MIGUEL TRÁPAGA

Miguel Trápaga was born in Cantabria (Spain) in 1967. He studied at the Ataúlfo Argenta Conservatory (Santander) and at Royal Conservatory Of Music of Madrid (Real Conservatorio Superior de Música) with Javier Canduela and Demetrio Ballesteros, respectively. He also received lessons from José Tomás, Miguel Angel Girollet, Manuel Estévez, José Luis Rodrigo, David Russell, Leo Brouwer and Gerardo Arriaga.

He has been awarded scholarships from the Marcelino Botín Foundation, Leunesses Musicales (Madrid) and the La Caixa Foundation (Barcelona). Mr. Trápaga has won prizes in the following competitions: Arturo Sanzano Competition, 1988; Premio Extraordinario Fin de Carrera (graduated with top honors) from the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid, 1990; Concurso Permanente de Juventudes Musicales de España, 1992; XVIth Andrés Segovia International Guitar Competition, Palma de Mallorca, 1993; Third Great Lakes Competition, Oberlin, Ohio (USA), 1994; and the XII International Solo Guitar Competition, Guitar Foundation of America, Quebec (Canada), 1994.

He has performed in broadcasts for Spanish National Radio, Antena 2 of Portugal, ABC of Australia and the BBC among others. He has recorded the CD “Anthology of composers in Cantabria” released by the Marcelino Botin Foundation (Banco de Santander), and has contributed to a double CD containing Federico Moreno Torroba´s guitar music. His recordings with works of the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer and with the violinist Alexandre Detissov containing works for violin and guitar of Mauro Giuliani, have been released by the Opera Tres record label. His last CD is a tribute to Andrés Segovia, featuring works by Joaquín Turina, Castelnuovo Tedesco, Ponce, Tansman, Moreno-Torroba and Albert Harris.

Currently a teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid, Mr. Trápaga has offered master classes in Spain and abroad (The Canary Islands International Guitar Festival, Panama City University, Frederic Chopin Academy in Warsaw, Mahidol University in Bangkok, Massey University in Wellington, Kukulkan Guitar Festival in Mexico, Melbourne University…).

He has performed in the main concert halls and theatres in Spain -Palau de la Música de Valencia, Gran Teatro de Cordoba, Teatro Monumental, Teatro de la Maestranza, Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, Auditorio de Zaragoza …- and abroad –the Forbidden City Music Hall in Beijing, Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore, Pushkin Museum in Moscow, National Concert Hall in Taiwan, National Theatre in Panama, Playhouse in Canberra, Centro Cultural do Banco de Brasil (Brasilia), Cecilia Meireles (Río de Janeiro), Nairobi National Museum, Ateneu Rumano (Bucharest), Lysenko Hall (Kiev), Bangkok, La Habana, Dublin, Santiago de Chile, Sydney, Warsaw, Montevideo, Slovakia, Portugal, Mexico, Kuwait, Cameroon, Philippines, Nicaragua, Venezuela, South Africa, and has toured Brazil, Peru, Japan, New Zealand, Indonesia, Germany, Canada, United States…-.

He has performed, among others, with the Moscow String Quartet, the mezzo-soprano Lola Casariego, the conductors Leo Brouwer, Theodore Kuchar, Igor Palkin…, and with the Villa de Madrid Chamber Orchestra, Sesi Fundarte Chamber Orchestra (Porto Alegre, Brazil), Thailand Philarmonic Orchestra, Gijón Symphony Orchestra, Seville Symphony Orchestra, Madrid Symphony Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra and Ukrainian National Orchestra.