Marco Tamayo (Havana, Cuba – 1973), humanly recognized as one of the greatest guitarists of our time, praised by musicians such as John Williams, Leo Brouwer and Eliot Fisk, is one of the main figures of the world classical guitar. Winner of more than 25 first prizes in the most important international competitions including the Andrés Segovia Competition” in Granada, the “Michele Pittaluga” in Alexandria, the “Leo Brouwer” in Havana, he has played as a soloist with highly prestigious orchestras such as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Culiacán Philharmonic Orchestra, the Havana Philharmonic Orchestra, the “Oulu Philharmonic Orchestra” and with famous conductors such as Ennio and Andrea Morricone, Philipe Bender, Leo Brouwer, Gordon Campbell, Kurt Redel, Hannu Lintu. His six albums, three of which released by Naxos, were received with extraordinary enthusiasm by the critics. Eliot Fisk commented Marco Tamayo’s interpretative style thus: “this artist demonstrates a perfect technical development and a extraordinary musical intelligence”. Marco Tamayo is regularly invited as a member of the juries of international competitions and to give masterclasses in schools, conservatories and universities all over the world. In August 2014, the “Marco Tamayo Edition” was created, a series of works from the guitar repertoire, enriched with Marco Tamayo’s fingerings and suggestions. Lecturer at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and at the University of the Arts in Berlin, he teaches guitarists from all over the world and his students are winners of international competitions and on the way to important artistic careers.
Giulio Tampalini (Brescia, 1971) in 2014 received the Arts and Culture Award in Milan. He is considered by critics to be one of the most innovative and charismatic performers on the musical scene. After graduating with honors from the Cuneo Conservatory, he won the major international guitar prizes, the “Yepes” Competition in Sanremo, the “Sor” in Rome, the International Music Tournament in Rome twice, the “De Bonis of Cosenza. He won two Golden Guitars for best album: in 2003 with the Tárrega: Complete Works for Guitar and in 2018 for the album Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Complete Works for Soprano and Guitar. He performs regularly in Europe, Asia and the United States as a soloist and with orchestra. In his impressive record production there are CDs dedicated to the Italian twentieth century, the complete works for solo guitar by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, the Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo, a monograph on Gilardino, the Sei Rossiniane by Giuliani, the Concerto n. 1, the Quintet and the Romancero Gitano of Castelnuovo-Tedesco and four complete works: Tárrega, Llobet, Matiegka and Villa-Lobos. With Giovanni Podera he is editor of the series “The Masters of the Guitar” (Edizioni Curci). A tireless globetrotter of the guitar, a member of the board of the Milan Guitar Conference, he is the creator of musical projects, artistic formats and promotes young talents of the six strings through countless initiatives. He is a guitar teacher at the International Academy Foundation of Imola “Incontri con il Maestro” and at the Adria Conservatory, director of the International Guitar Academy of Brescia, founder of the Italian Guitar Campus, holds very popular masterclasses in Italy, Europe and Asia and America.