Miguel Trápaga’s Spanish classical guitar concert, workshops at KJC

By Mannu Shahi

Situated inside the vibrant Gyan Mandala Community in Jhamsikhel, Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory (KJC) is a prominent music institution advocating Jazz studies in Nepal since 2007. Facilitating their students with ample opportunities to learn and explore music in a nurturing environment, KJC's faculty includes a mixture of global and popular Nepali instructors dedicated to the constant growth and development of their recruits.  

Their collective aim is to train the next generation of musicians, producers, sound engineers, composers and songwriters to feed the increasing demand of Nepal's flourishing creative scene. Apart from its regular one-on-one classes, the conservatory has also extended its discourse with the addition of diploma programmes specialising in various generic studies. These courses help shape music aspirants into creative individuals equipped to comprehend the gruelling 

industry standards.

And with their regular community-based educational concerts this coming week, KJC is hosting a free show and workshop featuring prominent Western Classical guitarist Miguel Trápaga. Born in 1967 in Cantabria, Spain, Trápaga is a disciple of Ataulfo Argenta Conservatory (Santander) and Royal Conservatory Of Music (Madrid), and his discography consists of eight albums and a vast touring experience across the world. 

The guitarist has collaborated with notable artistes and ensembles such as the Moscow String Quartet, mezzo-soprano Lola Casariego, Leo Brouwer, Theodore Kuchar, Igor Palkin, the Villa de Madrid Chamber Orchestra, Sesi Fundarte Chamber Orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic, Gijon Symphony, Seville Symphony, Madrid Symphony, Canberra Symphony and Ukrainian 

National Orchestra. 

Currently a teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid, his pedagogical repertoire has exceeded the boundaries of his classroom to workshops across Spain, The Canary Islands International Guitar Festival, Panama City University, Frederic Chopin Academy in Poland, Mahidol University in Bangkok, Massey University in New Zealand, Sibelius Academy in Finland, Kukulkan Guitar Festival in Mexico, Melbourne University and so forth. 

The Embassy of Spain presents the concert in association with KJC, who have been arranging similar opportunities for global music exposure since their inception. These educational concert series have invited many exciting and prestigious acts in the past and continue to append their list of seasoned guests and facilitators. However, the best aspect of these types of events has to be the free entry feature that makes these concerts more accessible to everyone and benefits a larger community of creators than usual.

The guitar maestro will be gracing the stage of Moksh in Jhamshikel, Lalitpur, on June 6, for an evening of indulgence with solo Spanish classical guitar. After this, on June 7, the musician will be facilitating two workshops: “Introduction to Western Classical Guitar” and “Masterclass with Miguel Trápaga”. Both the classes are free of cost but the applicant must register via email or contact the management of KJC before the event date. Further information on the concert and workshops can be traced through the conservatory's social media sites.