Saturday, MARCH 9th, 2024
Dr. Koh Kazama, Director New World School of the Arts Guitar Faculty
ALBERTO PUERTO
DR. SAM DESMET
DR. KOH KAZAMA
Welcome to NWSA GuitarFest 2024! GuitarFest is a FREE day-long event of masterclasses, workshops, and performances for the Miami community. Events are centered around the students, providing guitar learners with information and experiences that will further advance their playing. Open to the public, and all levels are welcome!
this event is free
If you plan to attend the concert ONLY: Registration is NOT required
If you plan to attend any non-concert events (masterclasses, lectures): Registration IS required
If you would like to PLAY in one of the masterclasses: Registration IS required by February 28th (space is very limited, so try to apply early!)
All events are free and open to the public
schedule of Events
10:00AM - 11:00am
Masterclass/Workshop with Dr. Koh Kazama
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Building 4 Room 4304 (3rd floor)
401 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33132
Click here for campus map
11:00AM – 12:00Pm
“A Survey of Cuban Music Through the Classical Guitar” Guest Lecture with Alberto Puerto
This lecture will showcase some of the most important genres of Cuban music and how they can be implemented in the creative process by classical guitarists and musicians in general.
We will analyze rhythmic patterns, instrumentation, harmony, and other elements and how we can translate them to the language of the guitar.
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Building 4 Room 4304 (3rd floor)
401 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33132
12:00PM – 1:00PM
Lunch break
1:00PM – 3:00PM
Masterclass With Dr. Sam Desmet
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Auditorium (Room 1261), Building 1 (2nd floor)
300 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33132
3:00PM – 4:00PM
Luthier Exhibit
Try out handmade guitars by local luthiers BILL GLEZ and ROLDÁN PEREZ CHATELOIN & ANTONIO DE AGUIRRE!
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Auditorium (Room 1261), Building 1 (2nd floor)
300 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33132
4:00PM – 5:30PM
NWSA GuitarFEst Concert
Featuring Alberto Puerto, Koh Kazama, Sam Desmet, and Cristian Perez (NWSA Alumnus)
Works by Sor, Piazzolla, Joseito Fernandez, Miguel Matomoros, The Beatles, and more. From classical to Latin American to rock!
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Auditorium (Room 1261), Building 1 (2nd floor)
Learn more about our featured artists!
about the artists
Sam Desmet
Praised for his “poetic and sensible playing”, award winning Belgian Guitarist Dr. Sam Desmet performed in Asia, Europe and the United States, interpreting nineteenth and twentieth century repertoire.
Belgian guitarist Dr. Sam Desmet started earning a reputation in the late 2000s for performing and recording a mix of works from well-established composers with lesser-known or contemporary repertoire. Desmet often branches out by collaborating with different artists and art forms such as dance, painting, architecture, animation, film, and poetry.
Having begun his music education in the small town where he grew up, his true connection with classical music began at the Royal Conservatory at Ghent under the guidance of his mentor, Yves Storms and graduated with a masters in both music pedagogy and performance (highest distinction). In 2010, Desmet moved to the US to pursue a Doctorate in guitar performance at the Florida State University. Since, he worked and performed as a soloist and chamber musician in concert halls and universities around Asia, Europe, and throughout the US.
Dr. Desmet always had a deep fascination for chamber music, and in recent years collaborated with distinguished artists such as flutist Nora Lee García and composer/guitarist Federico Bonacossa. These partnerships have often allowed him to showcase the versatility and artistry of a classical guitarist to wider audiences.
Desmet recorded a series of guitar studies for the guitar on his album “Study < > Study”, which received high praise: “You have quite the musical insight.” (Angelo Gilardino, Musicologist, Composer); “Your playing is full of sensibility, I really love your work.” (Simone Iannarelli, Guitarist, Composer); “You are right in that many etudes can be beautiful music to include in one’s concert repertoire. You are a very musical player, te felicito!” (Luis Zea, Guitarist). This recording along with his recent ongoing releases, ranging from film music to folk song arrangements, are now available on all streaming platforms.
In addition to performing and recording, Desmet often publishes original works, arrangements and critical editions of music scores available on his website or through international publishers such as Production d’Oz and Edizioni Berben / Curzi. He also contributed articles to Classical Guitar Magazine.
Dr. Desmet has over 20 years of teaching experience in academies, conservatories, colleges, universities and at his private studio In Orlando, Florida. Several of his students won competitions and performed at Carnegie Hall. He is often asked as a judicator and lecturer for international music festivals and competitions.
Artist website: www.samdesmet.com
Alberto Puerto
Guitarist, composer, and arranger Alberto Puerto, whose work has shown a great deal of variety in the field of classical guitar, has developed a practical methodology at all levels of musical instruction. A native of Cuba known for his contrasting repertoire, he has performed in diverse styles from Baroque to popular Cuban music infused with jazz elements, both as a soloist and with various chamber music projects. He has long been an advocate for the fusion of the guitar with other artistic manifestations in a cohesive yet decorative manner.
During his 5 years as a professor at the Evangelical University of Bolivia, he taught guitar, harmony and music theory courses, and motivated students to relate music to the arts in general, providing a platform that focused on developing creativity and emotion.
In Havana, he was concertmaster of the Sonantas Habaneras guitar orchestra for five years. This project was led by maestro Jesus Ortega, his mentor at the University of the Arts in Cuba.
Awards from various national and international competitions include Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Cochabamba, Bolivia 2010 and 2012, Musicalia 2009. Alberto currently resides in Miami, Florida and has performed in numerous arts festivals and events such as the Miami International Ballet Festival 2017 and 2018, Art Basel Miami 2017 - 2018, Miami Guitart Festival 2018, LnS Gallery's Arcimboldo´s Ghosts, an exhibition by Arturo Rodriguez, 2018, and Cernuda Arte Gallery's Cuban Arts Exhibition, 2019, among others.
In 2020, he recorded his first album The Great Cuban Suite, in which he showcases the diversity of Cuban musical genres through the classical guitar and at the same time interacts with renowned Cuban jazz percussionists in the recording. The album was released online in 2021. Most recently, he has participated in the Latin American Guitar Festival of Boston, has presented as a guest at the guitar society of the University of Florida, and has collaborated with Spanish composer Jose Luis De la Paz on the presentation of the album Introspective. Alberto's teaching methods also recently led to the formation of his own guitar school, the AP Guitar School, out of Coral Gables, FL.
Artist website: www.albertopuerto.com
koh kazama
A New York City native, Koh Kazama is a concert guitarist and educator exposing audiences to the endless possibilities of the classical guitar. He started his guitar studies at the age of six, after being inspired by a Japanese rock musician. His diverse repertoire ranges from early music played on period instruments to contemporary music using electronic effects.
Dr. Kazama has performed in renowned venues, festivals, and concert series, including Carnegie Hall, Miami International GuitART Festival, Long Island Guitar Festival, Killington Music Festival, Symphony Space, Webster Hall, WNYC New Sounds Live series, Morse Hall (Juilliard), Mid-Hudson Classical Guitar Society, and Yale Guitar Extravaganza. He has also premiered works by a wide range of prominent composers, including Michael White (Juilliard), David Lang (Yale), William Anderson (Queens College), Paula Matthusen (Wesleyan), and Kendall Williams.
Dr. Kazama holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, where he was a scholarship student and teaching assistant of the guitar department. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in psychology, Master of Music, and Artist Diploma at Yale University. He received a full scholarship to attend Yale, and he was the recipient of the Eliot Fisk Prize, which was awarded to an outstanding guitarist whose artistic achievements and dedication have contributed greatly to the department. He attended LaGuardia Arts High School in New York City, where he majored in cello and was part of the LaGuardia Symphony Orchestra. His major teachers have included Jerry Willard, Benjamin Verdery, Simon Powis, Liam Wood, Nadav Lev, and David Gonzalez.
Dr. Kazama is also a dedicated teacher who has experience teaching guitar to students of various levels and ages. He is currently on the faculty at New World School of the Arts, a partner of Miami Dade College, University of Florida, and Dade County Public Schools in Miami. He has previously taught as a guitar instructor at Yale University and Stony Brook University. He is also a former faculty member and alumnus of Third Street Music School Settlement, the longest-running community music school in the United States.
In addition to his teaching and performing, Dr. Kazama has contributed publications and learning resources to the guitar community. He co-founded Monologue Publications, which is dedicated to creating solo and chamber music arrangements for guitar that include thoroughly researched historical and stylistic information for the player. He is also the co-founder of Leyenda, an online graded classical guitar database.
In his spare time, Dr. Kazama enjoys playing soccer, snowboarding, and eating Japanese food.
Artist website: www.kohkazama.com
Click below to view our past editions!