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| Eduardo Fernández |
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Born in 1952 in Uruguay,
he began his studies of guitar at age 7. His principal teachers were Abel
Carlevaro, Guido Santórsola and Héctor Tosar. After being prized
in several international competitions, the most notable being the 1972 Porto
Alegre (Brazil) and 1975 Radio France (Paris) competitions, he won the first
prize of the 1975 Andrés Segovia Competition in Mallorca (Spain). 
His New York debut in 1977 won critical
accolades, being described as "A top guitarist...Rarely has this reviewer
heard a more impressive debut recital on any instrument" (Donal Henahan,
The New York Times). Fernández has returned to the U.S.A. every season
since then, playing with prestigious orchestras as well as giving recitals,
always to great acclaim. His London debut, in Wigmore Hall (1983), had also a
great impact, and resulted in his signing an exclusive recording contract with
Decca, a label for which he has made 18 recordings (solos, and with the English
Chamber Orchestra and the London Philharmonic), that cover a wide section of
the repertoire, from Bach to the contemporary. They include many first
recordings (for instance, Berio's "Sequenza XI"), and several of
them have been selected as "best of the month" and "best of the
year" by Stereo Review and The New York Times. He has also made
a recording for Erato with violinist Alexander Markow, covering most of
Paganini"s work for violin and guitar, and two duo CDs with Japanese
guitarist Shin-Ichi Fukuda for Denon, in Japan. He is currently exclusive
recording artist for Arte Nova, and his first two recordings for this label are
the complete lute suites by Bach and a 19th-century guitar recording on a
period instrument.
Fernández has also played, with the same success, in practically all the European countries, and in the Far East (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong and China), as well as in South America and Mexico. He is recognized as a leading guitarist.
He has a vivid interest in historical instruments, and he plays often the repertoire of the XIXth century on a period guitar.
Eduardo Fernández is also active as a teacher, having taught several years at the University Conservatory in Montevideo, where he is now a fellow researcher, as well as being very much in demand for masterclasses all around the world. He has written a major book on guitar technique (Technique, Mechanism, Learning, to be published by Chanterelle Verlag, Heidelberg in March 2001) as well as several articles in leading guitar publications. An active composer, he was the secretary of the Uruguay branch of ISCM for two years. He is also a founder of Uruguay's CIM/UNESCO section, and Artistic Director of Montevideo"s biannual International Guitar Festivals since 1996.