Maestro Oscar Ghiglia passed away at the age of 85

We regret to inform our readers that Maestro Oscar Ghiglia, one of the greatest classical guitarists and teachers, passed away on March 3, 2024, at the age of 85.

Oscar Ghiglia had a very long and incredibly successful career in the world of classical guitar. After graduating from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, he soon began studying with Maestro Andres Segovia. Later, in 1976 he became a teacher at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena and "inherited" Segovia's class at that institution. 

Oscar Ghiglia shared his knowledge across the world. He was the founder of the guitar departments at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, the Festival de Musique des Arcs, and the Incontri Chitarristici di Gargnano. He was also a visiting professor at the Julliard School, the Hartt School, Northwestern University, the Cincinnati Conservatory, and the San Francisco Conservatory. From 1983 to 2004, Oscar Ghiglia taught in Basel, Switzerland at the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel.

Oscar Ghiglia will be greatly missed by all of us. Below, you'll find the full recording of Ghiglia's live concert from the 2000 Iserlohn Guitar Festival.