guitarfEst
at
New World School of the Arts
MARCH 11th, 2022
Dr. Koh Kazama, Director, Faculty at New world school of the arts College
Mr. Gus Mayorga
Guitar Program Director/Fine Arts Academy Leader at the Conservatory of the Arts at Hialeah Senior High School
Dr. Alexander Milovanov
Faculty at French Conservatory of Music
Founder of South Bay Guitar Academy
Dr. Koh Kazama
Faculty at New World School of the Arts College
Welcome to NWSA GuitarFest 2022! 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!
schedule of Events:
10:00AM – 11:00AM
Lecture/Workshop – Sight reading techniques for the guitarist
with Mr. Gus Mayorga
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Room 4304, Building 4
401 NE 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33132
11:00AM – 12:30PM
technique Workshop/Masterclass with ensembles
with Dr. Koh Kazama
Featuring students at Hialeah Senior High School and Doral Senior High School
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Room 4302 Building 4
12:30PM – 1:30PM
Lunch break
1:30PM – 3:30PM
Masterclass/Workshop
with Dr. Alexander Milovanov
Featuring students at NWSA, Hialeah Senior High School, and Doral Senior High School
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Auditorium (Room 1261), Building 1
4:00PM – 5:00PM
Student Ensemble Performance
Featuring students at NWSA, Hialeah Senior High School, and Doral Senior High School
Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Auditorium (Room 1261), Building 1
about the artists
alexander milovanov
Alexander Milovanov is one of the leading and most prominent classical guitarists of his generation. He often had been cited as an extraordinary artist capturing the audience's attention with powerful insight and dazzling virtuoso technique. Alexander has performed numerous solo recitals internationally and in major centers throughout the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Baltimore, Austin, and Saint Petersburg, Russia. He has also appeared as the guest artist in many prestigious concert series such as the Kean Concert Artists and the Bedford Chamber Concerts, performing with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra members under the direction of Anthony Newman. Besides formal concerts, Alexander has also done many outreach performances for various communities.
Alexander has won top prizes in important guitar contests, including the preeminent International Concert Artist Competition of the Guitar Foundation of America and the Boston GuitarFest International Competition. In addition, he received the top prize in a professional category of the Vienna International Music Competition, where he competed with all types of string instruments. Finally, Alexander became the first solo classical guitarist to win the prestigious Beverly Hills National Auditions contest.
Originally from Belarus, Alexander Milovanov has earned his Bachelor of Music from the Glinka State College of Music. After moving to the U.S., Alexander attended the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he received his Master of Music, studying with Ray Chester, Manuel Barrueco, and Julian Gray. He also received a full scholarship to work with the Grammy Award-winning guitarist, Ms. Sharon Isbin, at the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Alexander had served on the faculty of the International School of Music in Washington, D.C. Later, he attended the two-year Artist Diploma program at the Yale University School of Music as a full scholarship and fellowship recipient under the tutelage of Benjamin Verdery. In 2017, Alexander completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Texas at Austin, under the direction of the maestro Adam Holzman. Currently, Dr. Milovanov is on the faculty of the French Conservatory of Music in Beverly Hills, CA, as well as the instructor at the South Bay Guitar Academy in Torrance, CA, which he has recently founded. Alexander Milovanov is a U.S. citizen since 2010.
gus Mayorga
Mr. Mayorga received his bachelors degree in music education from Florida International University in 1996 and his masters in educational leadership from Barry University in 2014. He have worked with Miami Dade County Public Schools since 1990 and has performed professionally with numerous entertainers over the years. He enjoys performing, recording, arranging, and composing music in his spare time. As always, he is delighted to see young performers inspired. He is currently the Guitar Program Director/Fine Arts Academy Leader at the Conservatory of the Arts at Hialeah Senior High School.
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, 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.