Francisco Javier Jáuregui, Guitar
Born in Oxford (England), Francisco Javier Jáuregui began to study classical guitar at the age of seven with Kenton Youngstrom at the Community School of Performing Arts (today known as the Colburn School of Music) in Los Angeles, California. After moving to Madrid he continued his studies with Agustín Maruri and later with Óscar López, also attending master-classes with teachers like Pepe and Celedonio Romero.
After obtaining his Licenciate Diploma from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music he went to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, supported by the Leverhulme Trust, where he obtained a Masters Degree of Music in Performance (Advanced Instrumental Studies). At Guildhall he studied guitar with Professor Robert Brightmore, theorbo and chamber music with David Miller and improvisation with David Dolan.
Francisco Javier has played many recitals both as a solo performer and with different chamber combinations in Spain, England, Italy, France, Iceland, Russia, Scotland and Southeast Asia in venues such as the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society Chamber (Glinka) Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Linbury Studio Theatre (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden), St. James’s Palace (London), the Royal Palace of El Pardo and the Auditorio Nacional de Música de Madrid. He has performed guitar concertos by Vivaldi and Rodrigo (Concierto de Aranjuez) with the Schola Camerata orchestra conducted by José María Mañero and Semioesferas by Delfín Colomé with Sonor Ensemble (a group formed by members of the National Orchestra of Spain and conducted by Luis Aguirre). He has also collaborated with the Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexis Soriano in Agustín Castilla-Ávila’s Ceres.
He has premièred music by a number of composers such as Þorkell Sigurbjornsson, Agustín Castilla-Ávila, Haukur Tómasson, Alfonso Molina, Hugi Gudmundsson and Hideyuki Takemoto.
Francisco Javier works regularly with Icelandic mezzo-soprano Gudrún Ólafsdóttir and since 1997 he has performed with violinist Elena Jáuregui as the Roncesvalles Duo. At present he teaches classical guitar and coordinates the music department at Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus. From his position at Saint Louis University and in coordination with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, he directed The 2008 Interpretation of Spanish and Latin American Song International Music Festival. His interest in the important role that music should play in all of society has lead him to participate in many different creative music projects in schools, nurseries, hospitals and other alternative spaces. Since 2001 he has participated in outreach programmes organised by Wigmore Hall in London. His CD with mezzo-soprano Gudrún Ólafsdóttir Mine is Yours – Icelandic and Spanish songs, which features some of Jáuregui’s own compositions, was released in 2008 by 12 tónar.
