Alfonso Aguirre Dergal
Alfonso holds a cum laude PhD in music from the University of Aveiro, a Master of Music degree from Yale University and a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, where he was also awarded the Performer’s Certificate “granted to students who demonstrate outstanding performing abilities”.
Alfonso has been a prizewinner in numerous national and international guitar competitions including the first prize at the Appalachian Guitar Competition (USA), and first prize at the upper division of the Concurso de Guitarra de Paracho (Mexico). He has also been a recipient other awards and scholarships including the Pedro Sarquis Merrewe Award, a full tuition scholarship from Yale University to complete graduate studies, and the FONCA-CONACYT scholarship award to complete PhD studies abroad.
He has been featured as soloist and as member of Duo Ditirambo in Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, United States and Mexico in music festivals and venues such as the IV “Borguitar” Festival, XXV Festival Internacional des Cordes Pincées de Rabat, XXXII Festival Internacional de Música “Manuel de Falla”, II Festival Internacional de Guitarra Hospitalet de L’infant, V Festival Internacional de Guitarra “Ciudad de Caravaca”, XXIII Jornadas de Música Contemporánea de Segovia, Yale Guitar “Extravaganza” 2016, UK Internacional Guitar Series (USA), XVII Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Taxco, XXXIX Festival de Guitarra de Paracho, IX Festival Internacional de Guitarra “Ramón Noble”, XI Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Sonora, II Festival Nuntempa de Música Contemporánea, y el XXVIII Festival Cultural de Zacatecas, among others.
Alfonso has been soloist with the Orquesta Sinfónica “Cristobal Halffter”, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco, the American Wind Symphony Orchestra and the Northwest Louisiana State University Wind Ensemble; orchestras with whom he has performed Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasia para un gentilhombre (by J. Rodrigo), Concierto del Sur (by M. M. Ponce), Pieza de concierto para guitarra y orquesta de vientos (Enrique Santos), Concierto para guitarra y orquesta de vientos (Blas Galindo), Danzón Gran Vía (Flores Chaviano) and Ethereal (Mario Gosálvez Blanco).
He recorded Enrique Santos’ guitar concerto in the album Music of the Americas as a soloist of the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. He also recorded the CD Perpetuum Mobile with his Dúo Ditirambo, which has been reviewed by the spanish press as “a great album… bright and elegant, with an evocative and melancholic mood that gives it immense beauty…” (Histéricas Grabaciones, Spain, 2016).
With his duo, he has premiered original works by composers such as Leonardo Coral, Fernando Buide del Real, Mario Gosálvez Blanco, Marisa Manchado, Carlos Alberto Vázquez, Claudia Herrerías, Flores Chaviano, Leticia Armijo and Claudia Herrerías.
His primary teachers include David Mozqueda, Nicholas Goluses, and Benjamin Verdery. While at Eastman he attended Paul O’Dette’s class on baroque performance practices. He has also taken master classes with Leo Brouwer, Manuel Barrueco, Pavel Steidl, Roberto Aussel, Eliot Fisk, Odair Assad, David Tenenbaum, Adam Holzman, Eduardo Fernández, Ivan Rijos, Raphaella Smits, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, among others.
Alfonso is a faculty member at the Centro Superior Katarina Gurska (Madrid, Spain) and at the Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas (Mexico). His students have been awarded prizes in various solo guitar and chamber music competitions.
Subjects taught:
- Guitar
Degrees in which he/she teaches:
- Bachelor's Degree Performance Itinerary B: Modern Polyphonic Instruments
- Master's Degree Master in Solo Performance - MIS
