Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Bustos.
Isaac, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started playing the classical guitar at age ten in Managua, Nicaragua. Three years later, my family and I emigrated to the US where soon after we arrived, I began taking lessons with Dr. Rene Gonzalez, and the late Cuban virtuoso, Juan Mercadal. I then continued my studies at the University of Miami, finished at the University of New Hampshire, and then moved to Texas to do graduate work at the University of Texas at Austin under the guidance of renowned American guitarist, Adam Holzman. While at UT, I was very fortunate to obtain top prizes in over a dozen competitions in Spain, Canada, and the US (seven of which are first prize victories). In 2005, during my first year of doctoral work, I was appointed to the faculty at Texas A&M’s Department of Performance Studies, where I continue to teach and direct the prestigious Texas A&M International Guitar Symposium and competition. I moved to Houston in 2008 and graduated from the University of Texas with a doctoral degree in Performance in 2010.
Along with my solo performance career, I am also a founding member of the Texas Guitar Quartet! I have played in China, Canada, Serbia, Italy, Spain, and most of the US. Highlights for the upcoming year include solo appearances with the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and the Rapides Symphony in Louisiana, as well as a quartet performance with the Corpus Christi Symphony. Summer engagements include a 20 concert tour of China, concerts in Panama and the Sauble Beach Guitar Festival in Canada.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has neither been smooth nor straight! However, I have been incredibly lucky to have many generous folks who have helped along the way. I think the struggles of a musician are a blessing in disguise because they build character and appreciation for both individual success and the success of others. It helps us understand that no story is made without an accompanying group of folks and individuals who provide assistance and opportunities! What are some of the struggles? As a father of three, my wife and I had to make incredible financial sacrifices to subsidize my travel to competitions, pay for school, and allow time for artistic development, all while making sure that everyday parental responsibilities were met. School years were difficult for my family but we always look back at those years with a profound sense of gratitude and appreciation. None of my successes in life or career would have been possible without the help of my amazing wife, who continues to provide support and stability to what would otherwise be a crazy life.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a professional classical guitarist and musician. I perform in venues of national and international prominence and teach masterclasses at some of the most important guitar conventions, festivals, and schools around the world. I also produce, direct, and perform in one of the most prestigious guitar festivals in the country – the Texas A&M International Guitar Symposium and competition. The Texas A&M Guitar Symposium presents artist of the highest caliber from around the world which have included Grammy-award-winning artists like the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Odair Assad! In addition, in Houston, I have taught the largest number of competition winning students in the city’s history. My students have won prizes locally, such as the Houston Young Artists, nationally, like the Appalachian State University Guitar Competition, and internationally, like the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America.
What sets me apart? When I was a student and as I began my professional career, peers and critics would praise my sound, speed, power, and artistic choices. As I have matured, I realize more and more that all the technical elements I fostered as a young musician were tools that helped me communicate and be the most expressive on my instrument. I find that as a 21st-century musician and under the current cultural trends, it is crucial for musicians to express more deeply and communicate more clearly! As a result, I have found myself attracted to projects that speak to and/or react to the current socio-political issues more so than before! Growing up as an immigrant in the multicultural city of Miami, FL, my commitment to diversity and inclusion is a vital part of who I am as a person, but also guides my artistic and educational focus.
For instance, during the summer of last year, I was part of the premiere of a new work that was inspired by the lives, plight, and voices of Syrian refugees living in Texas. Additionally, during the 2018 Texas A&M Guitar Symposium, I hosted a discussion panel titled “Women in the Guitar” that focused on issues of gender and race in guitar history by comparing the stories of three female artists from three different eras, countries, and ethnicities. My current goal as an artist is to produce and/or be part of projects that can touch, inspire, and affect more people than the traditional classical music/guitar audience.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It’s hard to say. There are so many classical music venues, artists, and organizations that are struggling now. However, I think the answer to the age-old question of “Why is classical music dying?” lies in how creatively we approach the problem. It gives me great hope, however, that, historically, guitarists have been great entrepreneurs! In the 19th century, for example, guitarists were multi-faceted artists that created arrangements of popular tunes, approached collaborative partnerships with other musicians in chamber music projects strategically, taught lessons to the growing middle class, sought patronage, composed, and performed!
So, as far as classical guitar goes, the answer is in how much, and how creatively we approach the challenges of a career in music making! Based on what I see from my travels, the future of music is bright and there are many smart, proactive, and able young musicians who are doing wonderful things around the country.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BustosGuitarist.com
- Phone: 5126898739
- Email: bustosid@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bustosguitarist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsaacBustosGuitarist/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/bustosguitarist
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
