Marcelo Kayath

Born in Brazil, Marcelo Kayath began studying guitar at age 13 with Leo Soares, later continuing with Jodacil Damaceno and Turíbio Santos. At just 16 years old, he won the Segovia Prize at the Villa-Lobos International Competition, and two years later became the first guitarist to win the coveted Young Brazilian Concert Artists competition. In 1984, he became the only guitarist to win first prize in the two largest guitar competitions in the world in the same year: the IV Toronto International Guitar Competition and the XXVI Concours International de Guitare de Paris. The following year he began touring Europe and the USA to unanimous acclaim from specialized critics. He has recorded several CDs on American and European labels, such as Hyperion, MCA Classics and Pickwick. Marcelo Kayath also holds degrees in Electronic Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and an MBA from Stanford Business School. After an early retirement from the concert stage in the early 90s, this recording is his first CD in 25 years.