, at Buenos Aires International Cinema Festival 2016) and on “An Evening with Pacino” (by actor Al Pacino, 2016).
He performed as soloist with orchestras (La Plata Municipal Orchestra, Opal Sinfonietta, Camerata Argentina de Guitarras, Guitarra Concertante Orchestra). He performed concerts and taught masterclasses in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Portugal, Germany, Spain, France and Netherlands. He was part of a selected instrumental group at Dino Saluzzi’s Musical Interpretation Chair in San Martin National University (UNSAM).
He’s teaching Classical Guitar and Guitar Literature at Rosario National University Music School (UNR), and Contemporary Chamber Music at Faculty of Arts in La Plata National University, Argentina.
He performed as a guitar duo soloist with Eduardo Isaac along the Camerata Argentina de Guitarras on the South American premiere of Concerto de Tricastin by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, which counted with the presence of Brouwer himself at the theater. Said event was part of the celebration that honored Leo Brouwer’s first visit to Argentina.
In 2019 he launched his first guitar solo album WEISS – BROUWER including his own arrangement of Suite XVIII by Silvius Leopold Weiss (first six guitar string recording) and the Sonata del Decameron Negro by L. Brouwer. On the same year the Camerata Argentina de Guitarras’s album BROUWER COMPLETE WORKS FOR GUITAR ENSEMBLE was launched, in which Juan Almada was soloist.
The album WEISS – BROUWER was remarkably acclaimed by Brouwer himself who wrote “surprising technique, sound which achieved all orchestral nuances that reminded me of Julian Bream and a very solid construction of the whole piece”. At the same time, Diario Clarín (one of the most important Argentinian journals) qualified the album as “Very Good” (the best rating achievable), marking Weiss Suite interpretation as an “impeccable version”.
Juan Almada uses exclusively HANNABACH Strings and is supported by JA MINERS.