Chad Ibison Records Music by Tarrega, Turina, Mertz, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and More!

Classical guitarist, Chad Ibison, has recently traveled from Austin, Texas, to California to record videos for our YouTube channel. 

Chad currently resides in Austin. He studied guitar with Dr. Andrew Zohn and earned his bachelor's degree at the Schwob School of Music at Colombus State University. Then, he continued his education at the University of Texas in Austin where he studied with Adam Holzman and earned his master's and doctorate degrees. Currently, he works as a professor of guitar at Austin Community College.

While at GSI, Chad recorded five pieces. His session started with Francisco Tárrega's "Prelude No. 1" which he recorded on a 1969 David Rubio SP/IN guitar. This particular guitar by Rubio is an excellent example of his earlier work known primarily from his "Julian Bream" period.

In the next video, we can hear the second movement titled "Soleares" from Joaquín Turina's "Homenaje a Tárrega". The form "Soleares" is commonly known as the mother of flamenco forms. The name of this form most likely derives from the word "soledad" which means "solitude" or "loneliness". The guitar featured in the video is a 2023 Zoran Kuvac CD/CO.

Johann Kaspar Mertz's "Unruhe" is a beautiful piece from his "Bardenklänge, Op. 13". The title translates to "restlessness" and it's a very virtuosic piece. Chad recorded it on a 2023 Vladimir Druzhinin SP/AR guitar. This instrument features Vlad's latest symmetrical design, which includes features invented by Vladimir's good friend and mentor, Timofey Tkach, who is considered the top teacher of lutherie in Russia.

The next video features Chad's original composition titled "Starfighter". Chad recorded this piece on a 2023 Marco Bortolozzo "1993" SP/ZR. Marco gave this instrument an original name, "1993", to commemorate the 30th anniversary of a pivotal personal moment - 1993 was the year Marco received his first portable radio for his birthday - a gift he remembers to this day because it was the first time he realized the importance of music in his life.  This guitar has a bold appearance which is equally matched in sound and playability. 

In the final video, we can hear Chad performing "XVIII. El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos" from "24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195" by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. For the final year of his doctorate, Chad prepared a new critical edition of selections from this monumental set by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and we are very happy that he recorded one of the movements from this piece in our showroom. The guitar featured in the video is a 2021 Dietmar Heubner SP/CO.