THOMAS VILOTEAU

 

Guitare classique,

France

Thomas Viloteau's first concert was in his home country of France only a year after he began his studies, in front of an audience of 200 people. Since that concert, Thomas has played in some of the best venues through out the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Norway, Great Britain, Taiwan and Puerto Rico.

Born into a family of fine arts enthusiasts, Thomas took his first lesson at the age of twelve. Although a late start for an internationally recognized musician, inspired by listening to Naxos recordings of other prominent classical musicians, Thomas decided at the outset of his career that he wanted to record such a CD too. Eager to learn as much as he could about his instrument, he immediately went on to study at an international level, moving from Barcelona, to Paris, San Francisco, London, Tucson, Rochester and Montréal seeking advice from some of the leading professors like Alvaro Pierri, Alberto Ponce, Judicaël Perroy, Tom Patterson, Roland Dyens, Nicholas Goluses, Paul O'Dette and Marc Teicholz.

Equally as talented as a performer, Thomas has also proven his versatile abilities as a competitor. Thomas has placed in numerous international competitions, taking first prize in the Segovia Competition, Mottola, Ville d'Antony, Sernancelhe and in 2006, only nine years after he started playing, the renown Guitar Foundation of America International Competition which allowed him to record his first CD with the label Naxos. In the summer of 2012, after years away from competitions, he played for the first time at the Francisco Tàrrega Competition in Benicàssim, the oldest event of its kind, where he won the prestigious 1st prize. In December of 2015 he was the first guitarist to win the Arthur W. Foote Award from the Harvard Musical Association in Boston, a prize given each year to the best musician in the top music schools and conservatories in the United States.

Always willing to push his passion for classical guitar further, Thomas has recently finished writing a book about the modern advanced techniques of the classical guitar. "In the Black Box - Technique(s) of the Classical Guitar" is based on his own experiments, thoughts and those of his teachers and contemporaries. With this book, Thomas has created a tool in helping others get to a point that he was able to accelerate to so quickly.

Thomas Viloteau has released recordings with Naxos, La Ma de Guido and Mel Bay. In 2015 he produced his own record "Dances Through the Centuries," which includes the world premiere of the Suite Brasileira 3 by Sergio Assad, dedicated to Thomas and commissioned with a grant from the Northern Trust/Piper Enrichment Award.

Thomas Viloteau has lived in Paris, Barcelona, San Francisco, New York City, London, Tucson, and Montréal. He is currently finishing his Doctoral Studies at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. He only uses Savarez strings and plays on guitars made by Greg Smallman and Bastien Burlot.