Andrés Pantoja was born in Chillán, Chile, in 1981. He started his guitar studies at the age of 13 with Professor Edith Vásquez, his mother. He completed his undergraduate studies in Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile with Professor Oscar Ohlsen. After graduating with the highest honor award, he continued his studies under the guidance of Luis Orlandini. He is currently pursuing a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) in performance with Professor Thomas Patterson in The Bolton Guitar Studies Program at the University of Arizona in the United States.
He has performed in the United States, Switzerland, France, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Uruguay and in the most important festivals in Chile. Moreover, he has been featured in TV programs, radio programs, and as a soloist along with ensembles as prestigious as the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Chile, and the University of Santiago de Chile Classical Orchestra, among others. He has premiered solo works and chamber music, in addition to the Concert for guitar and orchestra”…y truncaron tu canto…” by the Chilean composer Víctor Ortiz.
Prizes:
-2019, 1st place in David Russell Bach Prize.
-2017, Schulman Prize.
-2017, 1st place in 15th Annual Beeston Memorial Guitar Competition.
-2017, grand prize in the 36th Annual Memorial Guitar Competition: N. D. Sholin
-2005, 1st place in 6th National Guitar Competition Liliana Perez Corey.
Discography:
-2018, CD “Estampa, 21th Century Chilean Guitar," all of the works are premiere recordings.
-2015, CD + Book “Guitarrerías, 10 monotemas para guitara,” music written by Guillermo Eisner. Label: Microtono Ediciones Musicales.
-2011, CD "Aksak Tacet Dúo, 20th Century Music for Guitar Duo.”
-2010, CD “Conciertos del Bicentenario,” Ensemble Nuevo. Label: MV Classics, Germany.
-2008, CD "Mosaico", Cuarteto Latinoamericano De Guitarras, 2008.
-2006, CD “Winners of 5th National Guitar Competition: Liliana Pérez Corey,” solo guitar. Label: Sello Escuela Moderna de Música, Chile.
Grants and distinctions:
-2021, Medici Scholar Award for producing a CD of the cycle for guitar and narrator "Platero and I".
-2020, Creative Achievement Award, College of Fine Arts.
-2020, TINKER Field Research Grant and Medici Scholar Award. His project “Extended Techniques for the Classical Guitar in Chile” was selected for the amount of $2000 to cover travel and field-related expenses for pre-dissertation work in Chile.
-2020, Medici Scholar Award for creating interactive images to accompany the cycle for guitar and narrator "Platero and I" in live performances.
-2018 he was awarded funding for a project from the Fondo de la Musica del Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y el Patrimonio de Chile to record “Estampa – 21st Century Chilean Guitar” of unpublished Chilean pieces for guitar.
-2014 and 2017 he won two Chilean CONICYT Scholarships to study for both his Masters and Doctoral degrees.