Artists & Core Faculty
Berta Rojas
With the 2025 release of The Journey of the Strings, an ambitious multimedia exploration of the guitar's rich history in the Americas, Latin Grammy® winner Berta Rojas reaffirms her status as not only one of today's foremost classical guitarists but also an influential force in the music world. Hailed as a “guitarist extraordinaire” by the Washington Post, she is a global ambassador for the classical guitar, stretching boundaries and bridging cultural divides.
Rojas earned a Latin Grammy® in 2022 for her album Legado. One of the pieces on the recording—Anido's Portrait—won its composer Sergio Assad the award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
She received three other Latin Grammy nominations as well: Best Tango Album for History of Tango (2015), recorded with the Camerata Bariloche; Best Classical Album for Salsa Roja (2014); and Best Instrumental Album for Día y Medio (A Day and a Half), a collaboration with Paquito D’Rivera (2012). In 2025, she was appointed to the Latin Recording Academy's prestigious Board of Directors.
Berta's has delighted audiences worldwide, at such major venues as the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center's Fredrick P. Rose Hall of Jazz in New York; the South Bank Centre and Shakespeare's Globe as a guest of the grand master John Williams in London; the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; and Flagey Studio 4 in Brussels, performing with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra for Belgian National Television.
In 2011, Berta, along with guest artist Paquito D’Rivera, initiated the four-year tour “In the Footsteps of Mangoré”, following the travels of Paraguay's Agustín Barrios, pioneer of the classical guitar in the Americas. The duo performed in 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, concluding the journey at the National Theater of San Salvador, the final resting place of the celebrated composer.
A particular focus is on promoting the music of her country, Paraguay, as well as Latin American music more widely. Rojas provides ongoing support for the careers of young upcoming guitarists with projects in different formats such as the Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition, the Ensemble Pu Rory (in the Guaraní language, Festive Sounds), Instrumentoteca and Jeporeka, among others.
After initial studies in Paraguay under masters Felipe Sosa and Violeta de Mestral, Berta continued her musical education in Uruguay as a student of Abel Carlevaro, Eduardo Fernández and Mario Payseé. She went on to earn a master's in music at the Peabody Institute under Manuel Barrueco, Ray Chester, and Julian Gray. In 2017, Berta joined the faculty of Berklee College of Music as an Associate Professor, sharing her knowledge and love of music with a select group of young guitarists from various parts of the world.
The recipient of many awards, Rojas was named a Fellow of the Americas of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for her artistic excellence, In 2022, she received the Golden Guitar Award: A Life Dedicated to the Guitar, bestowed by the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Milan. More recently in 2023, she was awarded the National Order of Merit in the Grade of “Grand Cross,” the highest degree of recognition granted by Paraguay, to name a few.
An Tran
Praised by The Boston Globe for his “subtle, graceful virtuosity” and by Soundboard magazine for an “exquisite sense of space, touch, and mood,” guitarist An Tran approaches performance with purpose, guided by a belief in music as a shared human experience.
A Vietnamese guitarist based in the United States, his recordings reflect a long-standing desire to serve as a bridge between cultures and traditions. From his debut recording to his most recent projects, he has focused on bringing Vietnamese music into contemporary classical contexts while collaborating closely with living composers from around the world. His debut album, Stay, My Beloved (Frameworks Records, 2020), presents Vietnamese repertoire through traditional melodies and works by contemporary composers. Praised by both Soundboard and Classical Guitar magazines, the album was named among Chicago Tribune’s “Recordings of the Year.”
Napoléon Coste: Guitar Works, Vol. 6 was released in 2023 on Naxos. American Record Guide noted his “immaculate ornaments and cultivated sense of phrasing,” highlighting the subtlety and confidence of his interpretations. The recording places his work within the core European repertoire, alongside his ongoing advocacy for new and underrepresented voices. A new album, ILUMINA (Prima Classic label), scheduled for release August 28, 2026, will feature newly commissioned works written for Tran by composers from around the world. Physical CDs will be available for purchase at all concerts before the release date.
Tran has appeared in leading concert series and festivals worldwide, including the Guitar Society of Toronto, New York Classical Guitar Society, Córdoba Guitar Society, Segovia Classical Guitar Series, New Orleans International Guitar Festival, Latin-American International Guitar Festival, and Bangkok Guitar Society. His performances have been featured on Performance Today, Classical Guitar Alive!, the Tonebase Podcast, Vietnam Airlines’ Heritage Magazine, and Vietnam Television (VTV). Early in his career, he was a top-prize winner at more than a dozen international guitar competitions, including the Berlin International Guitar Competition and the Hamilton International Guitar Competition. He was also named one of Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s “10 Rising Stars of Classical Guitar”, recognizing the breadth of his work and global artistic perspective.
He began his musical training in Vietnam and continued his studies in the United States, earning his Bachelor of Music from North Park University, where he later received the Distinguished Young Alumni Award. He completed his Master of Music at Yale University, studying with Benjamin Verdery, and received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Program Honors from Northwestern University under the guidance of Anne Waller.
Tran is a guitar professor at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. He also teaches at the University of Illinois Chicago and Northern Illinois University. At NIU, he founded the International Guitar Concert Series. In 2024, he founded the An Tran’s International Guitar Workshop, an annual ten-day summer program in Vietnam that brings students of all ages together for intensive study and exchange. He also serves on the board of the Chicago Classical Guitar Society and is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Artopia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the arts accessible to underserved communities on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
An Tran performs on guitars by Stephan Connor and is a D’Addario Artist.
https://www.antran.org/
Kithara Duo
Kithara Duo has mesmerized audiences throughout Europe, South America, and the USA since their founding in 2002 at the University of North Texas. The duo is home to international award-winning composer, Olga Amelkina-Vera whose works for guitar duo premiered on their first album, Beings, (Soundset Recordings). Fernand Vera and Olga have contributed to guitar duo repertoire through their numerous arrangements and transcriptions. Their album, Lingua Franca, features their arrangements of music from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Their latest album, Ka Ao: Works for Guitar, showcases Olga’s guitar compositions performed by a star roster of artists. Kithara Duo appeared as soloists with the New Texas Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of Olga’s original work Étoiles Par Grand Vent, which she orchestrated for guitar duo with symphony orchestra. They perform and teach at numerous festivals and universities throughout the country, including: the Guitar Foundation of America Convention and Competition.
Belarusian American, Olga Amelkina-Vera is recognized as being “at the very forefront of composers writing for the guitar today” (Soundboard magazine). Olga’s works have been performed and recorded by Grammy® winner David Russell, Barnard-Columbia Chorus, Duo Chinoiserie, Canadian Guitar Quartet, Plano Symphony Orchestra, and many other professional and student ensembles and soloists.
Twice, she was First Prize winner of the Adult Composition Division, Music Grand Prix International Competition in NYC. In the 2024 finals, In the Golden Gleam was performed by Bokyung Byun; and in 2025, a recording of New Oceans (for plucked-string orchestra) was presented by Bundesjugendzupforchester (TheYouth Mandolin Orchestra of Germany). Her composition Submerged Worlds for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion won the 2017-2018 American Prize in the Student Instrumental Chamber Music Division. Many other awards preceded these. Her works are published through Productions d’Oz and self-published with Fernand Vera Publications.
Born in Houston to a French mother and an Ecuadorian father, Fernand Vera is an active performer, educator, author, composer/arranger, producer, and electronic musician. Fernand has written several guitar method books: The Beginning Guitar Method, Vol. 1, now in its sixth edition (co-written with Olga Amelkina-Vera); The Beginning Guitar Method, Vol. 2 for continuing guitar students; and Guitar Fitness: Technical Studies for the Advancing Guitarist. He continuously contributes to the guitar ensemble repertoire. Most recently, he published Works for Guitar Ensemble, a collection of his Latin-influenced compositions.
In 2020, Fernand reinvented himself as an electronic musician and producer, and released a debut album of original electronic music, Dappled Shade, under the stage name Monsieur Glize. He continues to release new singles and EPs regularly. His music is available on iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify, and all other online platforms.
Since 2012, Fernand has directed the thriving Guitar Studies program at Collin College in Plano, TX. He is Artistic Director of the annual Collin College Guitar Festival, and National Guitar Ensemble Assessment Day. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of St. Thomas in Houston and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas.
Olga composes full-time, with a full schedule of newly commissioned works. She is in high demand as a performer, educator, conductor and presenter. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in guitar performance from the University of North Texas, and a Master of Music in composition from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
https://www.kitharaduo.com/
— Core Faculty —
Jay Kacherski – Artistic Director
"Virtuosismo" and "technical dominance" are the words used by the press to describe American guitarist, Jay Kacherski. A native of New York, Kacherski has performed around the world as a soloist, in duo with piano, and as a member of the Grammy®-nominated Texas Guitar Quartet. He has appeared at distinguished music festivals and venues including: the Semana Internacional la Guitarra, Chile; the GuitUNAM guitar festival in Mexico City; Casa Sors, Barcelona; the Festival Música al Gironès, Spain; the International Guitar Art Festival in Shenzhen, China; Brevard Music Center; the New Orleans International Guitar Festival, Round Top Festival Institute; Austin Classical Guitar; and Bayou Theater, Houston.
Kacherski lived in Mexico for two years as a Fulbright Scholar and member of the guitar faculty at the Escuela Nacional de Música (UNAM), researching, performing, and promoting contemporary classical guitar music of Mexico. His debut solo album, Synthesis: 20th & 21st Century Guitar Music from Mexico(Frameworks Records) was the culmination of his Fulbright work. Soundboard magazine hailed it as a “…brilliant album” and “one of the finest guitar solo recordings of recent years”.
The Kacherski/Morita Duo was formed in 2005 with pianist Lina Morita and is dedicated to curating standard repertoire and building new repertoire for piano and guitar ensemble. The duo has premiered and/or commissioned several new works over the years by composers Clarice Assad, Jefferson Todd Frazier, José Galeote, Olga Almelkina-Vera, David Mitchell, Alex Nazaretski, and Cutberto Cordoba Nieto to name a few. Their recording Landscapes (Frameworks Records) includes many of these new works. A recent review by Phoenix Classical: “the pairing works brilliantly – the music is haunting & evocative, tender & fiery, joyful & mysterious – it’s a beautiful mix of work – great technique throughout, a poetic sense of phrasing from both piano & guitar.
Currently Assistant Professor of Music at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas Kacherski was formerly on the guitar faculty at Loyola University of New Orleans, the University of New Orleans, and McNeese State University, as well as NOCCA (the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts). He is the Artistic Director of the Gulf Coast Guitar Association and the Houston Classical Guitar Festival and Competition. His academic studies include a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Music in Guitar Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, and undergraduate degrees from Florida Southern College where he graduated with honors.
www.kacherskiguitar.org
Jeremy Garcia – Associate Artistic Director
Jeremy García is a classical and flamenco guitarist, award-winning composer, educator and recording artist who dazzles audiences throughout the United States and Europe. Notable concerts include: The Moores Symphony Orchestra, Suite Andaluz – an original composition for Solero Flamenco and orchestra (2025); Houston Grand Opera, Suite Española – Explorando Iberia (2021); the Moores Opera Center’s 2003 production of Ainadamar, Osvaldo Golijov (composer); Joaquín Rodrigo's El Concierto de Aranjuez with the Helena Symphony in Montana (2017); and most recently, the 2024-2025 tour of Hispania! – A Voyage from Spain to the Americas with Grammy® -winning Apollo’s Fire, the most active touring baroque orchestra in the United States and abroad.
García and Irma La Paloma co-founded Solero Flamenco, Houston’s premier flamenco performance company, touring nationally in Candlelight Concerts by Fever and appearing at numerous guitar societies and festivals throughout the country. He was recently honored to perform for Queen Sofía of Spain and guests at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Gala 2023.
An active recording artist, García’s latest album, Nuevo Día (Frameworks Records 2023) was praised by critic Jim McCutcheon: “A refreshing take on some old standards and an excursion into contemporary flamenco-based guitar…García’s performance is spirited, accentuated by flamenco techniques including golpes and rasgueados, and played with a quasi-improvisatory, wild flamenco disposition that at no time disrespects the original music.” (American Record Guide, Nov-Dec 2023). Other albums include García y Reyna’s Baile del Sol and Café Khytaro’s Distancia.
A noted composer, García’s work, Zalamera Colombiana won the top prize in Flamenco Composition at the 2023 Séptimo Concurso de Composición para Guitarra Fidelio, in Madrid, Spain. Composers representing Spain, Colombia, France and the USA competed for this high honor. His original work, Suite Andaluz debuted with the Helena Symphony in Montana where he also performed Joaquín Rodrigo's El Concierto de Aranjuez (2017).
He is Associate Artistic Director of the Houston Classical Guitar Festival & Competition and is often invited as a guest artist to numerous festivals, where he gives concerts, master classes, workshops on technique and composition and conducts guitar ensembles. García and La Paloma co-founded and directed the Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival (2011-2016) with funding from Texas Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.
García is Affiliate Professor of Guitar at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. For 20 years he was Director of Guitar Studies at San Jacinto College where he also conducted an award-winning ensemble. He gives private lessons in both classical and flamenco guitar in the USA and abroad. García earned a Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and Master of Music from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
jeremygarcia.net
Eddie Healy – Education
Eddie Healy serves on the Board of Gulf Coast Guitar Association as Education Director of the Houston Classical Guitar Festival & Competition. A prolific composer and concert guitarist, Healy has performed in Spain, Mexico, and the United States. In Mexico he was featured at the 19th Annual International Guitar Festival of Morelia, the 4th Festival Internacional de Guitarra Ramón Noble, and annually in Spain at the ChamberArt Madrid Festival. He and his duet partner, Dr. Brandi Estwick, serve as faculty for the festival.
His original compositions have been performed by many artists throughout the world and can be heard on his CD, Direction. He has composed the theme to a series of podcasts produced by The University of Texas at Dallas titled “A Conversation With…”, the theme for the Arts-Based Learning for Business video series, scores for several video games, commercials, and the alma mater for Rogers Middle School in Prosper, Texas. In 2012 Healy released a CD consisting exclusively of his compositions titled, Direction. James Scott of minor7th.com said that the recording “…is a triumph, offering the listener accessible compositions matched by immaculate performances.” He published the sheet music for several of the compositions from Direction with Joachim-Trekel of Hamburg, Germany in 2010 and has 13 publications with Les Productions d’OZ to date.
In addition to his significant output as a composer Eddie has also done a great deal of arranging. He has arranged many pieces for voice and guitar, voice and guitar ensemble, and two voices and guitar ensemble. Most of them have been premiered by Healy and Dr. Estwick.
Healy is a faculty member at Dallas College and teaches at the Gray School of Music. Healy is the Assistant Director of the Texas International Guitar Competition & Festival as well as that festival’s youth competition.
He received a Bachelor’s in classical guitar performance at The University of North Texas and completed his Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University.
www.eddiehealy.com
Andrea Ricci Cannon – Outreach
Andrea Cannon is a performer proficient in classical and jazz guitar. An alumna of Berklee College of Music, she studied Jazz Guitar Performance and also received an Outstanding Alumni Service Award. Post-Collegiate studies include Applied Performance in Classical Guitar with Robert Guthrie of Southern Methodist University.
Cannon directs Guitar Arts Pre-Collegiate Studio in Houston and is a jazz consultant to Spring Texas School District. She formerly directed applied guitar studies at Lone Star College-North Harris County. Her students have received awards for classical performance in competitions through Music Teachers National Association, Eastfield College, University of Texas-Dallas, the Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Festival, Houston Young Artists Concerts and the Guitar Foundation of America Ensemble Showcase. Jazz students have been selected to Region Jazz Ensemble and showcased twice at Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.
She travels internationally as a clinician and performer in Europe, Central and South America as well as cities throughout the USA and Canada. Cannon has been published in the American Suzuki Journal, Soundboard Magazine and American Music Teacher. She is certified through the Music Teachers National Association and is a Registered Teacher Trainer with the Suzuki Association.
The arts advocacy group Alarte of Guatemala City, Guatemala has created a scholarship in her name. The first recipient of the 'Beca Andrea Cannon' is enjoying the benefits of a new guitar as well as expert Suzuki instruction.
As Outreach Director of the Board of Directors of Houston Classical Guitar Festival & Competition, Cannon is responsible for augmenting guitar programs in the public schools and for sending our guitarists to perform in retirement communities and hospitals.
andreacannon.com
Marc Garvin
Marc Garvin is a 2026 Grammy-nominated musician recognized for his work on Advena – Liturgies for a Broken World with the choral ensemble, Conspirare. A versatile artist, Marc is a guitar soloist, chamber musician, public speaker, conductor, radio personality, and respected professor of guitar.
As a guest soloist, Garvin has performed with the Houston’s Symphony, Ballet, Grand Opera and the Grammy Award winning, Houston Chamber Choir.
Marc has performed with some of the world’s most celebrated vocalists, including Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti and soprano Cecilia Bartoli. He was featured as the guitar soloist for the American premiere of Christopher Bruce’s Ghost Dances with the Houston Ballet, later touring the production in Canada and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. His artistry has also taken him to Spain as part of ChamberArt Madrid.
Highlights of Garvin’s career include Houston Grand Opera’s premiere of Pieces of 9/11, a song cycle by Jake Heggie; multiple performances of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Romancero Gitano for guitar and choir; and Ladino/Latino, written especially for him by Rice University composer Dr. Richard Lavenda. He has arranged and performed works for the unusual pairing of harp and guitar. His harp and guitar album, Zero Hour has received critical acclaim.
Marc made the radio airwaves vibrate as the engaging and enthusiastic host of Pulling Strings on Houston Public Radio—a weekly celebration of all things picked, plucked, and strummed-sometimes banged, bashed, or hammered!
A dedicated music educator with a degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Garvin has served as the guitar instructor at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He has led and conducted guitar ensembles at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, the Houston Summer Guitar Conservatory, and the Texas Music Festival. Marc, his wife Barb and top-dog Jaco now begin a new chapter in their lives in Asheville, NC where the guitar community there has welcomed them enthusiastically.
