Carmen Marina (Guitar)

Born: Santander, Spain

Carmen Marina is a multi-talented individualist. She is an author and poet, composer, concert artist and teacher of the guitar, considered by many as the foremost if not finest female classical guitarist of the day. The great virtuoso of the guitar Andrés Segovia said of Carmen Marina, I have the highest estimation for Carmen Marina, her musical artistry with the guitar is simply delightful"…

Carmen Marina, a native Spaniard born in Santander, a picturesque region in Northern Spain, started her musical studies at the Madrid Conservatory of Music, obtaining highest degrees in harmony and composition, also received highest award for her Opera, The Old Man and the Sea, based on Ernest Hemingway's novel of the same name. She obtained specia1 guitar Instruction from Andrés Segovia in Italy and Santiaqo de Compostela, also studying the guitar with Regino Sainz de la Maza, in Madrid.

At a very young age Carmen Marina began to concretise all over Spain and other European countries, and in France she made many appearances on TV and Radio; labelled by French critics as the youngest and most brilliant guitarist, possessor of the most beautiful and powerful tone ever extracted from the guitar.

Carmen Marina has played various concerts in USA and Canada, and while in a visit to the USA in 1971, she was heard in concert at Carnegie Hall playing for the first lime her own composition Homage to America, The New York Times wrote, "It was a great pleasure listening to Carmen Marina play her guitar, introducing a subtle control of the rubato, kaleidoscopic dynamic range and musical vitality…

Source: Liner notes to the LP 'Bach for the Guitar' (SMS)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (July 2008)

Carmen Marina: Short Biography | Recordings of Instrumental Works

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