How to Deal with Stage Fright
Denis Azabagic, eleven-time competition winner and author of On Competitions: Dealing with Performance Stress, discusses overcoming performance anxiety
The presentation will be followed by open-mic playing time for members. Sign up in advance to play — see the Member Events page for details. NYCCGS Member Events are free and open to all members and first-time guests, and are supported by a generous grant from the D’Addario Music Foundation.
Thursday, May 1, 2014, 7:00 PM
Manhattan Theatre Club Creative Center
311 West 43rd Street, 8th floor, between 8th and 9th Ave. (map)
New York City
Denis Azabagic is one of the most compelling classical guitarists on the international concert circuit today. He performs concerts around the globe, maintaining a balance between his solo recitals, chamber music with Cavatina Duo, and engagements as soloist with orchestras.
In 1993, at the age of 20, he became the youngest winner of one of the most prestigious International Guitar Competitions “Jacinto e Inocencio Guerrero,” in Madrid, Spain. After listening to Mr. Azabagic, distinguished Spanish composer Anton Garcia Abril said, “I am sure that with time, he is going to be one of the greatest guitarists of the world.”
Between 1992 and 1999 he won twenty-four prizes in international competitions, of which eleven were first prizes. He has written a book, On Competitions, based on his experience during these years, published by Mel Bay.
Azabagic has recorded seven CDs for international labels such as Naxos, Cedille, Opera Tres, and Orobroy as well as two DVDs for the Mel Bay Company. His recordings and live performances are highly praised by music critics for his elegant approach to music and his unique way of communicating and reaching the audiences’ hearts.
As a guest instrumentalist and soloist Azabagic has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Sacramento Chamber Orchestra, Madrid Symphony, and L’Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Mons, among others. He is a regular guest at such venues as Chicago’s Symphony Center; Masters of the Guitar at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Radio France in Paris; Aix en Provence Festival, France; El Palau de la Musica, Valencia, Spain; Savannah on Stage, USA; Omni Foundation, USA; Ravinia Festival, USA; National Chang Kai Shek Cultural Center, Taiwan; and National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing, China. Azabagic’s performances have been broadcasted live on the Radio (NPR, WFMT) and television in Asia, Europe and the United States.
His repertoire includes solo and orchestral music from the Baroque era to the present. He is a member of the Cavatina Duo, which has a vast repertoire of chamber music, including many works written expressly for the duo.
Azabagic’s love for performing extends to sharing with others the knowledge of music-making. He frequently offers masterclasses while on tour and currently teaches at the Roosevelt University in Chicago.
