Recording Artist: Adam Holzman

For more than twenty years, Adam Holzman, recording artist, concert performer, soloist and educator, has been at the forefront of a generation of guitarists. Born in New York City in 1960, Holzman began playing the guitar at the age of 7 as a student of his older brother, Bruce Holzman, and continued his private study with Albert Valdes Blain and Eliot Fisk. He returned to work with his older brother Bruce at Florida State University where he received his musical degrees. In addition, he studied in the master classes of Oscar Ghiglia in Siena at the Academia Musicale de Chigiana and at the Aspen Music Festival. Twice he was chosen to perform in the historic master classes of the legendary Andrés Segovia.

Adam Holzman has received rave reviews from concert critics around the world. He as been hailed as “…polished and quite dazzling,” by The N.Y. Times. Mr. Holzman has performed at the prestigious Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, distinguished New York venues such as Kaufman Hall at the 92nd St. Y, Merkin Hall, and Carnegie Recital Hall as well as in music festivals and series from Miami to San Francisco and from Boston to New Orleans. His extensive international performances have taken him throughout Europe, Canada, Mexico, and Central and Latin America.

Mr. Holzman’s recording for the Naxos label have been critically acclaimed. The first two are discs of the music of Fernando Sor and have been called “…irresistible” by Gramophone Magazine. Vol. I and II of the music of Manuel Ponce are also now available. Of the Sonata for Guitar and harpsichord on Ponce Volume II, Classical Guitar Magazine (England) says, “It’s a fine and substantial work and here it receives the finest recording yet…”. His recording debut, on HRH Records, is a collection of rarely- or never-before recorded selections. According to The American Record Guide, this performance is “…so flawless he makes it all sound easy.” Of his release of The Venezuelan Waltzes of Antonio Lauro the American Record Guide said, “The landmark recording was David Russell’s 1980 LP. Now, 20 years later, comes another masterly recording by Adam Holzman: in many ways it raises the benchmark still further.” His newest Naxos release is the ‘Bardenklange, Opus 13’, of Johann Kaspar Mertz.

Mr. Holzman’s commitment to new music has led him to co-commission Samuel Adler’s ‘First Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra’. He was the first person to perform the music of Roland Dyens in North America and he has also premiered works by composers Robert Helps and Stephen Funk Pearson.

Adam Holzman is founder of the Guitar Department at the University of Texas at Austin where, in addition to his active performing career, he heads a thriving guitar studio. From 1992-1994, Mr. Holzman held the title of “Maestro Extraordinario” given by the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico, where he served as artist-in-residence. In 2001, Adam Holzman was awarded the Ernst von Dohnanyi Prize for Outstanding Achievement from Florida State University and the Robert W. Hamilton Fine Arts Award from the University of Texas.

Holzman currently lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Carolyn and their son Benjamin.

ADAM HOLZMAN GUITAR DEMOS (view all)