Alfredo Escande
Alfredo Escande was born in 1949 in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he actually lives. He began guitar studies in 1961 with Professor Juan C. Risso and in 1974 became a student of Maestro Abel Carlevaro. From 1975 to 1978 he studied musical theory under the guidance of Professors Miguel Marozzi and Yolanda Rizzardini. During 1976 to 1978 Alfredo Escande collaborated with Maestro Carlevaro in the preparation of his fundamental text "ESCUELA DE LA GUITARRA. EXPOSICION DE LA TEORIA INSTRUMENTAL" (School of Guitar. Exposition of Instrumental Theory, publisher Boosey & Hawkes, N.Y.). Since that time, Alfredo Escande has collaborated in each of the pedagogic texts published by the great Uruguayan Maestro. One of those texts (Guitar Masterclass - 10 Studies by F. Sor, publisher Chanterelle Verlag, Heidelberg) was dedicated in this way:
Alfredo Escande has become a specialist in explaining the deep
concepts of the "Escuela de Carlevaro", and in teaching his
new technique to guitarists from many different parts of the world.
Alfredo Escande has also served as Abel Carlevaro's assistant in
international courses between 1978-2000 in Montevideo, Buenos Aires
and La Plata (Argentina) and in Erlbach, Germany. At the same time,
has taught his own courses on "Escuela de Carlevaro" in
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Holland,
Spain, Switzerland, and Uruguay. Alfredo Escande has given concerts
in Berlin, Prague, different cities of Holland, Spain, Switzerland,
as well as Buenos Aires, La Plata, Santiago de Chile, Valparaíso and
Viña del Mar. From 1992 to 1996 he has been vice president of
"Centro Guitarrístico del Uruguay" and, from 1994 to 2005,
has been one of the conductors of the weekly television program "La
guitarra y sus intérpretes" broadcast on National TV of
Uruguay.
His book "Abel Carlevaro - Un nuevo mundo en la guitarra", an extensive and deep investigation on Carlevaro's life and carreer, has been published in 2005 by Aguilar, Ediciones Santillana, Montevideo. An essay, "Sor, Aguado, Carlevaro - Continuidades y rupturas" in which Mr. Escande analizes Carlevaro's originalities in a reference to Sor and Aguado's writings, has been published also in 2005 by Editorial Barry, Buenos Aires. "Don Andrés y Paquita - La vida de Segovia en Montevideo" has been published by lulu.com in June 2009. A deep investigation about the time in which Andrés Segovia lived in Montevideo and, at the same time, a complete biography of the great pianist Paquita Madriguera (Segovia's second wife). "Don Andrés and Paquita" was translated to English by Charles and Marisa Postlewate and was published by Amadeus Press in June, 2012.