Miguel Bonachea

Miguel Bonachea (born Santa Clara, Cuba 1960) is a Cuban guitarist and professor.

Academic background Bonachea studied guitar with Rolando Moreno, Efraín Amador, and Flores Chaviano; and counterpoint with Armando Rodriguez Ruidiaz and Alfredo Diez Nieto, at the National School of Arts. He earned his bachelor's degree in Music at the Instituto Superior de Arte, in Havana, Cuba, under the guidance of professor Jesús Ortega.

Work as guitarist As a guitar soloist, Bonachea extensively toured throughout Europe, South America and the Caribbean, performing at such important events as the International Guitar Festivals of Havana, Martinique, Bogotá and Quito, the International Music Festival of Brno, Czech Republic, and the New Music Festival of Lima, Peru, among many others. He has also played as a guest soloist with several symphonic and chamber orchestras.

Most recently, Bonachea has established his residence in Florida, US, where he has performed at the series “Music in Miami” and “Three Sundays in July” and has also appeared as a guest soloist with the Florida Chamber Orchestra conducted by Marlene Urbay. Bonachea also plays frequently as a featured soloist at the Christ by the Sea, U.M.C. in Vero Beach. After 2004, he served as Head of the Area of Guitar at the University EAFIT in Medellin, Colombia, and he also taught a special course about guitar technique, interpretation and chamber music at the Corpas University in Bogotá, Since the beginning of his career, Bonachea has included in his repertoire contemporary works from contemporary composers such as Leo Brouwer, Carlos Fariñas, Hector Angulo, Bernardo Cardona, Efraín Amador, Jose A. Pérez Puentes and Armando Rodriguez Ruidiaz, among others. Renowned composers Leo Küpper (Belgium), Moisés Bertrán (Spain), Andrés Posada (Colombia), and Yalil Guerra (Cuba-USA) have dedicated original pieces to Miguel Bonachea.

During his tenure at the Conservatory of Music in Cali, he created and served as the artistic director of the Jornadas de la Música Contemporanea (Days of Contemporary Music), an annual series of concerts devoted to encourage young musicians to play new works and to create an audience for contemporary music. He also produced a series of CDs under the title “Conciertos Colombianos” featuring young talents and relevant Colombian composers in the field of popular music.

Awards and recognitions At the II International Guitar Competition of Havana, Miguel Bonachea received an Award as well as the Special prize from the Jury's President of Honor, the Special prize for the Best Performance of Cuban Music, and a Special prize from the Catalan luthier Farr-Pratt. He also received Awards from the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) and the “Amadeo Roldan” Cuban National Competition.

Musical compositions Paisaje de Sueños (Landscape of Dreams) – Electroacoustic media El Peldaño Omitido, after a poem by Angel Escobar Varela (The Omitted Rung) - Electroacoustic media.