The Grammy winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet has commissioned a new work to be based on Afro-Cuban music and premiered in the Spring of '09 by the amazing JoAnn Falletta and the Virginia Symphony! Will begin work in January...

Below is a video clip featuring the Cavatina Duo performing Raven Dance in Spain just over a week ago! The piece will be recorded on their next CD for Cedille Records...

RAVEN DANCE
performed by the Cavatina Duo

My last work for Orchestra Popol-Vuh (based on Mayan myth and music) will be performed this coming April in Boston, MA by the New England Philharmonic. It was awarded their annual Call for Scores competition. Click HERE for more information.

My Doctoral recital went very well, thanks in great part to the help of many singers who helped bring my most recent PATER NOSTER and LULLABY FOR LUCIA EMMA to life. It was a very fun afternoon with some great performances...

I have been commissioned from the Carson McCullers Center to compose a new work for guitar ensemble to be premiered in April of '08 at Columbus State University's Schwob Music School. I am also going to spend the better part of a week giving university wide lectures on different topics (including Radiohead!) and coaching the guitar ensemble on the new piece I was commissioned to write for them.

Cal Arts/Alpert Award in the Arts has awarded me a residency at the Ragdale house in Lake Forest, Illinois. I spent two very productive weeks completing the Raven Dance for Flute and Guitar, a commission from the Cavatina Duo for their upcoming recording on Cedille Records, as well as a Lullaby for my daughter, Lucia Emma.
Click HERE to read an article in the Ragdale Newsletter

Cancion has become an extremely acclaimed encore piece. Denis Azabagic' performance, recorded live in January by the fantastic engineer John Huntsman of Huntlab Recording Studios, is now available. Download it through MyStore and get the score HERE or by clicking on the Picture below.


get the Score!

-Whirler of the Dance is now available everywhere through Mel Bay's DVD Denis Azabagic: Classical Guitar Artistry


-What an honor to be endorsed by MakeMusic, the world leader in software and notation systems for musicians. They are known for making FINALE, hands down one of the best allies to the busy composer.

-Whirler of the Dance was performed beautifully by my good friend Felix Bullock as part of the Pasadena Conservatory's "Music in Mansions" concert series.

-"Viscerallisimo" a short electronic 60 second piece of mine is to be performed along with 59 other 60 second pieces at Mills College on November 2nd "INFO"
-"Whirler of the Dance" will be played by one of my favorite guitarists - Ed Trybek on November 4th "INFO"
-Commission from 61/4 Duo -Violin and Percussion - entitled "Sikán" is completed and set to be performed on December 17th"INFO"
-I have been honored to be nominated for the CalArts/Alpert Award in music. It is a $50,000 grant...wow "INFO"
-"You Will Shine" has been chosen to be part of the next cult horror flick "Feast." How it fits? watch the first 5 minutes of the film! "INFO"
-The lecture at the Guitar Foundation of America's 2006 Festival was a blast. A couple of guitar works of mine were performed by the LAGQ as well as Denis Azabagic!
-Going in to track guitars on a new record with my partner in rock crime Randy Coleman...for real!

My Partner in Rock/Pop crime, Randy Coleman and I got a song placed at the closing of MTV's new show "Cheyenne." The song is called "You Will Shine." and you can check it HERE.

Spoke with the Boston Herald about my involvement with MySpace. Click HERE for the article

I am set to Lecture at the Guitar Foundation of America's 2006 Festival in Georgia! Looking forward to that.

I was also the first recipient of the Linda Martinez Scholarship, as well as the Herb Alpert Scholarships. Linda was a friend of mine, and I am truly honored.

Currently working on a commissioned Violin and Percussion piece, and a new "Coleman" recording...

I was honored to be invited by Alex Shapiro to give a talk about my work at the American Composers Forum "Composer's Salon" in Venice, CA.
Rene Izquierdo and John Stropes have offered me a Residency at the University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from the 9th-11th, in which I will give masterclasses, lectures, and check out the city.
That will be followed by a quick stint to Chicago, where I will give a lecture on "El Concierto de Aranjuez" at Roosevelt University on November 12th.

Click HERE for more detailed info at MYSPACE!

I am honored to have "Motet for 12 Singers" on Sound in Spirit, the first Chanticleer CD to be conceived for recording and remixing in a studio environment.

Click HERE to get the CD from Amazon!

or get it from

"Popol-Vuh," was a recipient of the Peter David Faith Endowed Memorial Award this past month. It was also selected as one of the ten pieces for the AMERICAN COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA's Underwood New Music Reading Sessions. I was flown out to New York in early May for the two day event. Although it did not receive the commission, "Popol-Vuh" was Awarded an Honorable Mention as second prize!

In the Rock world, I have recently embarked on a Summer Tour as guitarist with Randy Coleman, supporting Def Leppard and Bryan Adams. The tour started June 1st in Portland, OR and will continue throughout the summer visiting 26 major cities across the United States. We have been performing for audiences of up to 12,000!

This month has been extremely busy, and filled with fantastic news!:

1) I was flown out to San Francisco to work with the Grammy winning choral group "Chanticleer." They have just recorded "Motet for Twelve Singers" for their upcoming album at Skywalker Ranch Studios!!!

2) The American Composers Orchestra has selected "Popol-Vuh" for the Underwood New Music Reading sessions. Click HERE to read their official press release!

3) "Hey God," one of Randy Coleman's songs which I did arrangement work and play guitar on, has been selected for the soundtrack to the Major Motion Picture "CRASH", featuring Don Cheadle, written and directed by Paul Haggis (writer for Million Dollar Baby)


I am working on a piano and violin piece right now, let's see how it turns out...

Princeton, NJ - Boston, MA - and San Luis Obispo, CA will be visited in March by Grammy winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet along with Colin Currie, one of the great percussionists of our time.

They are going to be performing a version of "Cumba-Quín" especially tailored for the ensemble.

Click HERE for tour info from the LAGQ website

Duo Alma Nova will be performing the work for Flute and Guitar at Guitarra Del Mar's "Guitar Nights" on Feb 22nd, and on Sunday, February 27th in Newman Recital Hall at USC

As part of the USC New Music for Orchestra concert, conducted by Don Crockett in USC's Bovard Auditorium
LISTEN to the 2nd Movement, 'Birth of the Hero Twins'

click HERE for more info on the piece.

So what's the big deal? Well, it is the fact that "Whirler of the Dance" was dedicated to Rene when it was composed back in '97.
Rene Izquierdo is making an impressive name for himself and has been appointed guitar faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Here is a review of his performance.

Being selected to participate at the USC Creativity Workshop conducted by choreographer Twyla Tharp, I presented selections from my "Mayan Bible" animated ballet.
Ms. Tharp was very encouraging and into the idea, giving guidance as to the necessary steps needed to realize the concept.

As guitarist/arranger for singer-songwriter Randy Coleman, our manager Doc McGhee booked us as the opening act at the Hollywood Bowl for "The Who."
The evening was magical, as we performed a half hour set before 17,000 fans who had no idea who we were! By the end of the show they had really taken to us, and were screaming for more as we walked off stage.
Once in a lifetime dream gig is the only way I can describe it.

I am proud of my appointment as faculty at The Pasadena Conservatory of Music! They have a strong (and growing) Classical Guitar program, thanks to the work of Felix Bullock, and Matthew Elgart.
I am looking forward to the experience...

After submitting my thesis for a ballet based on the Mayan Bible, entitled "Popol-Vuh," I was signed off in May and officially completed the Masters Program.
Shortly after, I was offered a Teaching Assistantship toward to the Doctoral program! As part of my scholarship I am required to TA a class called "The Beatles," as well as "Classic Rock: Popular Music of the Sixties and Seventies"!!!~ Should be very fun, since I feel a deep connection with that music.

I was honored to be asked by Felix Bullock to prepare and present a lecture for his students a year ago. I thought that the "Concierto de Aranjuez" would be a good thing to take on, since I was not more than familiar with it at the time.
What I discovered in preparing this lecture remains as one of the most satisfying experiences in my musical life. I became excited at the idea of sharing these discoveries, and was able to present the lecture at Cal State Fullerton last November.
What I did not expect was the opportunity to present the lecture before a performance by it's foremost interpreter, Pepe Romero!

The entire evening was magical, and also featured wonderful perfomances by USC Students, as well as the Monument Valley High School Guitar Ensemble.

...Performed next was a most beautiful "Cumba-Quin" by Carlos Rafael Rivera who, as a graduate student in composition at the USC Thornton School of Music, is making an impressive name for himself.
The guitars assume the role of different percussion instruments and at some point in this work, each guitarist plays two entirely separate and opposing rhythms simultaneously.
The energy alone was astounding!...

Percussion prodigy Colin Currie will join the LAGQ for a series of concerts beginning with the sold out performance at UCLA's Freud Playhouse on Saturday, February 21st.
I made a special arrangement of the piece to include Congas and Shekere.

And on Monday, February 23rd, the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet will premiere the piece in London's Church of St. Matin-in-the-Fields.

Here is an Audio Clip of the last minute and a half! This is an excerpt from a performance by The Cavatina Duo at the Stotsenberg Guitar Series in late September.

As big a fan of the LOTR books/films as I am, I had NO IDEA that my Masters Recital would fall on the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins!!!
It was a fun evening with some great performances by Denis Azabagic, Eugenia Moliner, Scott Tennant, Bill Kanengiser, Brian Head, Felix Bullock, Mike Kudirka, Eric Benzandt-Feldra and Andrea Kline. I should have some audio links of "La Maja y El Hechicero" up soon...Denis and Eugenia gave an AWESOME performance of it!

A new work for Flute and Guitar dedicated to Eugenia Moliner and Denis Azabagic will be premiered at Newman Hall on September 22nd

My works will be performed on September 22nd at 8PM in Newman Hall, USC
performers include Scott Tennant, Bill Kanengiser, Brian Head, Denis Azabagic, Eugenia Moliner, Andrea Kline, Eric Benzandt-Feldra, Michael Kudirka, and Felix Bullock

A new work for Mezzo-Soprano and Male Chorus, "Upon the Seventh Hour -two Marian prayers" sets the "Sub Tuum" text to Mezzo-Soprano and Male Chorus as a preface, and dramatic enhancement, to the originally composed "Ave Maria"

...arresting...
...exotic...

the GRAMMY® Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer will be performing "Motet for Twelve Singers" as part of their "Sound in Spirit" series which lasts from Friday, May 30th, through Saturday, June 7th, in San Francisco, Carmel, San Jose, and Berklee

click here for more information

the work for orchestra, based on the Mayan bible is currently in production