Adam Del Monte

Acknowledged worldwide as a rare talent in flamenco and classical guitar genres, Adam del Monte has made it his life mission as a performer and composer to fully express himself in these two genres, transcending labeling and convention. Always having incorporated a wide array of musical styles in his compositions, he has embarked on a journey of creating a unique sound and language of flamenco that is both steeped in tradition and progressive in its openness to musical flavors from around the world. He has recorded for Deutsche Grammophone the featured flamenco guitar part in the double GRAMMY® Award winning opera Ainadamar by Osvaldo Golijov (2006), with soprano Dawn Upshaw and the Atlanta Symphony conducted by Robert Spano. Since then he’s been invited and continues to travel extensively around the world to perform at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center NY, Barbican Center London, Colorado Music Festival, and Chicago Symphony’s Symphony Hall among many others. In 2011, del Monte performed Ainadamar in the 60th Anniversary of the Festival de Granada at the Alhambra Palace with the Granada Symphony Orchestra. He has been invited to the International Flamenco Festival in Los Angeles at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center as a soloist and with his flamenco ensemble, in 2010 and 2012. He has recently recorded a feature song as the "on-screen" hands in the movie Wanderlust (2012) starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. Other movie music credits include features in Knight and Day (2010) starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, Toy Story 3 (2010) with music by Randy Newman, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie featuring the music of John Powell. He recorded the solo guitar version of Avner’s Theme by film composer John Williams for the sound track CD of the motion picture Munich (2005) by Steven Spielberg. He composed the music for the short film Soledad, which won the Hollywood Film Festival award in 1998 and was featured on Showtime network throughout the year. Adam recently debuted his second flamenco guitar concerto, "Paisajes", commission by the St. Monica Symphony, at SGI Auditorium in Los Angeles. His first flamenco guitar concerto, ”Ensueño Flamenco” for guitar & orchestra was premiered in Boston with the BMOP (Boston Modern Orchestra Project) at Jordan Hall, conducted by Gil Rose. He was commissioned by the LA Guitar Quartet to compose a ‘progressive’ flamenco piece entitled ‘Cambio de Aire’. He has collaborated with Yusef Lateef and the Atlanta Symphony, under the baton of Yoel Levy, at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta GA. In 2008, he performed his flamenco concerto, “Ensueño Flamenco” and Concierto de Aranjuez in Israel with conductor Nir Kabaretti, celebrating the union of the classical and flamenco guitar. Other invitations to perform Concierto de Aranjuez include the California Philharmonic conducted by Victor Venner at Walt Disney Hall, the Pacific Symphony with Carl St. Claire, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. He later made a return visit to the Hollywood Bowl with his flamenco ensemble in a special collaboration with Spanish dancer Lola Greco. Other collaborations with the members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic include an appearance in the Chamber Music Series at Walt Disney Hall with Mark Kashper. In 2007, he joined the Falla Guitar Trio, where he has an active schedule of playing chamber music with Kenton Youngstrom and Gyan Riley. In 1999, he returned to Granada to perform in the oldest “Peña Flamenca” “La Plateria”, as well as a tour in Switzerland with singer, Curro Fernandez. In 1998, he performed in Spain on the TV program “Algo Mas Que Flamenco” with the legendary flamenco singer Lole Montoya. First Prize Winner of the 1997 Stotsenberg International Classical Guitar Competition, del Monte proved himself as a dynamic force in both flamenco and classical guitar. He studied both genres in Spain, Israel, and England. Beginning with his father, he continued his training with such famed Gypsy performers as Pepe “Habichuela”, Paco Cortez, “Niño” Miguel, and Gerardo Nuñez. His classical guitar teachers were Menashe Baquiche in Israel, Gordon Crosskey at Chethams School of Music, and at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, England. At age nineteen del Monte began his professional career by collaborating with legendary flamenco singer Enrique Morente and the Madrid Symphony Orchestra at the Teatro Real in Madrid, and later at Teatro Manuel de Falla in Granada. In 1992, he was invited to perform in the 500th anniversary of Columbus celebrations in Paris & Madrid. He has also appeared both in recital and with his group at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum, the Wilshire Theater, Anson Amphitheater in Los Angeles, the Conde Duque in Madrid, and St Francis Auditorium in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A frequent guest at various festivals including the International Guitar Festival in Israel, 1996 Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) in St Louis, 1997 GFA in La Jolla, CA, 1999 GFA in Charleston, SC, and 2009 GFA in Ithaca, NY, where he performed both in recital and as soloist in his flamenco guitar concerto no 1. His most recent flamenco CD, released in 2010, “Asi Lo Siento Yo”, features an all-star cast of musicians of the likes of bass player Carles Benavent, flamenco pianist Pablo-Ruben Maldonado, and flamenco singer “Guadiana”. His flamenco debut CD on the Spanish label Sonifolk (1998), entitled “Viaje a Un Nuevo Mundo” (Journey to a New World) was most favorably reviewed by Spain’s most acclaimed flamenco critic Angel Alvarez Caballero as well as Miguel Mora of El Pais, and Alfredo Grimaldos of El Mundo. Other discographies include Mel Bay Artist Video Series a classical and flamenco recital, and “EZORDIO” on GSP label. Adam has been on the studio guitar department faculty at University of Southern California since 2000, where he teaches flamenco and classical guitar. http://adamdelmonte.com/ As one of the leading flamenco and classical guitarists/composers of his generation, Adam del Monte has made it his mission to fully express himself in these two genres, transcending labels and convention.