Francisco Correa - Guitar (Colombia/UK)
Praised by Gramophone for his ‘eloquence’ and by Soundboard Magazine for his ‘beautiful and expressive playing’, Colombian guitarist Francisco Correa has captivated audiences with his virtuosic and nuanced performances. With a deep passion for both Western Classical and Latin American repertoire, Francisco has established himself as a versatile and sought-after guitarist, performing extensively in more than 20 countries across the UK, Europe, and South America.
A prize winner in multiple guitar competitions, Francisco has performed concerts with orchestra on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Concierto de Aranjuez with the Grammy-winning Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Latin American premiere of Stephen Goss's Guitar Concerto (2012) with the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia.
He has appeared on Colombian, British and French radio and television, most recently on the BBC's most prestigious classical music programme: 'In Tune, Radio 3'
His first solo album entitled "Música de la Tierrita" is a collection of classical guitar music by young Colombian composers, some pieces written for and dedicated to Francisco himself. This CD's launch tour spans 5 countries in over 12 concerts and has received generous praise by the specialised press, musicians and the general public.
In addition to his solo career, Francisco is an enthusiastic chamber musician: he performs regularly with flutist Emily Andrews (Correa-Andrews Duo), and also with guitarist David Massey (Duo Correa-Massey). His most recent chamber music project with the CarmenCo ensemble has led to the creation of the hybrid concert-play show “Creating Carmen”, which won a generous grant from the Arts Council of England, who financed a 9 concert tour for the United Kingdom in the 2019-2020 season. Also with his CarmenCo ensemble, Francisco has released a CD presenting the Spanish and Spanish-influenced music used in the show.
Francisco is currently signed with the British label Deux-Elles and has released his fourth album titled “Winterbourne”. As part of his work with Deux-Elles he will be releasing two more albums in 2024 containing solo and chamber music works.
A passionate advocate of new music, Francisco collaborates with renowned composers to create, record and premiere new works for guitar. These include Gerald Garcia, Stephen Goss, Mark Houghton, John W. Duarte, Pedro Barreiro, Carlos Lora y Daniel and Lucas Saboya amongst others.
As an educator and leader Francisco conducts the Bristol Classical Guitar Society Ensemble and is the Artistic Director of the International Guitar Foundation Festival and Summer School in Bath and Ham Farm Festival in Bristol, UK
Francisco plays a guitar by Philip Woodfield and is sponsored by D'Addario and Mundo Music Gear.