Boston GuitarFest XXI

"Joaquín Clerch is certainly one of the leading, if not the leading guitarist of his generation worldwide."
— Eliot Fisk

Experience the Cuban-born virtuoso and master composer live in concert. Born on 8 August 1965 in Havana, he later received one of the Cuban government's highest artistic awards, "La orden por la cultura nacional". It was there in Cuba that he studied guitar, music and composition and completed his studies at the University of the Arts in 1989.

From 1990 Joaquín Clerch continued his studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg: he studied guitar with Eliot Fisk and early music with Anthony Spiri and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

"Joaquín Clerch is an exceptionally gifted musician. Apart from his technically outstanding and very poetic guitar playing, his intellectual engagement with the problems of performance practice and music-making is also extraordinary." — Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

His guitar playing has taken him to important concert halls around the world such as Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Palacio de la Musica (Barcelona), Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Semperoper (Dresden), and Konzerthaus (Vienna). As a soloist, he has performed with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de España, the Orquesta Nacional de Cuba, and many more.

Alongside his concert activities, Joaquin Clerch is also active as a composer. His compositions for guitar are published by Schott Music Group and can be heard on the Naxos label.

Multifaceted guitarist Meng Su is captivating audiences around the world with her stunning virtuosity. As a globally established soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in over 30 countries at prestigious venues including the Concertgebouw and Palau de Musica.

New York Concert Review called her performance “seemingly effortless and stunningly polished…. Add to that a beautiful – and fashionable! – stage presence, and she is poised to be in high demand.”

In addition to her busy solo career, Meng Su is an avid chamber musician who tours regularly in the Beijing Guitar Duo and as a soloist with orchestras. Ms. Su has performed in over 30 different countries around the world in halls such as the Concertgebouw, Palau de Musica, Tchaikovsky Hall and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. In 2023, she created and debuted the guitar show "Spanish Fantasia" in Shanghai. It is the first-ever multimedia guitar theatre show of its kind, paving the way for the future of classical music performances.

Meng Su’s performances and recordings have impressed the public with “an ability and artistry that exceeds her years.” (Baltimore Sun) Her debut duo CD “Maracaípe” received a Latin Grammy nomination for the titled piece, which was dedicated to the Duo by renowned guitarist/composer Sergio Assad. Her debut solo recording “Meng,” released in 2016 was called “awe-inspiring” and “this year’s finest debut by far” by Classical Guitar Magazine.

Meng Su teaches at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and she is the Artist-in-residence for the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society.

“Eliot Fisk is one of the most brilliant, intelligent and gifted musical artists of our times, not only among guitarists but in all the general field of instrumentalists… he belongs at the top line of our artistic world!”
— Andres Segovia (London, 1981)

In the 4 decades since the great Andres Segovia wrote those words, Eliot Fisk has become a legend in his own right. Through his innumerable, masterful transcriptions of works by J. S. Bach, D. Scarlatti, Paganini, Albeniz, Granados and many other masters spanning 5 centuries, and through uniquely challenging new works composed and dedicated to him by modern masters... Eliot Fisk has revolutionized the repertoire of the classical guitar.

Fisk is also known for his highly successful crossover projects with such artists as Paco Peña (flamenco guitar), Joe Pass and Bill Frisell (jazz guitar), Ute Lemper (cabaret) and Burhan Oecal (master of Turkish music). He has been featured on more than 40 CDs, which have been embraced by a wide public and earned praise from critics worldwide.

In recognition of his life in music, Eliot Fisk was awarded the Cruz de Isabel la Catolica by Spanish King Juan Carlos in 2006 and was officially inducted into the Guitar Foundation of America’s Hall of Fame in July of 2022.

Eliot Fisk is the Founder and President of the non-profit Eliot Fisk Guitar Academy (“EFGA”) which organizes the annual Boston GuitarFest, now in its 21st consecutive year. In 2026 the theme of this Festival will be Back to Bach 2, marking the second time that the Festival has explored this theme.