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Bio/Research
As a passionate advocate for classical guitar in Canada, I’ve had the honor of premiering numerous chamber and solo works for the instrument in places like Vienna, Italy, across Canada, the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, and Japan. Over the years, I’ve received top prizes in several...
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Bio/Research
As a passionate advocate for classical guitar in Canada, I’ve had the honor of premiering numerous chamber and solo works for the instrument in places like Vienna, Italy, across Canada, the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, and Japan. Over the years, I’ve received top prizes in several provincial and national solo guitar competitions, and I’ve performed at festivals like Koerner Hall's 21C Festival, Open Ears, Guitar Alla Grande, INNERChamber, Ottawa Chamberfest, and many more. One of my most memorable moments was making my concerto soloist debut with Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez in 2023 with the Stratford Symphony.
My debut studio album, Inspirations: New Works for Solo Guitar, showcases six brilliant works by Canadian composers, including three world premiere recordings. It was an honor to have CBC Radio’s Paolo Pietropaolo feature it as the Record of the Week in March 2022, with WholeNote Magazine describing my playing as "beautifully clean." The album, funded by an Ontario Arts Council recording grant, is available on all major streaming platforms. I’ve also been fortunate to have my YouTube videos featured on blogs like ThisIsClassicalGuitar and I Care If You Listen, and in 2024, I recorded with Karlsruhe, Germany's Siccas Guitars platform.
I hold a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Toronto, where I focused my dissertation on music performance anxiety (MPA) in classical guitarists. I received a senior doctoral fellowship from New College in 2021-2022. I enjoy sharing insights from my research with my guitar students and performance coaching clients, and I’ve given lectures on the topic at institutions like McGill University, the University of Toronto, Wilfrid Laurier University, Memorial University, and many more. CBC television’s The National has also interviewed me as an expert on music performance anxiety. Beyond the classroom, I work with individuals from various disciplines, helping them manage their experience of MPA through performance coaching.
In 2020, I joined Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Music as a guitar instructor and lecturer. I’m particularly proud of designing and launching the faculty’s first music performance anxiety and performance skills course in Fall 2022. My students have achieved remarkable successes, including top prizes at the OMFA Ontario provincial guitar competition, the RCM Gold medal, and admission to undergraduate and graduate programs across Canada. I’ve also had the opportunity to adjudicate several national competitions, including the Canada West Performing Arts Festival, the FCMF National Music Festival, and various local festivals.
Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to have incredible mentors, including Patrick Roux, Dr. Jeffrey McFadden, the late Bruce Holzman, Lorenzo Micheli, and Jorge Caballero. I’ve also participated in masterclasses with world-renowned artists like Sergio Assad, Judicael Perroy, Pavel Steidl, Pepe Romero, and Fabio Zanon, among others. I’ve won first prize in competitions such as the Ottawa-Gatineau guitar competition and the OMFA Provincial Guitar Competition open level in 2014 and 2016. Additionally, I placed second in the FCMF National Guitar Competition in 2016 and was a finalist in the Montreal and Hamilton International Guitar Competitions.
In my spare time, I enjoy studying Japanese and Spanish, and I’m passionate about practicing Muay Thai and Karate.
My current research compares strategies from the classical guitar literature and the cognitive-behavioural psychology literature for managing music performance anxiety in guitarists, a project for which I received the University of Toronto New College Senior doctoral fellowship in 2021-2022. I give lectures frequently across Canada on music performance anxiety, and recently gave lectures at McGill University, Mount Royal University, University of Toronto, among others.
Currently, I am preparing to record several new works for guitar and marimba in my next album, return to performing more in public as the pandemic subsides, and bring my research on music performance anxiety to more diverse audiences.
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My debut studio album, Inspirations: New Works for Solo Guitar, showcases six brilliant works by Canadian composers, including three world premiere recordings. It was an honor to have CBC Radio’s Paolo Pietropaolo feature it as the Record of the Week in March 2022, with WholeNote Magazine describing my playing as "beautifully clean." The album, funded by an Ontario Arts Council recording grant, is available on all major streaming platforms. I’ve also been fortunate to have my YouTube videos featured on blogs like ThisIsClassicalGuitar and I Care If You Listen, and in 2024, I recorded with Karlsruhe, Germany's Siccas Guitars platform.
I hold a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Toronto, where I focused my dissertation on music performance anxiety (MPA) in classical guitarists. I received a senior doctoral fellowship from New College in 2021-2022. I enjoy sharing insights from my research with my guitar students and performance coaching clients, and I’ve given lectures on the topic at institutions like McGill University, the University of Toronto, Wilfrid Laurier University, Memorial University, and many more. CBC television’s The National has also interviewed me as an expert on music performance anxiety. Beyond the classroom, I work with individuals from various disciplines, helping them manage their experience of MPA through performance coaching.
In 2020, I joined Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Music as a guitar instructor and lecturer. I’m particularly proud of designing and launching the faculty’s first music performance anxiety and performance skills course in Fall 2022. My students have achieved remarkable successes, including top prizes at the OMFA Ontario provincial guitar competition, the RCM Gold medal, and admission to undergraduate and graduate programs across Canada. I’ve also had the opportunity to adjudicate several national competitions, including the Canada West Performing Arts Festival, the FCMF National Music Festival, and various local festivals.
Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to have incredible mentors, including Patrick Roux, Dr. Jeffrey McFadden, the late Bruce Holzman, Lorenzo Micheli, and Jorge Caballero. I’ve also participated in masterclasses with world-renowned artists like Sergio Assad, Judicael Perroy, Pavel Steidl, Pepe Romero, and Fabio Zanon, among others. I’ve won first prize in competitions such as the Ottawa-Gatineau guitar competition and the OMFA Provincial Guitar Competition open level in 2014 and 2016. Additionally, I placed second in the FCMF National Guitar Competition in 2016 and was a finalist in the Montreal and Hamilton International Guitar Competitions.
In my spare time, I enjoy studying Japanese and Spanish, and I’m passionate about practicing Muay Thai and Karate.
My current research compares strategies from the classical guitar literature and the cognitive-behavioural psychology literature for managing music performance anxiety in guitarists, a project for which I received the University of Toronto New College Senior doctoral fellowship in 2021-2022. I give lectures frequently across Canada on music performance anxiety, and recently gave lectures at McGill University, Mount Royal University, University of Toronto, among others.
Currently, I am preparing to record several new works for guitar and marimba in my next album, return to performing more in public as the pandemic subsides, and bring my research on music performance anxiety to more diverse audiences.
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Media Relations
Aonghus Kealy
Communications and Media Relations Officer
akealy@wlu.ca
(548) 889-4855
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Communications and Media Relations Officer
akealy@wlu.ca
(548) 889-4855
Click to Expand >>
Media Relations
Aonghus Kealy
Communications and Media Relations Officer
akealy@wlu.ca
(548) 889-4855
Lori Chalmers Morrison
Director: Integrated Communications
lchalmersmorrison@wlu.ca
(548) 889-4857
Vanessa Barrasa
Director: Communications & Issues Management
vbarrasa@wlu.ca
(548) 889-3812
Brantford Campus:
Beth Gurney
Director, Strategic Communications and Community Engagement
bgurney@wlu.ca
(548) 889-4199
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Communications and Media Relations Officer
akealy@wlu.ca
(548) 889-4855
Lori Chalmers Morrison
Director: Integrated Communications
lchalmersmorrison@wlu.ca
(548) 889-4857
Vanessa Barrasa
Director: Communications & Issues Management
vbarrasa@wlu.ca
(548) 889-3812
Brantford Campus:
Beth Gurney
Director, Strategic Communications and Community Engagement
bgurney@wlu.ca
(548) 889-4199
Click to Shrink <<