Only one person has ever won the world's top competitions in both "fingerstyle"
and "classical" guitar, the 1998 National Fingerpicking Champion and
the Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar
Competition. That person, Michael Chapdelaine will play a solo concert
featuring the brilliance and versatility of his own compositions and
arrangements.
"Chapdelaine is much admired for his
sensitive, even soulful performances."
Guitar Review Magazine
Prior to winning the Championship, Chapdelaine had also won top honors
in four international “classical” guitar competitions, including First
Prize in the Guitar Foundation of America Competition. He has been
awarded two National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist
Fellowships and holds a Master of Music degree from Florida State
University. In recent years he has toured 4 continents and been seen
around the world on CNN and Headline News.
Chapdelaine, who studied with Andrés Segovia, earned the distinction
of winning the 20th annual National Fingerpicking Championship,
traditionally dominated by steel string players, while playing on a
nylon string classical guitar. He bested an international field of
guitarist by playing a broad spectrum of musical genres ranging from
traditional South American dance music to his own fingerstyle
compositions, which included a blues number he calls Blue Chile.
"The biggest thrill about winning Winfield was seeing how much people
like my original compositions," Chapdelaine said.
"As carelessly as the word "virtuoso" gets tossed around these days,
it still only characterizes a minuscule percentage of artists. New
Mexico-based guitarist Michael Chapdelaine is one of the chosen few. .
And Michael Chapdelaine is a consummate live performer whose passion
bleeds from his fingertips." Weekly Alibi
His original works, which he has only recently introduced to the
public, bring together a broad variety of musical styles from
classical to country to blues. "I grew up playing pop music in Navy
clubs....I needed to find a way to mix the groove and fun of that
music with the discipline and expressive beauty of classical music."
“Music is fun, if it's not fun, why bother?”
