22nd Annual Texas Guitar Competition and Festival
Congratulations to the 22nd Annual Guitar Competition Winners
Adult Competition
First Place Winner Sohta Nakabayashi
Sohta Nakabayashi, born in Tokyo in 2000, embarked on his guitar journey at the tender age of three under the tutelage of teacher Takayuki Azuma. His musical development took a significant turn when he encountered guitarist Manuel Babiloni during one of his tours of Japan in 2004. Babiloni became his mentor until his sudden passing in 2015, shaping Nakabayashi’s musical path through regular meetings in both Spain and Japan. Currently pursuing a Superior Degree of Guitar at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid under Professor Miguel Trápaga, Nakabayashi has garnered over 10 awards in international competitions, including prestigious recognitions such as the 1st Prize and Public Prize at the Uppsala International Gitarrfestival (2022, Sweden), and the 1st Prize at the Alhambra CIGA Junior (2022, Spain). His talent and dedication have been consistently recognized, reflecting his commitment to excellence in classical guitar performance.
Second Place Winner Dragos Ilie
Romanian guitarist Dragos Ilie has enraptured audiences worldwide with his charismatic performances, rooted in a lifelong love for the instrument sparked by his father’s influence. From his early days at the Popular School of Arts to his Bachelor studies at the Schwob School of Music, Dragos has honed his craft under esteemed mentors like professor Marius Timpau and composer Andrew Zohn, earning recognition with prestigious grants and scholarships along the way. With over 40 international competition triumphs, including notable wins at the Koblenz International Festival and the Tokyo International Guitar Competition, Dragos’s talent has taken him to stages across continents, where he has not only performed but also shared his expertise through teaching engagements and workshops.
Currently pursuing his Doctoral studies at the University of Austin Texas under the guidance of Adam Holzman, Dragos’s commitment extends beyond performance to the exploration of Body Mapping techniques, reflecting his dedication to music education and injury prevention.
Third Place Winners (Tie) Kyle Khembunjong and Jiujiu Wu
Las Vegas-based classical guitarist Kyle Khembunjong, born in 2000, has established himself as a nationally recognized musician with a string of awards and acknowledgments from various competitions and organizations across the United States. Kyle’s musical journey began at the age of 5, and in 2017, he commenced advanced guitar studies under the guidance of world-renowned guitarist Ricardo Cobo at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Graduating high school with an Associate of Arts degree and later earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Guitar Performance with a Music Technology Minor Certificate from UNLV as a recipient of the UNLV College of Fine Arts Music Scholarship, Kyle is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Classical Guitar Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with René Izquierdo. Kyle’s talent has garnered him notable awards, including Second Prize at the 2022 International Florida Guitar Foundation International Guitar Competition, and First Prizes at competitions such as the 2019 University of Denver Guitar Festival & Competition and the 2019 Orange County Guitar Circle International Youth Competition. He is proudly endorsed by Augustine Strings and Tonebase Guitar.
Born in 2001, Jiujiu Wu embarked on his classical guitar journey at the tender age of nine under the guidance of his father. His musical education flourished under the tutelage of various maestros, including Bao Xu at Sichuan Conservatory of Music, You Wang, Guillem Pérez-Quer at Liceu Conservatory of Music in Barcelona, and David Starobin at the Manhattan School of Music. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree under Eliot Fisk at New England Conservatory of Music, Wu’s exceptional
musicianship has been recognized with accolades from international competitions, such as the First Prize at the International Guitar Festival ‘Alirio Diaz’ 2020 in Rust, Austria, and the First Prize at the 16th Boston International Guitar Festival Competition. Notably, his success led him to be named one of the artists of the year by EuroStrings Project in 2021, and he has graced prestigious festivals including the Tampere Guitar Festival in Finland and the Mottola Guitar Festival in Italy as a Eurostrings artist.
Best Performance of Spanish Repertoire:
Sohta Nakabayashi
Martha and John Nye Audience Choice Award:
Sohta Nakabayashi
Youth Division II (15-18 year-olds)
First Place Brandon Kim
Second Place Satvik Chawla
Third Place Vidita Bhotika
Youth Division I (11-14 year-olds)
First Place Nyla Choi
Second Place (Tie) Dylan Watanabe and Logan Chen
The Events
The events of the competition began with the semifinals of the adult competition and performances by Beatriz Pinto and Ana Maria Iordache on February 29. March 1st kicked off with a master class with Ana Maria Iordache and YunZhe Lin followed by adult competition finals in the evening. Our four finalists in playing order were Dragos Ilie, Jiujiu Wu, Kyle Khenbunjong, and Sohta Nakabashi. On March 2nd, we had a master class with Ana Maria Iordache and YunZhe Lin and a vendor fair. Bokyung Byun gave a lecture on “Performance Preparation for the Aspiring Guitarist,” which was followed by a Luthiers Expo and Guitar Demo featuring Beatriz Pinto and YunZhe Lin. Next, Jeremy Garcia led a Flamenco Workshop, and later in the evening, the UNT Ensembles led by Bokyung Byun performed in concert. Finally, Jonathan Valenzuela and Jeremy Garcia performed in memory of Robert Guthrie and the announcement of the competition’s winners followed.
News: Striking a Chord: Unveiling the Victors of the 22nd Texas Guitar Competition
Featuring Performances by
Ana Maria Iordache
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Ana Maria Iordache began playing the guitar at the age of six with Eugen Mang. She received her Bachelor in Music Performance within the National University of Music in Bucharest under the tutelage of Conf. Dr. Catalin Stefanescu- Patrascu. In June 2018 she graduated Cum Laude from “Master in Classical Guitar Performance” within the University of Alicante, Spain. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s Degree at the University of Arizona with Tom Patterson and artists in residence David Russell, Sergio and Odair Assad.
Ana Maria has been awarded numerous prizes in various international competitions, amongst which the 1st prize in the “Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Madrid”, “Classical Guitar International Competition Sinaia – România”, ̈ Eduard Pamfil ̈ , ̈ Maeştrii Chitarei ̈ , “European Competition for Young Guitarists – Andres Segovia” Velbert, Germany, 2nd prize in “Concurso International de Guitarra Andres Segovia – Ciudad de Linares 2018”, Spain and the two in-house competitions – “Scholin Guitar Competition” and “Beeston Guitar Competition” and 3rd prize in “GuitarFest West Competition” in Calgary, Canada, “Festival/ Concurso Internacional de Amarante 2019”, Portugal and “Denver International Guitar Competition” 2020, Denver, CO.
In 2017 she released her debut album Reverie, produced by the Romanian label E&E Music Production.
Bokyung Byun
Recipient of the 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Bokyung Byun enjoys a reputation as one of the most sought-after guitarists of her generation. Bokyung holds the distinction of being the first female winner of the prestigious JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, where Falletta herself described Bokyung’s performance as “stunning, showcasing her gorgeous tone, immaculate technique, and sophisticated musicianship.” Other recent honors include the grand prize at the 2021 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition and the Montreal International Classical Guitar Competition.
A bevy of orchestras, festivals, workshops, and guitar societies look to Byun for solo performances and masterclasses. In recent seasons, Byun has performed as a soloist with orchestras, including the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Utah Symphony, West Los Angeles Symphony, New Juilliard Ensemble, the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, among others. Her solo recital highlights include performances at the Kumho Young Artist Series, Philadelphia Guitar Festival, Aspen-Salida Concert Series, Toronto Guitar Weekend, Guitar Montréal, Ellnora | The Guitar Festival, and San Diego Guitar Festival. She was acclaimed for performing “eloquently through a diverse and challenging program,” by Michelle Fratus, president of the board of the Knoxville Guitar Society, and having “confidence, passion, excellent projection and great dynamic contrast” by Heather Morand Clark, president of the Guitar Society of Toronto.
Jeremy García
Jeremy García is classical and flamenco guitarist, award winning composer, recording artist and educator. He, along with flamenco singer Irma La Paloma, is the co-founder and director of Solero Flamenco, Houston’s premier flamenco performance company. As an accomplished accompanist of flamenco cante and baile, García collaborates with top flamenco artists of the genre. As a composer, he recently won the top prize in the flamenco category of the Séptimo Concurso de Composición para Guitarra Fidelio in Madrid, Spain. (2023)
García maintains an active performance career throughout the United States. As featured guitarist, he tours nationally with Solero Flamenco in Candlelight Concerts presented by Fever. He has been featured as a soloist with many top organizations including the Houston Grand Opera and the Helena Symphony. He has also appeared in numerous festivals as invited artist, has given Master Classes, workshops, and conducted guitar ensembles.
His most recent album, Nuevo Día, was released in June 2023 on the Frameworks Record Label. García currently serves as the Affiliate Professor of Guitar at the University of Houston and is the Associate Artistic Director of the Houston Classical Guitar Festival and Competition.
Jonathan Valenzuela
Jonathan Valenzuela is a guitarist, arranger, and educator in Dallas, Texas. His academic career consists of a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Performer’s Diploma in Guitar Performance from Southern Methodist University, having studied under the tutelage of renowned musician Robert Guthrie.
In 2019, he received the Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Music from Meadows School of the Arts. Jonathan has performed in masterclasses for world class artists including Meng Su, Sergio Asaad, Gohar Vardanyan and David Russell.
In addition to his private teaching, Jonathan is currently the lead teacher at Yamaha Music School Plano, which includes working with a corporate marketing team, leading student ensembles, and running the school’s social media presence.
Beatriz Pinto
Beatriz Pinto, born on October 4, 2004, began studying classical guitar at the age of 7 with professor João Moita. She entered the Aveiro music conservatory in 2013. Currently, she is studying at the “Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar”, accompanied by Maestro Ricardo Gállen. Beatriz is an Alhambra and Knobloch artist. Beatriz has already attended several masterclasses, namely with Ali Arango, Marco Tamayo, Ricardo Gallén, Irina Kulikova, Àlex Garrobé, Margarita Escarpa, Bokyung Byun, and David Russell.
In her musical career, she has participated in several competitions, winning more than 25 awards. Highlights include first prize at the International Guitar Festival José Tomás Villa de Petrer in 2021, first prize at the International Classical Guitar Online Competition’s Concert day in Russia in 2021, first prize at the King’s Peak International Music Competition in 2021, first prize in Online Music Champion of the World at the World Open Online Music Competition in 2021, and first prize at the CIGA Jr. 2023. Beatriz has also participated in several television programs including Got Talent Portugal in 2022, where she reached the semi-finals.