Michael Ibsen
Michael Ibsen is a Canadian classical guitarist who performs a variety of music, re-imagining historic and new works on the instrument. Michael fell in love with the classical guitar because of its diverse repertoire, ability to express colour, and the tonal control that comes from interacting directly with the strings. His debut CD ‘Sketches’, which includes new Canadian music for the guitar written for Michael by Ontario-based composer William Beauvais, was recorded in 2015 at the University of Calgary. Michael has performed in a variety of settings across Canada as a solo and chamber instrumentalist, including his concerto debut in 2015 with the Calgary Arts Orchestra in a performance of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s first guitar concerto. He has received distinction for his performance abilities and academic achievements, including winning third place in guitar at the 2015 National Music Festival of Canada (after winning first prizes at the regional and provincial levels) and being a two-time recipient of grants from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Michael has received his Masters of Music in guitar performance from the University of British Columbia, where he studied under Dr. Daniel Bolshoy, and recently moved to study and work as a guitarist in Utrecht, in the Netherlands. Michael has performed in master classes and taken lessons with many of the worlds most renowned classical guitarists, including Judicael Perroy, Thomas Viloteau, Marc Teicholz, Denis Azabagic, Michael Partington, and Marcin Dylla. He currently studies privately with Johannes Moller and Carlo Marchione in Amsterdam and Maastricht. Michael's students have won prizes and accolades for their performances in local festivals and examinations in Vancouver, and he is currently establishing a new studio of students in Utrecht.