MUSIC

This page is dedicated to the virtuoso classical guitarist, Neil Smith.

These CDs are available at £5.00 each plus P&P, and snippets can be heard by clicking on the links below the biography.

NEIL SMITH is one of Britain’s finest classical guitarists having given concerts in over 40 nations making over two thousand appearances in total.

His early studies took place in the UK with pupils of Segovia and Llobet in addition to Duarte and later, he attended classes at Toronto University, Canada to study with Diaz and Brouwer. He returned to the UK and made his Wigmore debut to great acclaim… ‘He played with great assurance and a fine, strong sound’ said one review. He followed this with tours under some of the finest conductors including Sir Alexander Gibson and Sir Simon Rattle and the finest orchestras including the SNO, RLPO, CBSO, BBC Ulster, City of London Sinfonia, the English String Orchestra and the London Philharmonic. With this last orchestra, he made his Barbican debut; ‘The huge audience enjoyed every moment’ said one magazine. His first LP record was featured Pick of The Month in two national journals and he became a regular player on BBC Radio 3 in addition to TV and radio both here and abroad. He has recorded for seven recording labels, his latest CD with John Turner on Recorders ranked high in The Times ‘the performances are impeccably polished’ wrote Geoff Brown.

His debut in the USA received a standing ovation and led to several return trips coast to coast. Later, he toured behind the Iron Curtain, on one occasion, he broadcast to over 45 million people direct from Budapest Art Gallery. Recent tours have included Japan, Arabia, Russia, Scandinavia, Holland, Portugal and Spain where he has also given master classes, a rare honour for an Englishman. In August 2000, he was invited to play at Glamis Castle for the 100th birthday of Her Majesty, The Queen Mother. Not only has he played in such distinguished venues; he has also played for His Highness General Sheikh Maktoum in Arabia, for His Excellency The Spanish Ambassador, H.E. The Colombian Ambassador and H.E. The Israeli Ambassador in London in addition to the film-star Elizabeth Taylor in Rome and a special recital in the USSR for a Red Army tank division at the castle of Atilla the Hun near the Transylvanian Mountains. His amazing experiences have been set down in his best-selling book HAVE GUITAR, WILL TRAVEL where he documents the above events along with near-death adventures when a killer escaping from the Police threatens his life, a petrol-bomb explodes near his taxi in Belfast and in the CSSR, a spy-ring attempts to blackmail him. The book is in E book format from www.authorsonline.co.uk and is available in hard copy at concerts. He has been an Examiner for the University of Wales and for the Royal Northern College of Music and he is a Fellow of the London College of Music.

Visit Neil’s website at http://www.neilsmithguitar.com

Represented by: UNIZARRE INTERNATIONAL