About the Artist
Composer and classical guitarist Javier Farias (b.1973) is a recent recipient of a New Music USA award, Chilean Council of Culture and the Arts, and a Fromm Music Foundation Commission from Harvard University.
His catalogue as a composer includes more than sixty compositions, emphasizing his numerous works for solo guitar, as well as duos, quartets and ensembles for guitar. He has also written numerous works for orchestra, jazz ensemble, mixed choir, bandoneon, flamenco guitar, electric guitar, charango and other instruments. His music has been premiered ín Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, lnstituto Cervantes from New York, Tsuda Hall in Japan, George Mason Center for the Arts, Salle Cortotin Paris, Ateneo de Madrid, Meistersaal in Berlin, and MATCH-Houston among other venues.
Some of these works have won first place in some of the world's leading composition competitions including; the Andrés Segovia (Spain) in 2OO5 for his work "Retorna", and the Michele Pittaluga (ltaly) in 2004 for his "sonata for Solo Guitar", a piece that was made part of the obligatory repertoire forguitarists at the Conservatory of Paris, during years 2007-2008. ln 2008 his work for symphonic orchestra "Canta la Tierra" won the first place at the XIV Concorso 2 de Agosto in Bologna, ltaly. ln December, 2003 the Modern Orchestra of Chile honored him with their "Best Composer of the Concert Season Award" for his work "Dezlía", for flamenco group, jazz ensemble and string orchestra.
Farías' music has been performed by; L' Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino, Aspekte New Music Ensemble of Salzburg, VOCE Choir of Hartford, The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, Philarmonie Baden-Baden, Apollo Chamber Players, Orquesta Sinfónica "Simón Bolivar" del Táchira, San Francisco Conservatory Guitar Ensemble, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Chilean Chamber Orchestra, New Orchestra ofWashington, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Ensemble Forestare, Alturas Duo, bandoneonist of Astor Piazzolla's sextet Daniel Binelli, the guitarist of the mega selling rock band The Police, Andy Summers, jazz fusion guitarist Mike Stern, and classical guitarists; Eliot Fisk, Benjamin Verdery, Ricardo Cobo, Emanuele Segre, Gabriel Bianco, Carlos Perez, Joaquín Clerch Díaz, Piraí Vaca, and José Antonio Escobar among many others.
In 2006, Javier Farías founded the Chilean Guitar Ensemble; a group that brings together the most outstanding performers of the Chilean guitar scene, premiering some of the most important compositions that Javier Farias wrote while he was its musical and artistic director: "Arauco; por fuerte, principal y poderosa..." and "iArma!, iEnfrena!, iAína!", both works based on the poem "La Araucana", written by Alonso de Ercilla y Zuñiga. ln its eight yeqrs of existence, there have been more than 60 guitarists who have participated in this ensemble, premiering more than 20 works that composers from Chile, Argentina, France, Taiwan, Greece and Puerto Rico have specially written for them.
He served as professor of composition at Modern School of Music and Dance lnstitute, in Chile, from 2002 to 2012. ln August of 2012 he moved to Washington DC and began a Residence as a Composer at The Catholic University of America, in its Latin American Music Center. His music for guitar has been published by Berben (ltaly), E.M.E.C. (Spain), Doberman-Yppan, and Les Productions d'OZ (Canada).
