Humberto AMORIM
Classical guitar player

Humberto has been awarded a scholarship to enrol in the Master's programme in classical guitar at the University of Alicante, Spain.

What is your artistic background ? 
I have a doctorate in Musicology and a Master's degree in Music Performance. At the age of 28, I was the youngest professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where I have been teaching guitar, the history and literature of the instrument and its ensemble practice since 2009. I am currently doing a Master's degree in Classical Guitar at the University of Alicante (Spain), with a grant from the Porosus Endowment Fund.
With the launch of my book "Violão eo Heitor Villa-Lobos", published by the Brazilian Academy of Music in 2009, I also became the youngest researcher to be published by this prestigious institution, founded in 1945 by Heitor Villa-Lobos. For that book, I participated in major festivals and spent time in various Brazilian and Latin American cities. As a guitarist, I have won eight prizes in major national and international competitions. I have performed in important venues in Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile), mainly with works by composers such as Ricardo Tacuchian, Marcos Vinicius, Caio Senna, Angel Piñero, Mark Lucas and Fred Schneiter. I have also participated as a juror in national and international guitar performance competitions and have recorded arrangements and compositions for record companies.

How do you see your profession today ? 
In my opinion, professional guitarists should always be looking for ways to improve their practice, through study and research. Only then can they gain visibility in an increasingly competitive and demanding world. This is what I have tried to do myself. I have noticed that the professionals who excel in my field are those who reach the highest level in all the activities that involve the development of guitar concerts, technical improvement, research and teaching.

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? In 10 years ?
In 10 years' time, I hope to have a more established international career, having performed in at least 15 countries. I also hope to have published two books (one of them as a result of my research in Spain). Finally, I hope to continue making recordings of major works for guitar and to have my YouTube channel get at least 3 million views. In 10 years' time, I hope to have consolidated my work and built up an effective network of contacts that will allow me to travel around the world for concerts, conferences and courses.

This interview was conducted in 2014
Photo credit: Anthony Anciaux