David Russell (guitarist)

Biography

When Russell was five years of age, his family moved from Glasgow to Minorca, where he became interested in the guitar, imitating the likes of Andres Segovia and Julian Bream.

Today, Russell resides in Galicia, but spends most of his time touring, appearing in such cities as New York, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Madrid, Toronto, Amsterdam, and Denver. He is regularly invited to play in music festivals.

David has won amateur golf tournaments, mainly in Scotland and Spain. He is an avid supporter of his local football team, Celta de Vigo.

Honours and awards

During his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, Russell won the Julian Bream Guitar Prize twice and received a scholarship from the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust. Later he won numerous international competitions, including the Andres Segovia Competition, the Jose Ramirez Competition, and Spain's Francisco Tarrega Competition.

Russell was named a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London in 1997.

In May 2003 he was awarded the honour of being made "adopted son" of Es Migjorn, the town on Minorca where he grew up.

In November 2003 he was given the Medal of Honour of the Conservatory of the Balearics.

In 2005, he won a Grammy Award for best instrumental soloist in classical music for his CD Aire Latino.

Discography

Since 1995, Russell has had a contract with Telarc International. He has recorded a CD featuring the music of Paraguayan guitarist-composer Agustin Barrios Mangore; another with the music of Spanish composer Federico Moreno Torroba; a recording including the three Rodrigo concerti for solo guitar (Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasia para un Gentilhombre and Concierto para una Fiesta); Celtic Music for Guitar, Music by Giuliani, Baroque Music, Spanish Favorites, David Russell plays Bach, Aire Latino ( dedicated to music written by Latin American composers), Spanish Legends, Air on a G-string ( Baroque music only), For David ( includes only contemporary works that are dedicated to him ), Sonidos Latinos, Albeniz and his most recent, Grandeur of the Baroque.

His discography also includes a recital CD with transcriptions of Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti, an all-classical album called Nineteenth Century Music, and the complete works of Francisco Tarrega on Opera Tres.