CARLOS BONELL has been described by the Classical Guitar Magazine, UK as "one of the great communicators of the guitar world". He has recorded more than twenty albums and played in forty countries, with concert appearances ranging from intimate recitals to concertos with symphony orchestras.

His latest album Magical Mystery Guitar Tour, inspired by his association with Sir Paul McCartney is dedicated to the music of the Beatles in Carlos' own arrangements for solo guitar. It went to number one on the UK iTunes classical album charts in May 2012.
Carlos was born in London of Spanish parents in 1949. He started to play at the age of five, learning to play Spanish folk music from his father who was a keen amateur guitarist. He completed his studies at the Royal College of Music with John Williams, where he was appointed the youngest ever professor at the age of 22.
After Carlos' New York début in 1978, the New York Times described him as an artist of "superb poetic gifts".Appearances followed at many international Festivals followed including The City of London, Aldeburgh, Helsinki, Israel, Tanglewood, Sydney, Istanbul, and Hong Kong.
In 1981 Carlos made the first of his three recordings of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Recorded in Canada with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Charles Dutoit for the Decca label, it was the first-ever digital recording of the concerto and was hailed as "a magnificent triumph" by the Classical Music magazine. It was awarded a coveted rosette by the Penguin CD Guide and has been frequently singled out ever since as the finest version available.
In 2006 Carlos began to help Sir Paul McCartney who is composing a concerto for guitar and orchestra. Over many meetings he has notated and recorded drafts of the guitar part. The work was featured in a June 2007 cover article by The New Yorker magazine.

In 2012 Carlos released a new album Magical Mystery Guitar Tour dedicated to his own arrangements for solo guitar of music by The Beatles. As well as going to number one on the UK classical iTunes charts, the album also entered the top ten in the overall UK iTunes charts.

GIACOMO BIGONI was born in 1991 in Reggio Emilia from parents amateur choir singers, he has come closer to the musical world since a very young age. At the age of 8 he has begun studying the classical guitar in the conservatoire of his city, the Musical Institute Achille Peri in Reggio Emilia, where he has studied with Claudio Piastra, completing both Bachelor (in 2010) and Masters (in 2012) Degrees with top marks and a Distinction. In 2012 he has subsequently moved to London, obtaining after one year the Artist Diploma in Performance at the Royal College of Music, studying with Carlos Bonell and Gary Ryan. He has also followed the courses for a second Artist Diploma at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Robert Brightmore for one year, kindly supported by a full Leverhulme Arts Trust scholarship. In 2014 he has been appointed Guitar Professor in the Musical Institute of Reggio Emilia and Castelnovo ne' Monti.
A polyhedral classical performer, he's deeply active in the fields of soloist repertoire (mainly with 20th Century guitar music), chamber music, orchestral repertoire, arrangements and teaching. He plays regularly in duet with violinists Francesco Ionascu (Exhibition Duo) and Tiberiu Anton Horvath. He has been for many years conductor of the Guitar Orchestra of the Conservatoire of Reggio Emilia, performing in more than 30 concerts all throughout Italy. He has also received masterclasses by artists like Alirio Diaz, Roland Dyens, Vladimir Mikulka, Michael Lewin, Flavio Cucchi, Francesco Biraghi, Carlos Bonell, Olivier Pelmoine, Graham Anthony Devine. He has also had TV and radio appearances on Vatican Radio (for which he has had the honour to record a solo recital), Telereggio and C-Radio Web, and in 2014 he has published his first solo album, "Take Time", published by Discoland Records, rewieved with great acclaim by the most important Italian music magazines. In 2015 he has launched his first official video, being the first guitarist (with the exception of the composer) to record the revolutionary piece “Benga Beat”, masterpiece for guitar by Gary Ryan. which combines innovative percussion techniques and unique African-flavoured sounds in a thrilling juice of melodies and rhythms of World Music style.
In his professional career he has performed all throughout Italy, in UK, Spain and Romania. During his stay in London, he has made his debut at the Bolivar Hall within the 2013 London Guitar Series. He has given recitals in many important concert series and on prestigious stages: among others, Maestros de la Guitarra (La Herradura, Andalucìa), Ateneul Roman (Filarmonica G. Enescu, Bucarest), Bistrita (Romania), Academia de Muzica "Gheorghe Dima" e Diesel Club (Cluj-Napoca, Transilvania), Royal College of Music, Purley Classics, Festival di Bellagio e del Lago di Como, Sala Assunta (Città del Vaticano), Sant'Eligio degli Orefici (Roma), Festival Chitarristico Internazionale Estate a 6 Corde, Sala del Tricolore di Reggio Emilia, Teatro al Parco (Parma), Sala Bossi (Bologna), Auditorium G. Nicolini (Piacenza), Rotary Club Reggio Emilia, Fondazione Benetton, Spazio Icarus (Reggio Emilia), Accademia Tadini (Lovere). In March 2016 Giacomo has been invited to perform the Concierto the Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo with the State Philharmonic Orchestra "Transylvania" in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), under the baton of Tiberiu Soare. Giacomo is the proud player of a 2013 Stephen Hill cedar concert guitar.
Giacomo is a multi-award winner: among others, Undisputed 1st Prize at the International Competition Città di Treviso in 2013, 1st Prize at the Guitar Competition Antonio Salieri (Legnago, Italy) in 2014, 3rd Prize (with 1st not assigned) at the Guitar Competition Città di Celano in 2013, and the Augusto Del Rio Scholarship as the best graduated of the Conservatoire of Reggio Emilia in 2010.
 
“A versatile and natural talent. A tremendous guitar player with technical excellence and instinctive passion, who honours our city abroad”.

[Prima Pagina – Reggio Emilia]

"[...] A young, talented artist totally unconnected to the traditional concertism's bad habits and mincing ways (it's definitely a great experience to listen to him live) [...] Music of rare elegance, precision and freedom: the three keywords of the whole CD and of Giacomo Bigoni's performing and interpreting skills."

[Fingerpicking.net/Chitarra Acustica]

 

“A truly respectful personal mind. The result is artistically convincing”.

[Seicorde]