BenBoltGuitar's Channel

83 subscribers

29,252 video views

Play All

Uploaded videos

1-10 of 10

Guido Santorsola - Aria and Giga from "Three Airs of Court" BenBoltGuitar 1,281 views Ben Bolt in concert, playing the rest of Guido Santorsola's Three Airs of court during his July concert for the Charlotte Guitar Society of Charlotte NC. part 2 of 2
Guido Santosorsola - Preludio from "Three Airs of Court" BenBoltGuitar 1,075 views Ben Bolt in concert, explaining and playing Guido Santorsola's Three Airs of court during his July concert for the Charlotte Guitar Society of Charlotte NC. part 1 of 2
Handel's Messiah for Classical Guitar BenBoltGuitar 5,696 views Ben Bolt playing his own arrangement of Frederic Handel's Messiah arranged for the classical guitar as his encore for the Charlotte Guitar Society.
Torroba's Alcaniz & Romance from the Castillos de Espana Suite BenBoltGuitar 1,705 views Ben Bolt performing Torroba's Alcaniz and Romance from Castillos de Espana for the Charlotte Guitar Society.
Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune BenBoltGuitar 7,842 views Ben Bolt play's his award winning arrangment of this timeless classic.
Joaquin Malats - Serenata Española BenBoltGuitar 2,203 views Ben Bolt performs his arrangement of Serenata Espanola.
Mateo Albeniz - Sonata in D BenBoltGuitar 7,668 views Ben Bolt performs his arrangement of Sonata in D by Mateo Albeniz
WFAE Appearance - Part 2 BenBoltGuitar 116 views June 19, 2009 9 a.m Charlotte NC WFAE 90.7 FM Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins
WFAE Appearance - Part 1 BenBoltGuitar 173 views June 19, 2009 9 a.m Charlotte NC WFAE 90.7 FM Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins
Isaac Albeniz - Asturias/Leyenda BenBoltGuitar 1,488 views Ben Bolt live at the Charlotte Guitar Society performing Leyenda

About Ben Bolt Guitar

benboltguitar.com

Created by

BenBoltGuitar

Latest Activity

Jul 21, 2009

Date Joined

Jul 21, 2009

About this user

Armed with a plywood classical guitar his brother had given him, a Spanish/English dictionary stowed away in his back pocket, and a dream; Ben Bolt set sail for Spain when he was seventeen. His goal was to study with the "Father of Classical Guitar", Andrés Segovia.

The year was 1971. It would take this boy nearly three years to turn his vision into reality. First, he would have to work hard and prove himself with his first teacher in Spain, Jose Luis Rodrigo. On his eighteenth birthday while registering for the draft at the United States Embassy in Madrid, his destiny magically appeared. Sitting just two meters away was maestro Andres Segovia. He was waiting to sign his visa papers to enter America for his celebrated annual tour. After Ben introduced himself, Segovia helped this young man by setting up lessons with one of his assistants, Jose Tomas.

All of Bens sacrifice would soon be rewarded in Madrid, the summer of 1973. He would study with the ultimate, Andres Segovia. At nineteen, Segovia, out of his own pocket, bequeathed a full scholarship for Ben to continue his music studies in Spain! "Clean, with a sound to be admired!" Andres Segovia

In the Spring of 1974 Ben headed to Paris to meet Abel Carlevaro. As the train headed for Paris, through the snow covered peaks of the Great Pyrenees, Ben recalls the sleepless night. "It was a full moon, and very cold." Impressed with Bens enthusiasm, Carlevaro invited Bolt to study with him under full scholarship at the yearly Master Classes held in Porto Allegre Brazil. Bolt now decided to make Montevideo, Uruguay his new home. Bolt completed his music studies under the direction of maestro Guido Santorsola at the "Escuela Normal de Musica".

Ben Bolt first received national attention in "Spotlight", an article written by Mike Varney, columnist for Guitar player magazine. His arrangement of Bach's Bourree in E minor was the first classical guitar transcription to appear in "Guitar for the Practicing Musician" bringing classical guitar to the attention of heavy metal guitarists worldwide. His signing contracts with Cherry Lane Music in New York soon followed. Ben Bolt highlighted more success with the publication of his version of Classical Gas by Mason Williams.

Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida presented his first public performance on national T. V. He has performed to full house audiences throughout the North, Central, and South Americas and was recently invited by "International Guitar Star" Ana Vidovic to perform with her in duo.

For more than a quarter of a century, he served as an adjunct professor of guitar at Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tennessee. Ironically, his most notable students are not classical but in major rock bands. Brian Bell, lead guitarist of "Weezer" and Brian Vohdin, drummer of "Ten Years" who began as a guitar player. According to Music Trades magazine and National Public Radio,

Mel Bay Music Publishers Inc., the foremost publisher of guitar instructions in the world, credits Ben Bolt with being the first guitarist ever to introduce the classical guitar to the masses using notation, tablature, and the recording format, in the same package. Ben Bolt has inked three bestsellers for his achievements with Mel Bay. His best selling titles with Cherry Lane Music (dist. by Hal Leonard), "39 Progressive Guitar Solos Volumes 1 & 2" have been in print for over two decades. He has published works with recordings of Tárrega, Sor, Carcassi, Mozart, Paganini, J.S. Bach, Carulli and Giuliani. Guitarists worldwide frequently perform Ben Bolts arrangements on You Tube.

Along with Walt Disney, Luciano Pavarotti, and Shinichi Suzuki, Ben Bolt is the first and only guitarist inducted into Delta Omicron as a National Patron. He won first place in the, "Concurso Internacional A.E.M.U.S." by unanimous decision held in Montevideo Uruguay (1975). Columbia Music published Bens, his first publication, Valses Poeticos by Enrique Granados. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music invited Ben Bolt to assist maestro Carlevaro in his debut of North America in 1976. Medaled with the St Andrews Cross, Ben Bolt is a knight of the Ducal Order of the Cross of Burgundy. Composers have also written original works for Ben Bolt. Abel Carlevaro awarded him the coveted medal, "Premio al Merito" at the National Library of Montevideo.

Age

Country

United States

Occupation

Classical Guitar Player and Instructor

Companies

Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tennessee
Mel Bay Music Publishers Inc.
Delta Omicron National Patron.

Schools

Jose Luis Rodrigo, Andres Segovia, Abel Carlevaro, "Escuela Normal de Musica"

less

Featured Playlists

10 videos Play all(10) Uploaded videos by Ben Bolt Guitar