For tickets call Portland Classic Guitar at
503-654-0082
Portland Classic Guitar
18605 Willamette Drive,
West Linn, OR 97068

First Congregational Church
located at:
1126 SW Park Ave., Portland, OR  
(see map)

Rafael Aguirre
Award winning Spanish guitarist makes his first ever appearance in Portland.
Concert - Friday, July 8th, 2011 at 8 PM
Master Class - Saturday, July 9th at 11 AM

Concert Venue:  First Congregational Church
Master Class Venue: Portland Classic Guitar

http://www.rafaelaguirre.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS9CjAcDCts

Rafael Aguirre Miñarro, born in Malaga in 1984, began his musical studies at the age of seven in Malaga Conservatory. He was trained by Teresa Garcia de Candido, Manuel Jesus Perez Vela, Miguel Tojar and Javier Chamizo always receiving the best marks. He attended numerous master classes where he met guitarists with worldwide reputation, such as Joaquin Clerch, Leo Brouwer, David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Pavel Steidl, Marco Socias, Roberto Aussel, Costas Cotsiolis, Thomas Müller-Pering, Ricardo Gallen, Alex Garrobe, Alirio Diaz, Ivan Rijos and Jean Maurice Mourat.
When he was 16 years old he made his debut as a soloist with the Young Philharmonic of Malaga performing „Concierto de Aranjuez“, and he gave concerts in well-known concert halls in Morocco and Spain (Teatro Villamarta, Teatro Cervantes, Centre Moulay Rachid of Casablanca, Instituto Cervantes of Tanger). Recently he gave concerts, conducted by Mark-Andreas Schlingensiepen, with the symphony orchestra of the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in the „Tonhalle“ in Düsseldorf and maked his debut in Berlin in the “Akademie der Wissenschaften Berlin-Brandenburg“ (Academy of Scientists Berlin Brandenburg) playing in the Leibniz Saal and in the Spanish Embassy.He has played with the Almeria Simphony Orchestra and the Andalusian young Orchestra under the baton of Michael Thomas.

Rafael Aguirre won the following awards:

Matrícula de Honor (best note , 1995 and 1997)

Premio de Honor fin de Grado Medio (1998) and Premio de Honor fin de carrera (2002)
(conservatory prize).

Special Prize at the 1. International Competition of Puente Genil (Cordoba, Spain, 2000)

Second prize at the Muestra de jovenes interpretes “City of Malaga”, (Malaga, Spain, 2000)

Second Prize at the 1. International Competition “Jose Tomas” (Almeria, Spain, 2000)

First Prize at the 5. National Competition “America Martinez” (Sevilla, 2001)

First Prize at the 3. International Competition “Jose Tomas” (Almeria, Spain, 2002)

First Prize at the 2. International Competition “Amigos de la guitarra“ (Valencia, Spain, 2004)

First Prize at the 14. International Competition “Emilio Pujol“ (Sassari, Italy, 2006)

First Prize at the "Schmolz-Bickenbach" Competition for all the instruments (Düsseldorf, Germany, 2006)

First Prize and public prize at the 3. International Competition "Norba Caesarina" (Caceres, Spain, 2007)

First Prize at the 8. International Competition "Julian Arcas" (Almeria, Spain, 2007)

First Prize at the 36. International Competition "Fernando Sor" (Rome, Italy, 2007)

First prize and public prize at the 41. International Competition "Francisco Tarrega" (Benicassim,  Spain, 2007)

First Prize at the 17.International Competition "Jacinto Guerrero " (Toledo, Spain, 2007)

In 2002, his recording with „Radio Nacional de España“ was broadcasted throughout the European Union. Since 2004, he has been studying with Prof. Joaquin Clerch at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf. Rafael Aguirre Miñarro is a Wardwell-Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation in Bonn and the Andalusy Government.He will record for RTVE and Naxos Classics.