Guitar Duo
Angel Romero & Eliot Fisk

Saturday - January 24, 2009 - 8 p.m.


•Click here to watch video clips of Angel Romero.

•Click here to visit Eliot Fisk's website.


In 2008 Eliot Fisk began a highly anticipated collaboration with guitar legend Angel Romero. Only in its first season, this extraordinary collaboration is already booked in major venues from coast to coast and will headline Boston Guitar Fest 2008 in Jordan Hall on June 14th.

A creative innovator linked to the great romantic tradition of the past, guitarist Eliot Fisk is one of the most exciting and unique artists before the public today. Known world wide for his adventurous repertoire and willingness to take art music into unusual venues (including schools, senior centers and even prisons!) he belongs, as his great mentor Andrés Segovia once wrote, "at the top line of our artistic world."

In June of 2006, by order of King Juan Carlos of Spain, Eliot Fisk was awarded the Cruz of Isabel la Catótlica for his service to the cause of Spanish music. Earlier recipients of this rarely bestowed honor include Andrés Segovia and Yehudi Menuhin.

Eliot Fisk has performed to dazzling critical and public acclaim in recital, as soloist with major orchestras and in a wide variety of chamber music combinations in most of the great concert halls of the world and in 1996 in a command performance in the Palacio de los Cordova in Granada, Spain, for then U.S. President Bill Clinton and King Juan Carlos of Spain and their families.

Eliot Fisk has expanded the repertoire for the guitar enormously through countless ground breaking transcriptions of works by Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, Paganini, and others as well as through commissions from leading composers as varied as Luciano Berio, Leonardo Balada, Robert Beaser, Wiliam Bolcom, Xavier Montsalvatge, Nicholas Maw, George Rochberg and Kurt Schwertsik. His numerous transcriptions and editions are published by Universal, Presser, Ricordi and Guitar Solo Publications.

Eliot Fisk's numerous recordings for the Musical Heritage Society, DGG, Arabesque, and EMI have elicited unqualified praise and even entered the Billboard charts as bestsellers. Most of these recordings include repertoire never before performed on the guitar such as his legendary reading of the 24 solo violin Capricci, Op. 1 of Paganini ("Has to be heard to be believed!"—Ruggiero Ricci), his recordings of contemporary works by Berio and Rochberg or his recording with Paula Robison of Robert Beaser's Mountain Songs, which was nominated for a Grammy.

Hailed for his superior artistry as the Spanish maestro of the guitar, Angel Romero's eminence in the music world as soloist and conductor is heralded by audiences and critics alike. One of the most sought-after musicians of his generation, Angel Romero has appeared in the major cultural centers throughout the world including those of London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Madrid, Munich, Zurich, Chicago, Los Angles and New York among others. He has appeared as soloist with such leading orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the New World Symphony, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. As conductor, he has led numerous orchestras worldwide including the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Royal Philharmonic, Germany's NDR Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Symphoniker, the Beijing Philharmonic, the Euro-Asia Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony, the Bogotá Philharmonic, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Orquesta de Baja California, the Santa Barbara Symphony, the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Chamber Orchestra among others. Regardless of his role on stage, his driving intensity and flawless control mark him as a true master of the arts.

Angel Romero's extensive discography includes highly acclaimed recordings for Delos International, RCA Victor Red Seal and RCA Victor Worldwide, Telarc and Angel/EMI.

In February 2000 he was presented with the highest honor that the country of Spain has to offer, the Grand Cross of Isabel la Catolica and was knighted Sir Angel Romero in reverence of his astounding musical accomplishments. In 2007, Angel Romero was honored by the Recording Academy, producer of the Grammy Awards, with the Recording Academy President's Merit Award for his significant contributions to the music world and for his professional career achievements.

Angel Romero is noted for his activities in the film industry. In 1989, he performed the entire score for "The Milagro Bean Field War" directed by Robert Redford. In 1994, he composed and directed the music score for the Gabriele Retes film "Bienvenido-Welcome," which opened at the Muestra del Cine film festival in Guadalajara. For his work on this film, Mr. Romero won the 1995 ARIEL (the "Academy Award" of Mexico) in the category of music written originally for film. He also performed and recorded the entire score for the film "By The Sword" composed by Bill Conti, and played a cameo role in the major motion picture "Bound by Honor," a Taylor Hackford film.

Born in Malaga, Spain, Angel Romero made his professional debut at the age of six and his United States debut at the Hollywood Bowl when he was 16 giving the West Coast premiere of the famed Rodrigo's "Aranjuez Concerto." This occasion also marked the first time a guitarist was featured as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 1991, he gave the world premiere of Joaquin Rodrigo's "Rincones de España" at New York's Lincoln Center. Mr. Romero studied conducting privately with Eugene Ormandy, the legendary conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Angel Romero has played for numerous world leaders including his globally telecast 1992 appearance in the United Nations General Assembly Hall with the National Orchestra of Spain under the baton of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. The performance was by invitation of then Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to promote world peace and to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.