Roberto Capocchi - Guitarist
Roberto Capocchi is a very expressive classical guitarist with a varied color palette and wide dynamic range, who captivates his audiences with an unusually beautiful tone and rare musical refinement. Described as "one really fine classical guitarist with a sound to die for," Mr. Capocchi combines polished technique and conscientious analysis of the music with deep artistic sense and musical emotion, and offers beautiful performances that have led critics to call him "a true master," placing him "certainly among Brazil's greatest names in the guitar."
Mr. Capocchi has performed to critical acclaim throughout the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and Belgium. He often plays and offers workshops at festivals in North and South America, such as the Society of Composers Inc., Santa Fe New Music, Guitar Northwest, Haydn Festival International, Souza Lima Festival, Taos Chamber Music Group, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival - Music in Our Schools, Serenata of Santa Fe, Peninsula College's Sound of Unity, San Juan College, Seattle University, Millennium Artists, Violao em Concerto, and The Santa Fe Opera, with conductors Alan Gilbert and Bernard Rubenstein.
He has won top prizes in competitions such as the Sholin Memorial, Stevens Guitar Competition, Young Concert Artists, Villa-lobos Competition, Souza Lima Guitar Competition, Aracatuba Festival, Saint Marcelina Chamber Music Competition, and Mozarteum Competition. He has been a semi-finalist at the GFA (Guitar Foundation of America) Solo Guitar Competition, Portland Guitar Festival, and was the only solo guitarist selected for the 1997 Premio Eldorado de Musica.
"Roberto Capocchi Plays Spanish Guitar Music," is a solo CD with music by Isaac Albeniz, Regino Sainz de la Maza, Joaquin Turina, and Francisco Tarrega. With violinist Ellen Chavez de Leitner, he released the CD “Duo Guadalupe: Music for Violin and Guitar,” playing Baroque, Classical and Modern music. Roberto also performs in a CD of the music of Ron Strauss, playing the suite "Tangos de Santa Fe" with Carol Redman on flute and Pamela Epple on English horn.
Mr. Capocchi is on the faculty of New Mexico Highlands University, United World College, College of Santa Fe, and at Adams State College. He has taught at the University of Arizona, MUSICI, Souza Lima Conservatory, Santa Fe Waldorf High School, Ortiz Middle School through a Grant from the Rebekahs, and Sweeney Elementary though a grant from the Thaw Foundation. His students have won prizes at the Columbus State University Guitar Competition, Souza Lima Competition, Tucson Jazz Society Award, Santa Fe ProMusica Young Concert Artist, New Mexico All State Jazz Band, and Shaefer Guitar Competition. They also have been awarded scholarships at the University of Northern Colorado, Berklee School of Music, North Carolina School for the Arts, University of Arizona, Killington Music Festival, and North Carolina School for the Arts.
Mr. Capocchi was born in Brazil, where he received music degrees from the Lins de Vasconcelos Conservatory and Carlos Gomes College. From the University of Arizona, he holds a Master of Music Degree in Music Performance, and a doctorate, (D. M. A. - abd) in Performance and Music Theory. He is a recipient of the University of Arizona Dean's Fund for Excellence, William Wolf Scholarship, and various travel grants. His teachers have included Thomas Patterson, Henrique Pinto and Sandra Costa (guitar instructors) Conrado Paulino and Kiko Moura (Jazz and Brazilian Music) and Ricardo Rizek.
He has performemed in master-classes and been coached by such notable artists as Sergio Abreu, David Leisner, Paul O'Dette, Alice Artzt, Orlando Fraga, Paulo Porto Alegre, Luis Claudio Ferreira, Sila Godoy, Alexandre Lagoya, Den-min Yeh, Eduardo Meirinhos, Benjamin Verdery, Oscar Gigia, Mario Ulloa, Margarita Escarpa, and Ivan Rijos. Favorable reviews often stress Mr. Capocchi's expressiveness, technical fluency, and engaging stage presence.
The guitars he uses are a 1988 Sergio Abreu, from Brazil, a 1996 Gioachino Giussani, from Italy, and a 2010 Robert Ruck, from the USA.