Manuel Barrueco

Renowned for his commanding technique on the guitar, profound interpretive depth, and imaginative approach to concert programming, Manuel Barrueco has presented recitals and orchestral concerts across the globe, many transmitted live by broadcasters in multiple nations.

Born December 16, 1952, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, he began playing the guitar at age eight and completed his initial training at the Esteban Salas Conservatory. His family relocated to the United States during his teenage years, after which he continued his studies at the Peabody Conservatory with Aaron Shearer. In 1974 he made his Carnegie Hall recital debut and captured first prize in the Concerto Artists Guild Competition the same year.

Barrueco’s concert and recital choices reflect a sustained effort to enlarge the classical guitar repertoire through partnerships with outstanding fellow musicians. His transcriptions of Bach’s Violin Sonatas have received widespread praise. He has given the premieres of works by Toru Takemitsu and Roberto Sierra and has collaborated with Steven Stucky and Arvo Pärt. Joint tours with jazz guitarist Al di Meola resulted in the duet album Nylon and Steel, which also includes rock guitarist Steve Morse and Andy Summers, formerly of the Police. Orchestral engagements have taken him throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. Live performances have been aired on national networks in Japan, Germany, and Spain, and he has appeared on the American programs CBS Sunday Morning, Breakfast with the Arts, and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. The 2006 documentary Manuel Barrueco: A Gift and a Life presents interviews about his life and career together with footage of his teaching and playing.

His recordings, issued primarily on EMI, survey the traditional Spanish repertoire of Albéniz, Rodrigo, Turina, and de Falla while also featuring Latin and South American composers such as Chávez, Piazzolla, and Barrios-Mangoré, Cuban figures including Lecuona and Brouwer, and additional voices. In 2013 he released his arrangements of Manolo Sanlúcar’s Medea on the Tonar Music label, recorded with the Tenerife Symphony under conductor Víctor Pablo Pérez. A 2019 Naxos album presented him with Giancarlo Guerrero in music by Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Teaching forms another central commitment. Immediately after graduation he helped establish the guitar program at the Manhattan School of Music; he now teaches at the Peabody Conservatory and annually offers a master class seminar open to students worldwide.