HUBERT KÄPPEL

Germany

master classes
jury

Hubert Käppel is not only a rare exception among the leading guitarists of today, but his interpretations, and virtuoso technique has set the standard for a whole guitar generation.

On the occasion of his North American debut in Ottawa and Toronto the Ottawa Citizen wrote: “It would be difficult to imagine a guitar player more sensitive, more musically aware than Hubert Käppel.”

Born in Cologne, Germany in 1951 he studied guitar in Cologne and Basel.

Since his exciting transcription and recording of Bach’s 6^th Partita for keyboard, he has been touring as a soloist, with orchestra or chamber music ensemble, throughout Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia.

Käppel has given concerts and master classes in many international festivals and is in great demand as a jury member in the major guitar competitions. He has made numerous recordings and live appearances for many national and international Radio and TV networks. Several CDs have been released by Zweitausendeins, GSP San Francisco, FSM Exaudio, KSG Exaudio and MARA Records.

Being one of the most important guitar teachers of our time Mr. Käppel has produced more than 80 first prize winning guitarists at the University of Music in Cologne (Hochschule für Musik, Köln) and at the Koblenz International Guitar Academy which he founded with Georg Schmitz, composer and director of the Koblenz International Guitar Festival.

From 1994 to 1997 he was also guest professor at the University of Music Franc Liszt (Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt) in Weimar. Besides his university activities he is in great demand for masterclasses at conservatories, universities and music festivals worldwide.

In 2004 he was honored by the committee of the Koblenz International Guitar Competition which then renamed the competition, Koblenz International Guitar Competition Hubert Käppel.

Hubert Käppel is a member of the Fénix International Guitar Quartet founded by himself in 2001, and of the Delos Trio (Gudrun Höbold, violin and Dietmar Berger, violoncello). Since 1991 he is Artistic Director of the International Guitar Competition and Seminar in Frechen/Cologne which is continued since 2001 by the International Guitar Festival Gevelsberg, Germany.

In 1996 his new guitar method Introducing the Guitar was published, followed by 3 collections of studies and 2011, by his most important publication The Modern Technique of the Classical Guitar, a detailed collection of exercises and more containing everything one needs to become a complete player, all produced by AMA, Germany.