Juan Carlos Laguna

 

Classical guitar

Mexico

First place on the 34^th Tokyo International Guitar Contest celebrated in Japan, cum laude from the National University of Mexico for Young Academics in the Artistic Area and Cultural Extension and awarded the Prize for Arts Teaching. Laguna is currently a mandatory reference of the National Music School of the UNAM. He currently serves as full-time Principal Professor teaching at bachelors, masters and doctorates level. He got a Master’s degree in College Teaching from the Anáhuac México University and PhD in Music from the Faculty of Music at the UNAM.

As performer, Laguna is valued as one of the most outstanding characters in the field of new music. His absolute premieres and his efforts of spreading the Mexican contemporary culture are very important, which is why he is highly-demanded in stages, gatherings and festivals in Mexico and abroad. Since 1980, he has belonged to the select group of soloists from the National Institute of Fine Arts that perform at Bellas Artes, where he has made an invaluable effort as soloist. He has also been an intern at the National Fund for the Arts and Culture, where he gave life to projects such as premieres, recordings and spreading the Mexican contemporary music.

He has performed in several countries in America, Europe, Africa and Asia. He has been part of the jury in important international contests, and he has also given conferences, talks, workshops and master classes in highly-prestigious superior education institutions such as: SMU in Texas, Toronto University, Tulane University, Royal School of Music in London, the Superior Institute of Art in Havana and the University of Cordoba in Argentina, to name a few. His particular interest in Mexican music reflects in his labors as reviewer or editor in diverse publications for guitar in Mexico, Italy and Japan.  Since 2000, he has made huge spreading efforts through the artistic direction of the Taxco International Guitar Contest and Festival.

His recording production includes more than 30 solo CDs, which were made in England, Japan, France and Mexico with the renowned companies Audivis, Forlane, Kojima Recording, Tempus and Urtext Digital Classics.