Ivar-Nicholas Fojas is based in Manila Philippines where he is a professor of guitar at the Philippine Women’s University School of Music where he mentors masters and doctoral level guitar students and teaches PhD courses in music.
In 2011, Ivar was awarded the Fulbright scholarship to pursue doctoral studies at the prestigious Bolton Guitar Studies Program at the University of Arizona, where he studied with Tom Patterson. From 2011 to 2017, Ivar had the rare opportunity to study closely under Grammy-award winners David Russell, and Sergio and Odair Assad. Ivar also performed in master classes with artists such as Paul O’ddette, Roland Dyens, Judicael Perroy, René Izquierdo, Ivan Rijos, Denis Azabagic, Pavel Steidl and Marcin Dyla to name a few. Ivar also attended special workshops on baroque ornaments and guitar technique by David Russell and The Carlevaro Technique by Roberto Aussel.
As part of his doctoral studies, Ivar conducted research on the lute works of J.S. Bach, which culminated in a lecture recital. This same interest in early music lead to baroque guitar performances with Arizona Baroque and the Helios Ensemble. Ivar has also been featured as solo artist by the Tucson Cathedral Concert Series, The Arizona Friends of Chamber Music and St. Ambrose Church. While in the Philippines, Ivar presented numerous solo recitals and performed guitar concertos by Joaquin Rodrigo, Federico Moreno-Torroba and Mauro Castelnuovo-Tedesco with the Manila Symphony Orchestra and Peace Philharmonic Philippines among others.
Prior to his studies in the United States, Ivar studied at the University of the Philippines and subsequently at the Philippine Women’s University under full scholarship. From 2003 to 2008, he taught at the University of the Philippines College of Music, followed by a tenure as a professor of humanities at the U.P. Los Baños from 2008 to 2011.
In 2003, Ivar studied traditional Spanish guitar-making techniques with Adolfo Timuat Toyoda. While in the United States, Ivar apprenticed under guitar master luthier Jeremy Copper, building double-top modern concert guitars. In 2018.