By Staff
special to The Star
Nov. 30, 2003
The American classical guitarist John De Chiaro is the guest at Thursday's St. Paul's Chamber Music Series.
The concert will begin at 12:05 p.m. at the church, 1116 23rd Ave. Admission is free.
De Chiaro made his New York debut in 1976 in a Carnegie Hall performance that won a rave notice from The New York Times and launched a career of growing distinction.
He has toured throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe and has performed for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in Rome. He was invited to perform for President Clinton at the White House.
De Chiaro was a featured performer at the "Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival" in Sedalia, Missouri, and at the "Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival" in Boulder, Colorado.
He records for Centaur Records in Baton Rouge, La.
Among his recordings are two discs featuring his own arrangements of traditional Christmas carols and popular Broadway classics. His most recent release is a four-volume set with 52 rags, waltzes and marches by Scott Joplin.
In 1989, De Chiaro received a commission from NASA to compose an original classical guitar composition for the Shuttle Space program.
The editors of the prestigious national journal Musical America named De Chiaro one of the magazine's "Young Artists of the Year" in 1982. He is a contributing editor for guitar magazines published in both the United States and England.
De Chiaro also has recorded two nationally televised programs for PBS, both of which have received awards at the International Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio; the Houston International Film Festival; and the International Film and Television Festival of New York.
De Chiaro, currently the professor of guitar at the University of Southern Mississippi, founded The Mississippi Guitar Quartet. The quartet is the first and only performing ensemble of its kind in Mississippi.