The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts Presents Pablo Sáinz Villegas

The Gold Medalist at the inaugural Parkening International Guitar Competition, Spanish classical guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas returns to Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 2.

Tickets, starting at $20 for the public and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or visiting arts.pepperdine.edu. More information about Pablo Sáinz Villegas: http://pablosainzvillegas.com/en/

Praised as "the soul of the Spanish guitar", Pablo Sáinz Villegas has become a worldwide sensation known as this generation's great guitarist. With his "virtuosic playing characterized by irresistible exuberance" as described by The New York Times, his interpretations conjure the passion, playfulness, and drama of his homeland's rich musical heritage. Villegas is known for his passionate, emotive and open-hearted playing, whether he is performing at intimate recital halls, or playing to an audience of over 85,000 at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.

Routinely drawing comparisons with such legendary exponents of his instrument as Andrés Segovia, Villegas has already appeared on some of the world's most prestigious stages such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Philharmonie in Berlin, and most recently at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Known for a sound so rich and full that it does not need amplification, his concerto performances regularly inspire new invitations and immediate reengagements as a featured soloist with orchestras in more than 30 countries, including Pittsburgh, Bergen and Israel Philharmonic, as well as Cincinnati, Spanish National and Denmark Symphonies. He made a series of important debuts under the baton of Frühbeck de Burgos, and has enjoyed fruitful collaborations with conductors including Juanjo Mena, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Carlos Kalmar, Micheal Francis, Gustavo Gimeno and Cristian Macelaru.

The soul of the Spanish guitar runs in Pablo Villegas's blood. Born and raised in La Rioja, Spain-the country with unique and deep ties to his chosen instrument -Villegas is distiguished by performances as charismatic as they are intimate. With his singing tone and consummate technique, his interpretations conjure the passion, playfulness, and drama of his homeland's rich musical heritage. At just 15 he won the Andrés Segovia Award, launching a succession of international wins that include Gold Medal at the inaugural Parkening International Guitar Competition. The first guitarist to win El Ojo Crítico, Spain's top classical music honor, Villegas has since performed for both the Dalai Lama and the Spanish royal family, and it was he who gave the world premiere of Rounds, the first composition for guitar by five-time Academy Award-winner John Williams.

In 2015, Villegas released his solo album Americano, which marked his debut on the Harmonia Mundi label. Exploring the multiple guitar traditions of the New World from tango to bluegrass, this colorfully eclectic selection features the world premiere recording of Williams's Rounds; music from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story; preludes by Brazilian master Heitor Villa-Lobos; and the popular standard Granada by Mexico's Agustin Lara. Villegas' performance at Pepperdine will focus on this Americana material, which is a beautiful mix of both familiar and new works to the American ear.

Dedicated to expanding the guitar's repertory and audience, Villegas is an ardent champion of new music; he has worked closely with contemporary composers including Sérgio Assad, of whose Concerto of Rio de Janeiro, written for and dedicated to Villegas, he gave the world and European premieres at the Guitar Foundation of America Convention and Cordoba Guitar Festival.

Born in 1977 in La Rioja in Northern Spain, Villegas was inspired to take guitar lessons after seeing Segovia on television. He gave his first public performance at just seven years old, and went on to graduate at the top of his class at the Royal Conservatoire in Madrid. After several years in Germany, in 2001 he relocated to New York City, where he studied for his Masters and Doctorate with David Starobin at the Manhattan School of Music, and where he lives to this day.

This performance is sponsored by Ellen and Doug Weitman.