BOKYUNG BYUN
Classical Guitarist
Praised as a leading guitarist of her generation, Bokyung Byun is the recipient of the 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the first female winner of the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition. Other top honors include first prizes at the Guitar Foundation of America and Montreal International Guitar Competitions.
She has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Buffalo Philharmonic and Utah Symphony, and given acclaimed recitals across North America. Critics praise her for her “gorgeous tone, immaculate technique, and sophisticated musicianship.”
Passionate about both classical and contemporary repertoire, Byun co-founded Sounding Board, a new music initiative that promotes collaboration between guitarists and composers. Her recordings have been lauded for their artistry, and her Naxos Laureate Series album was named a Critics’ Choice by American Record Guide.
Born in Seoul, Korea, Byun studied at The Juilliard School and USC, and now serves on faculty at the University of North Texas. She is an Augustine Strings artist and plays a guitar by Dieter Mueller.
Learn more at bokyungbyun.com.
KANAHI YAMASHITA
Featured Artist + Classical Guitarist
Kanahi Yamashita was born in Nagasaki in 1997. Already in her early childhood she toured the USA, Europe and Asia with the Kazuhito Yamashita Family Quintet, which released two CDs, Kasane and Little Henny Penny finds love. At the age of 13 she gave her solo debut during a series of worldwide duo concerts with her father.
Since 2015 Kanahi has lived in Berlin, furthering her musical education at the University of the Arts Berlin with Prof. T.Müller-Pering and later with B.Colell at the Nuremberg University of Music where she is currently undertaking her Konzertexamen. In Berlin she also received years of intensive musical training from Carlo Domeniconi, which ultimately led to the CD ,,Carlo Domeniconi Selected Works VIII – Guitar solo: Kanahi Yamashita“, which was released in 2021. She frequently gives solo and chamber music concerts and is invited as a soloist to international festivals.
Kanahi has been awarded scholarships from the Yamaha Music Foundation and the Rohm Music Foundation Japan. She was a semi-finalist at the 66th ARD Music Competition in Munich in 2017. She has won various competitions, including the German Guitar Prize 2019 in Darmstadt and 2nd prize at the 10th Int. Martinez Guitar Competition Iserlohn 2021. Since 2021 Kanahi is a D´Addario Artists.
Photo Credit: Christoph Sauer
TENGYUE ZHANG
Classical Guitarist
TY Zhang is an internationally acclaimed guitarist and the first Chinese winner of the prestigious 2017 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition. His victory launched a 50-city U.S. tour, including his Carnegie Hall debut and a Naxos solo album praised for its mastery and ease. In 2023, he made history again with violinist Strauss Shi as the first violin-guitar duo to win the Concert Artists Guild Competition. TY has performed and taught across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and is a passionate educator, producing content for platforms like Tonebase and GFATV. He holds degrees from Juilliard and USC, and as of September 2024, serves on faculty at the University of California, Irvine.
“His [Zhang] playing is always tasteful and deeply expressive without any exaggeration. He takes his place as one of the finest of this emerging generation of magnificent artists.”
—American Record Guide
STEVE GOSS
Classical Guitarist
Stephen Goss’s music receives hundreds of performances worldwide each year. It has been recorded on over a hundred albums by more than a dozen record labels, including EMI, Decca, Virgin Classics, Naxos, and Deutsche Grammophon. His output embraces multiple genres: orchestral and choral works, chamber music, and solo pieces.
Goss’s work is marked by a fascination with time and place – both immediate and remote – and the musical styles that evoke them. In many of his compositions, contrasting styles are juxtaposed through abrupt changes of gear. His compositional voice is shaped by his parallel career as a guitarist – that is to say, as a performer, transcriber, arranger, improviser and collaborator with other composers and performers. Not surprisingly, his music often tests the boundaries between all these activities and original composition.
Several of Goss’s recent projects have involved the legendary guitarist John Williams, including his Guitar Concerto, which Williams recorded and played on tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Some of the world’s leading orchestras to have performed his works include the Russian National Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, BBC NOW, the China National Symphony Orchestra, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.
Commissions have come from percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, cellist Natalie Clein, flautist William Bennett, lutenist Nigel North, and tenor Ian Bostridge; as well as guitarists David Russell, Xuefei Yang, Zoran Dukić, Miloš Karadaglić, Aniello Desiderio, Artyom Dervoed, and Łukasz Kuropaczewski. Goss’s eclectic approach has led to collaborations with artists as diverse as Alt-J, Avi Avital, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
As a guitarist, Steve has worked with Tōru Takemitsu, Hans Werner Henze, Peter Maxwell Davies and Elliott Carter, and toured and recorded extensively with the TETRA Guitar Quartet.
Stephen Goss is Chair of Composition at the University of Surrey (UK), Director of the International Guitar Research Centre, and a Professor of Guitar at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2018 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, an honour limited to 300 living people. He was born in Wales on 2nd February 1964.
RENÉ IZQUIERDO
Classical Guitarist & Educator
Cuban-born René Izquierdo is a celebrated classical guitarist and passionate educator known for his expressive performances and dedication to community engagement. Hailed for his “unforgettable versatility, sensitivity, and sublime musicianship” (Classical Guitar Magazine), he seamlessly blends technical mastery with emotional depth to create intimate musical experiences.
René performs over 70 concerts annually, appearing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral guest across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. His appearances include prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Manaus Opera House, and Taiwan’s National Recital Hall.
A committed lifelong learner, René’s diverse recordings highlight underrepresented works and new compositions. As a teacher, he inspires students worldwide to engage both analytically and emotionally with music.
Learn more at reneizquierdoguitar.com
OUR TEAM
Will Douglas
CEO of The Guitar Studio
Artist in Residence at The Guitar Studio in Fort Worth
Dr. Will Douglas is a Fort Worth native and leading figure in the North Texas classical guitar scene. He studied under Michael Dailey, Tom Johnson, Adam Holzman, and Eliot Fisk, earning his DMA from the University of North Texas. He has performed internationally, taught masterclasses at Berklee and the Hamilton International Guitar Festival, and served as President of Guitar Fort Worth. Dr. Douglas is the founder of the Lone Star Guitar Festival and the Collegiate Peaks Guitar Retreat. He currently leads The Guitar Studio, directs guitar studies at Texas Baptist College, and chairs The Guitar Studio Foundation.
Courtney Douglas
Treasurer of The Guitar Studio Foundation
Courtney Douglas serves as the Treasurer of The Guitar Studio Foundation and the Operating Manager of The Guitar Studio LLC. A graduate of the business school at Tarleton University, Courtney brings extensive experience in business management and finance to her roles. She has a proven track record of enhancing operational efficiency and supporting the foundation’s mission of promoting classical guitar education and community outreach. With a passion for music and a dedication to fostering a thriving musical community, Courtney plays a vital role in both the business and nonprofit sides of The Guitar Studio.
Jon Souder
President of The Guitar Studio Foundation
Jon Souder serves as the founding President of The Guitar Studio Foundation. Jon has been a student of The Guitar Studio since 2015. He is passionate about building the guitar by increasing the accessibility of guitar music within the communities we serve and providing quality instruments to those who invest their time and talent in that same passion. Jon his beautiful wife April have been together for 26 years and they have two grown sons, Dylan and Aidan.
Kevin Manderville
Artist in Residence at The Guitar Studio in Grapevine, TX
Dr. Kevin Manderville is a versatile classical guitarist, known for his work as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and advocate for new music. He has performed across North America and Europe, including at Carnegie Hall, the Guitar Foundation of America Convention, and international festivals in Germany and Canada. A prizewinner in multiple international competitions, he released his debut album Through the Centuries in 2010.
Dr. Manderville holds degrees from Stetson University and Florida State University and currently serves as Artist-in-Residence at The Guitar Studio Grapevine and teaches at Texas Wesleyan University and Tarrant County College.
Isaac Bustos
Director of Guitar Studies at University of Texas at San Antonio
GRAMMY™-nominated guitarist Dr. Isaac Bustos is praised for his “virtuosic yet effortless flair” (San Francisco Classical Voice) and “warm, round tones” (Boston Globe).
His international performing career includes solo appearances across North America, Europe, Central America, China, and major festivals such as the Guitar Foundation of America and Panama Guitar Festival. A champion of new music, he has premiered works by leading composers and recorded for Delos, MSR, and Vgo.
Bustos is a founding member of the Texas Guitar Quartet, collaborates widely in chamber music, and has appeared with major orchestras including the Buffalo Philharmonic. He currently serves as head of guitar studies at the University of Texas–San Antonio and directs the Southwest Guitar Symposium.
Emma Rush
Festival Marketing Manager
Emma Rush is “widely regarded as one of Canada’s premier classical guitarists” (Vivascene Magazine), with an international career spanning performances in China, Mexico, Sweden, and across Canada. Her recent albums, including The Life and Times of Catharina Pratten and A Dream of Colour, highlight her commitment to uncovering and commissioning rarely heard works, especially by women composers. Rush is also an active educator and arts presenter, serving as Co-Director of GuitarFest West and leading several guitar events across Canada. She holds degrees from Dalhousie University and Germany’s Hochschule für Musik Detmold, and has received numerous awards and grants supporting her innovative work.
Sergio Hernandez Felix
Festival Staff/Instructor
Sergio Hernandez Felix, a native of Mexico, began formal guitar studies at age 15 and quickly excelled, later studying with Dr. Jonathan Dotson and earning top prizes, including first place at the UT Pan-American Guitar Competition.
He has performed internationally, including a 2014 concert at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, and has received numerous scholarships supporting his musical development. Sergio holds degrees from UT Rio Grande Valley and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied with René Izquierdo, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of North Texas with Bokyung Byun. He teaches at North Central Texas College and the University of Texas at Tyler.
Tom Johnson
Professor of Guitar at The University of North Texas (retired)
Tom Johnson is Professor Emeritus of Guitar at the University of North Texas, where he led one of the country’s premier classical guitar programs for over 30 years. A respected educator and mentor, he shaped the careers of many prominent performers and teachers.
A student of Oscar Ghiglia and José Tomás—both protégés of Andrés Segovia—Johnson’s refined approach reflects a deep commitment to expressive, structured interpretation.
In addition to performing as a soloist and chamber musician, he was a frequent clinician at festivals and institutions in the U.S. and abroad. He is credited with developing the concept of microphrasing, a now foundational tool in classical guitar pedagogy.
His influence endures through the students he mentored and the pedagogical innovations he pioneered.
April Seals
Festival Staff/Instructor
April Montez Seals began her guitar studies at Collin College under Dr. Fernand Vera and was awarded the M. Petree Music Memorial Scholarship in 2015. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Oklahoma City University, studying with Dr. Lynn McGrath, Dr. Stephen Lochbaum, and Matthew Denman.
She completed her Master of Music at the University of Louisville, where she was Graduate Teaching Assistant to Dr. Stephen Mattingly. April has earned recognition at festivals and competitions across the country, including first prize at the 2016 Brownsville Guitar Festival and awards from the Guitar Foundation of America, Mountain View Competition, and Hill Country International Ensemble Contests.
She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas.
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Scott Stice
Festival Staff/Instructor
Scott Stice holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Texas Baptist College, where he studied under Tom Burchill and Dr. Will Douglas. During his studies, he performed with the college’s jazz combo, guitar ensemble, and choirs, and led worship teams. He also participated in masterclasses with esteemed guitarists such as Tom Johnson, Dr. Andrew Zohn, and Emma Rush. Currently, Scott is pursuing a Master of Music in Guitar Performance and Pedagogy at Southwestern Seminary under the guidance of Dr. Will Douglas and has been an instructor at The Guitar Studio Fort Worth since January 2024.
Matthew Nazier
Festival Staff/Instructor
Matthew Naizer is from Houston, Texas and is studying guitar for his Doctorate of Musical Arts at SWBTS. He holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from Texas State University and a Master of Music in Church Music with a Concentration in Guitar Performance and Pedagogy from SWBTS. He likes teaching others so that he can pass on the knowledge and love for music that was given to him by his own teachers and mentors.
Matthew is happily married to his wife, Gabrielle, and they attend Trinity River Baptist Church. They have two children, Nekoda and Noël.
Jose Andrade
Festival Staff/Instructor
A Fort Worth native, José Andrade is a graduate of Polytechnic High School and Texas Wesleyan University, where he earned his Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance and Pedagogy under the mentorship of the late Michael Dailey. He is proud to be the last student to complete the program under Professor Dailey’s direction.
José began playing electric guitar at 14. As a freelance musician, José has performed across Fort Worth as a soloist and mariachi guitarist, appearing at venues such as the City Club and Bass Performance Hall. In Fall 2025, he will begin his Master of Music in Guitar Performance at the University of North Texas, studying with internationally acclaimed guitarist Dr. Bokyung Byun.
