biography

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Photo by Tim Fuller

Andres Pantoja has performed in the United States, France, Switzerland, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile, as a soloist, chamber musician, and soloist with orchestra. He has premiered dozens of works, among these premieres two of the highlights in his career are a series of ten studies for guitar by Guillermo Eisner and a guitar concerto by Victor Ortiz with the Classical Chamber Orchestra of Chile.

He has won several international guitar competitions, such as the David Russell Bach Prize, a competition judged solely by GRAMMY Award-winner David Russell, Beeston, and Sholin memorial competitions. Andres has also recorded many albums as a soloist and chamber musician, which have been published in Germany, Mexico, and Chile. In one of his more recent CDs "21st Century Chilean Music for Guitar," all the works are premiered recordings. His doctoral research is also focused on this style of music which has given him a reputation as a leading researcher in contemporary music for guitar in his home country.    
Pantoja began guitar lessons at the age of 13 with Edith Vasquez, his mother. He completed his Bachelor's Degree with the prominent guitarist and lutenist Oscar Ohlsen and then studied privately in Santiago with Luis Orlandini. He also holds a Master's degree in performance from the University of Arizona, and currently is pursuing a Doctorate in Music at the same University in Tom Patterson's guitar program. Andres is a versatile musician, in addition to the classical guitar, he plays flamenco, Latin American styles, the Bolivian instrument "Charango", and free improvisation. As a scholar and educator, he has been invited to do masterclasses at Chilean Universities and lectures about the Charango in the US and Philippines.