Artyom Dervoed, a 28-year-old guitarist from Russia, has placed first at the Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition in Buffalo, NY.
A masterly-performed rendition of Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez”, accompanied by Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, brought Dervoed the victory.
The judges awarded the Russian musician the top prize of $7,500, engagements with the BPO and the Virginia Symphony and a valuable Spanish guitar.
The second prize of $3,000 went to Serbian guitarist Nemanja Ostojic, 26, who played the Concerto in D, Op. 99, by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. The third prize, $1,500, was handed over to French Thomas Viloteau. Viloteau, 24, played Rodrigo’s “Fantasy for a Gentleman.”
Surprisingly, this year’s competition saw only male contestants.
Artyom Dervoed is already a familiar name in the guitar world. He has numerously won various guitar contests in and outside of Russia. His talent has brought him the precious “Tsar of the Guitar” nickname.
Apart from classical guitar, Dervoed plays in Dirty MoleculAs industrial-band, which has created soundtrack to the “Hired Team: Trial” computer game.
The Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition was founded by JoAnn Falletta, the conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, in 2006.