Jorge Caballero
Who is Jorge Caballero?
The artistic rise of guitarist Jorge Caballero as one of the most prominent musicians of his generation became evident in 1996 when Jorge, then nineteen years of age, was awarded First Prize at the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Competition, one of the most coveted awards in classical music and, according to the New York Times, “the equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize” for musicians. He thus became the only guitarist and the youngest musician to receive this award in Naumburg’s long history of excellence. In the wake of this achievement, he was asked to appear as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York Chamber Symphony and many orchestras in the United States and abroad. As a recitalist, Jorge has also made appearances at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Great Performers series at the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and others.
The numerous laudatory reviews of Jorge Caballero’s performances have predominantly focused on a dichotomy rarely found in musicians: Jorge’s ability to create the most subtle, expressive, lyrical moments, while at the same time showing awe inspiring virtuosic ease. Throughout his twenties, it was said that Jorge’s musical understanding reached “far beyond his years”. Of a recital in Seattle, a critic said “I have seen the future of the guitar, and its name is ‘Caballero’.”
Jorge Caballero recently completed his second full-length solo recording, in which he recorded a transcription for solo guitar of Antonin Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony, having thus reached an unprecedented peak in guitar history. His first recording, where he plays his own transcriptions of Bach’s Cello Suites has elicited praise from the critics, who compared Jorge to musicians like Rostropovich, Richter and Segovia.
Plans in the immediate future for Jorge involve performances in San Francisco and New York, including a collaborative recital with soprano Theresa Santiago at Carnegie Hall’s recital hall, as well as a new recording. In addition to this, he is a founding member of Axis, a string quintet which adds to the conventional string quartet the sensual sounds of a guitar, and thus explores new options of sound.
“Caballero is a severely and refreshingly understated performer. Yet the austerity of his personal style cannot in any way be interpreted as a lack of musical passion. The guitarist gives an impression of total and unpretentious dedication to his instrument and his music. In a media-driven world that so often relies upon glitter and hype, Caballero has to this point stood apart and made his way on sheer musical virtuosity.”
St. Louis Dispatch
“…Caballero’s unusual combination of a deft, powerful Technique and a soft spoken interpretive persona make a strong impression.”
The New York Times
“Guitarist Jorge Caballero was a dazzling, magical soloist in Rodrigo’s‘Concierto de Aranjuez’. His playing in the slow movement was the stuff of gossamer lightness, evoking vanished historical glories in phrasing almost breathed than heard. In the outer movements, Caballero was amazing in his virtuosic ease”
Los Angeles Times