The Young Artists Showcase concert features Nicholas Padmanabhan, Conor Padmanabhan, Andrew Barbuta and Miyan Grasso. These talented guitarists have all received critical acclaim and already have impressive performance histories.
Guitarist Nicholas Padmanabhan, age 18, was a prizewinner in the National YoungArts Foundation competition in both 2018 and 2017. In 2018 Nicholas appeared as a soloist on National Public Radio’s classical-music program From The Top. He has been the first-place winner in many competitions and has performed as a soloist with the Winchester Orchestra of San Jose. Nicholas is currently a student of Scott Cmiel at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Pre-College Division. His first teacher was Jon Mendle.
Guitarist Conor Padmanabhan, age 16, was a prizewinner in the 2019 National YoungArts Foundation competition and was the first-place winner in the 2018 statewide guitar competition of the American String Teachers Association. He has been a prizewinner in many competitions and opened professional concerts for the South Bay Guitar Society and the Omni Foundation series in San Francisco. Conor is currently a student of Scott Cmiel at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Pre-College Division. His first teacher was Jon Mendle.
Andrew Barbuta, age 14, began guitar studies nearly five years ago. For the past three years, he has been studying classical guitar with Ms. Jeanne Johnson and has burgeoned with her instruction and direction. As a member of the Sacramento Guitar Society and an active player in their Classical Guitar Orchestra, he plays regularly in their performances. In 2018 he was selected to perform in the Young Artists Showcase. He has also performed in the Sierra Nevada Classical Guitar Competition.
Miyan Grasso is an aspiring musician who plays on an extended 7-string guitar built by Greg Byers and currently studies under the guidance of his father, Matthew Grasso. Miyan has played concerts in Davis, Dixon, Sacramento, and Yuba. Additionally, he has played on live radio at KDRT in Davis, and was a semi-finalist in the 2019 Mondavi Young Artist Competition and a finalist at the Davis High School Concerto Competition. He has also completed several transcriptions for guitar ensembles.