The department of modern languages at Denison University is hosting a guitar recital featuring Francesc de Paula Soler. The recital will be at 8 p.m. on Tuesday (Sept. 21) in Burke Recital Hall and is free and open to the public.

The program is divided into two parts: the first gives the audience a panoramic view of the presence of the classical guitar in Spain and throughout Latin America; in the second, Soler presents some of the most representative composers of contemporary music for the instrument. The program will include musical compositions by Astor Piazzolla, Pablo Escobar, Heitor Villa-Lobos and Benjamin Britten.

Soler was born into a well-known artistic family in Spain and began his guitar studies at age 11. After graduating from the Barcelona Conservatory of Music, where he received highest honors, he studied with Andres Segovia. For many years he was the master guitarist at theConservatorio Superior de Música de Barcelona.

He has recorded the albumGuitar Collection of Francesc de Paula Solerfor Mel Bay publications and is currently preparingEl Polifemo de Oro, an album of Spanish music for both vihuela and guitar. Soler has played numerous concert tours in the United States (1998, 1993, 1994, & 1999-2003). He has received numerous prizes and awards, including the conferring of Honorary Citizen of Dallas (1988) and received special recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives (2001 & 2002) for his artistic merits. Soler became a member of the Royal Order of Christopher Columbus in 1999. Soler's wide international activity as a performer has critics hailing him as the most notable name in the new generation of Spanish guitarists.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

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stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575