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Guitarists Celso Cano and Mesut Ozgen open the 2017 Miami International GuitART Festival with a program of solo and duo works from classical, Spanish, South American, Turkish, and modern guitar repertoire. Featured composers include Fernando Sor, Len Williams, Isaac Albeniz, Francisco Tárrega, Agustin Barrios, and Mesut Ozgen. Reception to follow at 9:30pm.

Guitarist/composer Celso Cano has captivated audiences in concert halls throughout the North and South America and Europe. The Aamulehti in Finland described him as “an artist with temperament, the model of good sound.” He has received numerous prizes and awards including Segovia International Guitar Competition and the D’Addario Foundation Fellowship.

After moving from Perú to the U.S. with his family, he began his musical studies  with Lou Mowad. Recently, he earned his Master’s of Music degree in Guitar Performance from Florida International University where he studied with Rafael Padrón and Mesut Özgen. In addition to performing solo concerts, Mr. Cano has collaborated with many ensembles. He has been a guest artist with the Florida Grand Opera in productions of Il Barbieri di Seviglia and Don Pasquale and a soloist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.  He also recently became the first guitarist to win the 18th Annual Concerto Competition of Florida International University’s Symphony Orchestra and performed Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez  under the direction of James Judd.

He is currently faculty of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science at Nova Southeastern University and is working on a new CD featuring his own music, the music of Tárrega, Barrios and Albeniz and his own transcriptions of Scarlatti, Geminiani and Mendelssohn.

Mesut Özgen is a “highly accomplished and exciting player who gets the most out of the music he plays” (Classical Guitar magazine of England), as well as a composer whose works show the deep influence of traditional Turkish music. Critically acclaimed as “stunningly versatile and expressive” by Acoustic Guitar magazine, Mesut has been busy with concertizing, recording, composing, conducting, and teaching.

Özgen joined the faculty of Florida International University in the fall of 2013 as director of guitar studies and the FIU Miami Guitar Orchestra. He has performed and taught master classes throughout the United States, Spain, and Turkey and was the director of guitar studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz from 1998-2013. In addition to being a prizewinner in both the International Portland Guitar Competition and the National Guitar Competition of Turkey, he was also  the founder, director, and conductor of the Santa Cruz Guitar Orchestra between 2010-2013.

Buy Tickets Now: 

$15 general, $10 senior, FIU faculty and staff, $5 student

Buy the 2017 MIGF Festival Pass:

Attend all festival events at a single reduced price: $60 general, $45 senior, FIU faculty & staff & $25 student