Denis Azabagic
Biographie Denis Azabagic
Denis Azabagic
is one of the most compelling classical guitarists on the international concert circuit today. He performs around the globe, maintaining a balance between solo recitals, chamber music with the Cavatina Duo (with his wife, flutist Eugenia Moliner), and engagements as soloist with orchestras.
In 1993, at the age of 20, Azabagic became the youngest winner of the prestigious Jacinto e Inocencio Guerrero International Guitar Com-petition in Madrid, Spain. Between 1992 and1999 he won 24 prizes in international competitions, including 11 first prizes. His book, On Competitions, based on his experience during these years, is published by Mel Bay.
Azabagic has recorded 10 CDs for several international labels including Naxos, Cedille, Opera Tres, Bridge, and Orobroy, plus two DVDs for the Mel Bay Company. Critics have praised his recordings and live performances for his elegant approach to music and unique way of communicating and reaching audiences’ hearts.
As a guest instrumentalist and soloist, Azabagic has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Sacramento Chamber Orchestra, Madrid Symphony, Traverse Symphony, Monterrey Symphony, and L’Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Mons, among others.
He has performed at Chicago’s Symphony Center; Savannah on Stage; the Ravinia Festival; the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (on the Masters of the Guitar series); the Aix en Provence Festival in France; El Palau de la Musica in Valencia, Spain; the National Chang Kai-Shek Cultural Center in Taiwan; the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China; and on Radio France in Paris.
Azabagic’s repertoire includes solo and orchestral music from the Baroque era to the present. As a member of the Cavatina Duo, he plays a vast chamber music repertoire, including many works written expressly for the duo.
Azabagic’s love for performing extends to sharing his knowledge of music-making with others. He frequently offers master classes while on tour, teaches at University of Illinois, and is the head of the guitar department at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
