Lily Afshar | |
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Background information | |
Born | [1] Tehran, Iran | 9 March 1960
Died | 24 October 2023 63) Tonekabon, Mazandaran, Iran | (aged
Genres | Contemporary classical |
Occupations |
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Instrument | Classical guitar |
Labels |
Lily Afshar (Persian : لیلی افشار; 9 March 1960 – 24 October 2023) was an Iranian-American classical guitarist.
Afshar moved to the United States in 1977, to study at the Boston Conservatory of Music, where she got a bachelor's and a master's degree in guitar. [2] In 1989, she got a doctorate from the Florida State University with a thesis on 24 Caprichos de Goya by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco; in 1994 she was the first musician to record the Castelnuovo-Tedesco's guitar composition. [3] She was also the first woman in the world to get a doctorate in classical guitar. [4] [5] [6]
Afshar won the 2000 Orville H. Gibson Award for Best Female Classical Guitarist, [4] as well as three annual "Premier Guitarist" awards by the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. [7] Afshar was awarded the 2008 Distinguished Teaching Award, the 2000 Eminent Faculty Award, and the 1996 Distinguished Research Award at The University of Memphis. [8] Afshar was chosen as "Artistic Ambassador" for the United States Information Agency to Africa, and was among twelve guitarists selected to play for Andrés Segovia in his master classes held at the University of Southern California. [4] [8]
About her style, the magazine Global Rhythm wrote that she combined "the delicate yet powerful sound of the classical guitar with the melodic ornamentation of Persian and Baroque music". [9] While reviewing one concert of her, the Washington Post critic Joan Reinthaler noted that "Afshar has the delicate touch and the keen concentration that characterizes the best guitarists, and she also has the musical sense and restraint that characterizes only a few". [10]
Afshar died of cancer in Tonekabon, Mazandaran, Iran, on 24 October 2023, at the age of 63. [7] [6]
Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were either students of Segovia or students of Segovia's students. Segovia's contribution to the modern-romantic repertoire included not only commissions but also his own transcriptions of classical or baroque works. He is remembered for his expressive performances: his wide palette of tone, and his distinctive musical personality, phrasing and style.
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Hemispheres is the fourth studio album by the classical guitarist Lily Afshar, released in 2006 through Archer Records.
Possession is the third studio album by classical guitarist Lily Afshar released in 2002 through Archer Records.
Virtuoso Guitar is a DVD by Lily Afshar released through Mel Bay on 22 August 2008.
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Nicola Hall, is an English classical guitarist.
Archer Records is an independent record label with notoriety in the classical guitar and Americana genres. The label was founded in 2001 in downtown Memphis by Ward Archer, who founded Cotton Row Recording Studios in 1978 and is a former trustee of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. It is housed at Music+Arts Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, formerly Sounds Unreel Studio. Located at 1902 Nelson Avenue, the building was converted to a recording studio in 1981 and was purchased by Archer Records owner Ward Archer in 2007. The layout of Music+Arts Studio was designed by George Augsperger and Nashville studio builder David Cherry.