Jason Vieaux 
Guitar

Jason Vieaux is one of the most highly acclaimed and sought after guitarists of his generation. His virtuosity, expressive music-making and exciting concert programs continue to earn him an active schedule of solo, chamber and concerto appearances around the US and abroad. Recent highlights include a tour of Taiwan and Japan, a return engagement with the Auckland Philharmonia, and performances at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Spivey Hall in Atlanta and New York's Merkin Hall. Traveling across North America, Jason Vieaux's 2004-05 season includes return engagements with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Series and Santa Fe Symphony, as well as a series of solo recitals in Toronto, Miami, Kansas City, Cleveland, Columbus, Richmond, Norfolk, Buffalo and the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Jason Vieaux has seven recordings to his credit and many more to come with his multi-record deal with Azica Records. Vieaux's CDs have attracted worldwide critical acclaim in newspapers and magazines around the world. His latest Azica release, "Sevilla: The Music of Isaac Albeniz," reached #2 on the Amazon.com Classical Bestseller List last summer, and was rated one of the Top Ten Classical CDs of 2003 by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Cleveland's Plain Dealer. Vieaux's Azica Records disc of Manuel Ponce sonatas was described by American Record Guide as "...a stunning reading...beautifully restrained...a marvelous release." Vieaux recorded his first CD when he was just 19; two years later this was followed by Laureate Series Guitar Recital on Naxos, which went on to sell over 30,000 copies internationally. An active chamber player, Mr. Vieaux also has two duo CDs with flutist Gary Schocker, including the October 2004 release "Arioso," featuring music of Bach, Vivaldi and LeClair. 

Mr. Vieaux's recordings and live performances are broadcast nationally on the radio and worldwide via the Internet. Since NPR's "Performance Today" program selected him as a 2002 Young Artist-in-Residence, Vieaux has been regularly aired on the top-rated show. He has also appeared on other NPR programs across the country, including "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition".

Jason Vieaux began guitar studies at age eight in Buffalo, New York. He first gained international recognition in 1992 when he became the youngest First Prize winner in the history of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Competition. This culminated with a 53-city solo tour throughout the U.S. with numerous return invitations. He is a Naumburg International Guitar Competition prizewinner and a recipient of The Cleveland Institute of Music's Alumni Achievement Award. In 1995, Mr. Vieaux was honored as an Artistic Ambassador of the United States to Southeast Asia, concertizing in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar (Burma). He has also toured Spain, France, Mexico, Canada and New Zealand. 

Mr. Vieaux is a regularly featured guest artist with orchestras across the United States. He has performed concertos with the Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Pops, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Auckland Philharmonia, the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra 2001. He has worked with conductors Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Luis Biava, Jahja Ling, Rossen Milanov, Gareth Morrell, Steven Smith and Carl Topilow. As a passionate advocate of new music, Vieaux has premièred works by José Luis Merlin, Eric Sessler, Arthur Hernandez and Fazil Say, and has performed concertos by Allen Krantz, Augusta Read-Thomas and John Corigliano.

Aside from his duties as a performer, Mr. Vieaux is highly dedicated to the art of teaching. He currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is Head of the Cleveland Institute of Music Guitar Department, making him the youngest Department Head to serve at the prestigious conservatory. He has also been affiliated with Philadelphia-based Astral Artistic Services since 1996.