Jason Vieaux (born July 17, 1973, in Buffalo, New York) is an American classical guitarist. He began his musical training in Buffalo, New York at the age of eight, after which he continued his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1992, Vieaux was awarded the Guitar Foundation of America International Guitar Competition First Prize, the event's youngest winner.[1]
NPR describes him as, "perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation,"[2] and Gramophone magazine puts him "among the elite of today's classical guitarists."[3] His album Play won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.[4]
In 2012, the Jason Vieaux School of Classical Guitar was launched with ArtistWorks,[16] a technological interface that provides one-on-one online study with Vieaux for guitar students around the world.
Composing
While Jason has arranged and composed pieces for the guitar throughout his career, in 2020, Jason Vieaux began to publish scores for his original compositions for the first time via self publishing. clevelandclassical.com called Jason's 2020 composition Home "a lovely, nuanced song."[17]
Instrument
Jason Vieaux currently performs on a Gernot Wagner guitar made in 2013.[6] Wagner is based in Frankfurt, Germany.
The guitar is made in the "double-top" or "laminate-top" style of classical guitar construction.
Notable achievements, awards, and honors
1992: At 19, he became the youngest First Prize winner of the Guitar Foundation of America International Guitar Competition, a record which still stands as of the 2020.[1]
1995: Jason was named an Arts Ambassador of the U.S. to Southeast Asia.
1996: His debut album, released by Naxos Records in 1996, won the rosette in its rating in the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs.[18]
1998: Jason received the Cleveland Institute of Music Alumni Achievement Award.[19]
2002: Vieaux became a Young Artist-In-Residence for NPR's Performance Today.[20]
2009: He became the first classical musician to perform on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.[21]
2010: Jason received the Salon Di Virtuosi Career Grant Award.[19]
*Stephen Powell - American Composers at Play: Performed The Brief Light by John Musto with Stephen Powell (Acis, 2020) *
Pat Metheny - Road to the Sun: Performed Four Paths of Light, a four-movement guitar solo work dedicated to Vieaux by Metheny (Modern Recordings, 2021)[14]
Albums with a * are Grammy-nominated.
References
^ a b"Jason Vieaux: A Classical Virtuoso's Show-Stopping Encores". www.premierguitar.com. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^ a b"NPR Music's 50 Favorite Songs Of 2014 (So Far)". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^ a b"Jason Vieaux wins a Grammy - Gusto - The Buffalo News". Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^Kozinn, Allan. "Caramoor Sets Lineup for Summer Festival". Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^ a b"Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and Guitarist Jason Vieaux Perform at 92Y for 'Art of the Guitar' Series". Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^Victor Serinus, Jason (August 11, 2010). "French composers go to Spain–not for the first time–at Music@Menlo". The Classical Review.
^"CMSLC's Garden Party at Gardner". The Boston Musical Intelligencer. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^"Friends of Chamber Music: Escher String Quartet with Jason Vieaux, guitar - The Folly Theater". follytheater.org. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^"Jason Vieaux and Anne Akiko Meyers in Concert". Parlance Chamber Concerts. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^"Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke & guitarist Jason Vieaux to reunite for duo concert in Shaker Heights". Cleveland Classical. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^"Yolanda Kondonassis & Jason Vieaux". Schubert Club. 14 February 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^"Jason Vieaux & Juilen Labro The Phillips Collection". www.phillipscollection.org. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^ a b"Road To The Sun". Modern Recordings (in German). Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^"Vieaux and Bishop bring Grammy Awards home". Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^"ArtistWorks Debuts Online Classical Guitar School with Virtuoso Jason Vieaux". Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^"Colin Davin & Jason Vieaux in a live online recital (June 6)". Cleveland Classical. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^Pasternak, Joe. "Genre Bender: Guitarist Jason Vieaux". Retrieved 2015-06-01.
^ a b c"Jason Vieaux Faculty Entry". Cleveland Institute of Music. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^"NPR Artist in Residence". NPR.org. Retrieved 15 January 2021.