Dr. José Manuel Lezcano, Keene

Described by Fanfare Magazine as “an excellent guitarist as well as an imaginative composer,” José Manuel Lezcano is Professor of Music at Keene State College where he teaches and coordinates guitar, and directs the Guitar Orchestra and Latin Ensemble. Dr. Lezcano’s guitar students have been frequent winners of the Department’s and College’s highest awards and scholarships. He is a twice Grammy-nominated composer and guitarist, twice New Hampshire Music Educators’ Commissioned Composer, Fulbright scholar, recipient of KSC’s Distinguished Research Award, and critically acclaimed guitarist with solo, chamber, and concerto performances at venues and festivals in China (for Apple Hill’s Playing for Peace), Brazil, Ecuador, Czech Republic, Germany, Peru, Spain, Portugal, Crete, Colombia, and New York, where he premiered two Guitar Concerti of his authorship with the North/South Consonance Orchestra and conductor Max Lifchitz in 2005 and 2013. Dr. Lezcano’s first Guitar Concerto (2004), which he premiered in New York City as soloist with the North/South Consonance Chamber Orchestra directed by Max Lifschitz, received critical acclaim after release on the North/South label in 2007 as “Remembrances/Recuerdos.” For his work on the CD, Jose received two Grammy nominations and was semi-finalist in the categories “Best Contemporary Composition” and “Best Performance, Soloist with Orchestra.”

Jose has frequently performed on New England concert series, including Electric Earth, Portland Chamber Music, Wisteria Chamber Music Society, Claremont Summer Concerts, Monadnock Bass Hall Series, and Apple Hill. He has also appeared in recent years nationally as solo recitalist on university and civic concert series in Oberlin, Houston, Charleston, Clemson, Hartford, Memphis, New Haven, Sarasota, Miami, West Virginia, Massachusetts, and upstate New York.

Among his recent international performances: a solo recital of Ibero-American works at the Barcelona Festival of Song, and a recital-lecture (The Guitar in Spain: Musical Reflections of a Turbulent History) at the International Animamusic Congress of Organalogy in Caldas de Reinha, Portugal (June 2017); an Artist Residency at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (November 2016); and a concert at the Identidades International Festival (Havana, February 2016), where he played his second Double concerto for flute, guitar and strings (“Sojourners”) at the Basilica Menor de San Fransisco de Asisi, with Antipe di Stella, and Ivan Valiente conducting the Orquesta Solistas de la Habana; and he most recently performed as soloist in the South American premiere of “Sojourners,” at the International Festival of Loja, Ecuador with flute soloist Suzanne Snizek & the Festival Orchestra, in October, 2018.

He returned to Havana in March 2017 to perform a duo concert with KSC faculty cellist Rebecca Hartka at the Havana International Cello Festival; their concert included the Cuban premiere of his Cello Sonata, recently released to critical acclaim on Rebecca's CD entitled "Coleurs”. Recent premieres include “Mojito, Guitar & String Quartet” (2017) which he performed with the Portland Chamber Music Society and at the Portland Athaneum Concert Series in September, 2017. He was also invited to appear as solo recitalist at the North Carolina Bach Festival in Raleigh (2016), and at the Moosefest Bach Festival in Gorham, NH, (2018) where he performed a recital of works entitled “Bach, his contemporaries, and admirers.” Also recently published by Cayambis, Jose’s “Recollections,” a suite for English Horn and Guitar, received its world premiere in Saint Petersburg, Russia, by the Duo Telluur, (December 16, 2018). In 2016 he received an Ewing Arts Award from the Keene Sentinel, in recognition of his international performing and teaching career, and contributions to the arts in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. Jose is eager to serve the arts community and audiences of New Hampshire as a recently sworn-in member of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. Dr. Lezcano earned degrees from Peabody Conservatory (BM), University of South Carolina (MM), and Florida State University (Ph.D., Music Theory). www.joselezcano.wordpress.com

Last updated: January 3, 2019