Young Concert Artists Trust

Morgan Szymanski

About Morgan Szymanski

Morgan Szymanski ‘...Morgan is a born communicator. He has the rare gift of being able to make his instrument sing..’

Born in Mexico City, Morgan Szymanski studied at the Royal College of Music and Conservatorium van Amsterdam graduating with first class honours. He immediately went on to become the first solo guitarist to be selected by YCAT and was the first guitarist to be awarded a Junior Fellowship at the RCM.

Over the last year Morgan has been selected as ‘one to watch’ by Gramophone Magazine and BBC Music Magazine and was featured artist on the cover of Classical Guitar Magazine. Future plans include a new concerto commission with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, his debut at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, a recital at the Bermuda Festival and a return visit to Mexico with Machaca, an international ensemble he formed in 2006.

Since winning first prize in the 2002 National Guitar Competition in Mexico Morgan has given performances as soloist and with orchestras at major venues and festivals throughout Europe: in Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, and further afield in Zimbabwe, Mexico, Guatemala and the USA. During the 2008/09 season he gave recitals at Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Sage Gateshead, King's Place and the London International Guitar Festival, and appeared as soloist with the Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony, CBSO Youth, Macedonian Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras.

An exceptionally versatile musician he has also given duo concerts with Mark Padmore, Alison Balsom, Carlos Bonnell and Priya Mitchell. In April he returned to Mexico City Festival with Machaca, an international ensemble he formed in 2006, whose first recording Mano a Mano was released as part of the La Linea Latin American Festival and was described by Gramophone magazine as ‘a real jewel of a disc, with Szymanski demonstrating that he’s not only a soloist of formidable talent but also that rare thing among guitarists: a fine chamber musician' (July 2007).

Morgan regularly collaborates with O Duo (Oliver Cox and Owen Gunnell percussion), and has given concerts with them throughout Europe; and also with composer Alec Roth, whose guitar quintet was especially written for him, and whose collaboration with Vikram Seth called Songs in Time of War and Chinese Songs he recently recorded on the Signum Label with Mark Padmore. His own recordings include The Unicorn in the Garden which was released in 2005 to critical acclaim and in 2006 he composed the original soundtrack to the award winning Mexican documentary ‘Toro Negro’. More recently 2008 saw the premiere of his Zambezi Sarabande for the Bulawayo Music Festival in Zimbabwe. Other collaborations have included duo recitals with Carlos Bonell in Mexico and London, the Cervantes Choir, Luzmira Zerpa and Vietnamese accordion player Phuong Nguyen.

Visit Morgan Szymanski's own website here www.morganszymanski.co.uk