BRUZUAL Alejandro

Alejandro Bruzual belongs to the fourth generation of Venezuelan classical guitarists. In 1986, he completed his studies under Leopoldo Igarza. In 2003, he obtained a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he is currently finishing his Doctorate in Latin American Literature and Culture. Bruzual has focused most of his music career on research and writing. He was the director and editor of the Collection of Venezuelan Composers for Guitar, published by Fundación Vicente Emilio Sojo, in Caracas. He is a founding member of the Venezuelan Musicological Society and has written articles for numerous magazines and encyclopedias. He received the “City of Caracas Musicology Award” on five separate occasions for his publications on the Venezuelan guitar, which include the first biographies of Antonio Lauro, Alirio Díaz, and Raúl Borges. Currently, Bruzual is writing a book on the popular guitar of Venezuela. In 2001, Bruzual’s The Guitar in Venezuela, a Concise History to the End of the 20th Century, received an honorable mention at the International Musicology Competition, held by Casa de las Américas in Havana, Cuba. Not only is this the most comprehensive study available on the Venezuelan guitar, but it also introduces the Latin-American guitar movement and some of its most remarkable figures.