Local guitarists Luis Medina and Alec Pearson present a fun and engaging pre-recorded program for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Vancouver. This is a free show presented via zoom.

Alec Pearson enjoys a career based in Vancouver where he currently serves as sessional instructor of guitar at the University of British Columbia. Alec has performed both solo and in ensemble across Canada, Spain, Colombia, Greece and the U.S. He currently serves as president of the “Vancouver Classic Guitar Society” where he works to organize many concerts, lectures masterclasses and social events.  

Alec holds the degree “Máster en Interpretación de Guitarra Clasica” from the Universitat d’Alacant in Alicante, Spain, where he studied with an array of the best guitarists in the world, including; David Russell, Pepe Romero, Manuel Barrueco, Roberto Aussel, Paul Galbraith and Fabio Zanon to list a few.

Prior to studying abroad, Alec earned a Masters degree from the University of British Columbia where he studied with internationally renowned Canadian guitarist and his longtime mentor Daniel Bolshoy. In 2012 he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Montreal. He was born and raised in Calgary where he first received exposure to the guitar under the tutelage of Jose Fermin. During his youth, he was an active member and performer in the Classical Guitar Society of Calgary and began his own teaching career at the age of 17.

Keep an eye open for performances by trio211 (click for link). A newly formed ensemble featuring Alec, Flute Virtuoso Bernard Blary, and master violinist Larisa Lebeda. Very young in their inception, trio 211 has already enjoyed many performance opportunities and has arranged many works for their ensemble combination.

Founder of the Vancouver Classical Guitar Festival, Luis Angel Medina is an avid performer and teacher across North America. He is the recipient of the Silver Medal from the 2017 Vancouver International Music Competition and holds a Masters degree from the University of Georgia in Athens. Luis’s career has taken him to perform in various cities in Europe, China and all over North America.

Luis was born in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico and began his formal studies in music theory and ear training at the age of fourteen when he enrolled in the Music Diploma at the University of Guadalajara. He then moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he began another Diploma at the Capilano University and won numerous awards and scholarships. He concluded his Bachelors of Music in Guitar performance at the University of British Columbia where he was part of the Dean’s List every year during his studies. 

He has now graduated from the Masters degree at the University of Georgia in Athens under the mentorship and guidance of acclaimed Canadian guitarist Dr. Daniel Bolshoy where he functioned as Guitar Teacher Assistant. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Director's Excellence Award which recognizes students for excellence  in musicianship,  scholarship,  leadership,  and  service,  also passing his final oral examinations with distinctions. Among his roles at the University are teaching Guitar classes for non-music university students and individual guidance to otherstudentspursuing a Bachelors in Guitar Performance at UGA. 

Now that Luis is back in the Lower Mainland, he continues to promote the guitar through public events that lead to the spread of music in the larger community with the aid of the Vancouver Classic Guitar Society. He was featured in the International City Music Talents concert held at the prestigious Playhouse Theatre in Vancouver. He has made appearances as a soloist, performing Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s firstguitarconcerto with A Little Night Music Orchestra and other occasions and also been invited to play for the Tri-Cities Guitar Society in Washington, USA with his duet partner Alec Pearson, head of theguitardepartment at the University of British Columbia. Luis isalsovery active across Canada directingguitarensembles, at various festivals teaching and performing.  Luis’s aims are to inspire others by sharing his love formusic and to bring the classicalguitarto the largercommunity

Luis's teaching style and strategy allows students to learn at a faster rate with some of hisstudentsperforming RCM level 4 pieces within 6 months. Luis's students  regularly achieve prizes at local festivals and have been selected to participate in the Provincial Festival.