Artist

Kurt Rodarmer has been a musician all his life. From the age of 6, Kurt's foremost aspiration was to become a master guitarist. Although not from a musical family, his budding abilities did not go unnoticed.

Having exhausted the musical resources of his native SW Michigan by the time he was eight, it became clear that Kurt needed formal training, and he began to study the classics. Early recognized as a guitar prodigy, Kurt studied privately with Jack Cecchini in Chicago, his father taking a day off work each week to take him to his lesson, a 6-hour round trip plus 6 hours at the studio.

Kurt's first performance at the famous St. James Cathedral in Evanston, Illinois was at the age of 11, and his early youth is studded with recitals and performances at universities and auditoriums between Michigan and Illinois. His repertoire at that time included Dowland and Bach, the well-known works of Ponce, Villa Lobos, Albéniz, as well as more modern works.

At sixteen, Kurt was awarded a full honors scholarship to the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. He studied there, and went on to study under the private tutelage of Maestro Andrés Segovia.

Maestro Andrés Segovia and Kurt Rodarmer

Kurt was later introduced to Carlos Vázquez, Mexico's greatest living pianist, maestro at the Conservatorio y Universidad Nacional, Angel recording artist and informally adopted "son" to Manuel María Ponce. Ponce was, by far, the most important composer in the history of the guitar, having written the majority of Segovia's repertoire as well as ensemble and orchestral pieces. He was most widely known for "Estrellita," a popular romantic song from 1925. Vázquez imparted to Kurt Ponce's own musical intent, and lent him Ponce's original manuscripts to study. One of these pieces, simply entitled "Vals," is recorded in its original form on Kurt's first album, Volume One. This album proved to be a very successful recording debut, and received critical acclaim in The United States, Mexico, South America, Europe and Japan.

Through his friendship with Vázquez and others in Mexico City, Kurt began a series of television and radio appearances, and played numerous concerts in Mexico, including the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Latin America's equivalent to New York's Lincoln Center. Kurt was the inaugural performer of the Centro Cultural San Angel, the then-newest concert hall in Mexico, following the appearance of Miguel de la Madrid, President of Mexico. The concert was nationally televised and surrounded by publicity. Throughout his career, Kurt has been frequently featured in the media, including television, radio and press coverage.

Following this international success, Kurt began to consider his next project, one which would ultimately draw together the many threads of his experience and talents, and consume him for ten years: J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations for guitar.

Tangential to his performance career, Kurt Rodarmer has been actively involved in the advancement of modern guitar design. This has led him to be seen as a cross-functional link between the artistic and scientific communities, and has resulted in talks and performances for such associations as the Acoustical Society of America, the Biology of Music Making, and the National Science Board in Washington, D.C. He was invited to perform at an international science symposium hosted by the island of Martinique.

Reflecting on his early experiences with Segovia, Kurt commented, "Perhaps the greatest impact he and his life have had on me is that one has to make the music one's own. Whenever Segovia's hands would touch the guitar - any guitar - the sound was 'inconfundible', unmistakable. This has been a goal of mine as well." Judging by the critical acclaim for the newly-completed Goldberg Variations - the transcription, the sound quality, the recording and the interpretation - Kurt is unerringly on target.

Kurt and his wife, Magdalena, in Maui

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Copyright © 1996 Pangaea Productions, P.O. Box 3289, Santa Clara, CA 95055


Featured Artist, July 1996, Kurt Rodarmer
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