Nanae Fujiwara　(）is a Japanese

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

based in Chicago and a co-founder of the Lyra Guitar Quartet. Fujiwara is noted for her performance and promotion of the Spanish Classical Guitar repertoire on social media and to the public. Nanae currently serves on the board of the Chicago Classical Guitar Society.

Biography

Nanae Fujiwara was born in Okayama, Japan. Her family moved to Chicago, Illinois for work when she was in elementary school. Nanae grew up between Japan and the United States throughout her childhood. Fujiwara studied voice from the age of 8 and started learning guitar at 15 when she discovered the Japanese folk guitar duo called

Yuzu Yuzu (''Citrus'' × ''junos'', from Japanese language, Japanese or ; ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of China, Chinese origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though it has also recently been grown in New Z ...

. After graduating from high school, Fujiwara pursued an associate degree in Music from William Rainey Harper College. She became interested in classical guitar, a long-time hobby of her mother, and quickly devoted herself to mastering the instrument. At the age of 20, Fujiwara learned to read musical notation. Fujiwara then earned her bachelor's degree in Classical Guitar performance from

Northeastern Illinois University Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. NEIU serves approximately 5,000 students in the region and is both a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution and Asian American and Nat ...

where she graduated magna cum laude under the tutelage of Brian Torosian. In 2013, Fujiwara was a semi-finalist in the Wilson Center Guitar Competition. In 2017, Fujiwara earned her Master's in Classical Guitar Performance from the

University of Alicante The University of Alicante (, ; , ; also known by the acronym ''UA'') was established in 1979 on the basis of the Center for University Studies (CEU), which was founded in 1968. The university main campus is located in San Vicente del Raspeig/San ...

where she studied under

Pepe Romero Pepe Romero (born 8 March 1944, in Málaga, Spain) is a classical and flamenco guitarist. Biography Early life Pepe Romero was born in Spain, the second son of celebrated guitarist and composer Celedonio Romero, who was his only guitar ...

Manuel Barrueco Manuel Barrueco (born December 16, 1952) is a Cuban classical guitarist resident in the United States. Biography Born in Santiago de Cuba, Barrueco began playing the guitar at the age of eight. Following the 1959 Cuban revolution, Barrueco's f ...

, David Russell, Fabio Zanon, and other guitar legends. Since completing her master's, Fujiwara has focused her performance career on showcasing music by Albeniz,

Rodrigo Rodrigo () is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' ( Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the la ...

, Tarrega, and

Llobet Llobet () is a surname of Catalan origin and may refer to: * Joan Serra Llobet (1927–2015), Spanish water polo player *Miguel Llobet Miguel Llobet Solés (18 October 187822 February 1938) was a classical guitarist, born in Barcelona, Spai ...

. In 2020, Fujiwara became an affiliate of the classical guitar non-profit, Ex-Aequo, most notable for her participation as a performer in the "Changing the Canon" project which significantly expanded the repertoire of classical guitar pieces composed by black composers.

References

External links

Youtube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujiwara, Nanae Living people Japanese classical guitarists Japanese women guitarists People from Okayama Northeastern University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)