Alejandro Olson is a 19 year old San Diego native, who is  currently a student of  Dr. Andrew Zohn's at the Schwob School of Music, (part of Columbus State University in Columbus Georgia). 

 

Within 2 years of his start at age 11, Alejandro was competing in and winning national guitar ensemble competitions at the University of Texas. Within 3 years, age 14, he was competing at the national level in the Guitar Foundation of America youth competition as a soloist.  Locally, he has competed against string players ages 16 – 25 from across San Diego County in the Music Scholarship Council of the Grossmont Community Concert Association competition.  At ages 16 and again at 17,  Alejandro placed second.

 

Alejandro has extensive experience as an ensemble performer as well as a solo performer.  He has shared the stage with the Odeum Guitar Duo, (Robert Wetzel and Fred Benedetti), as well as with Roland Dyens, Lily Afshar, Nemanja Bogunovic, and Flavio Cucchi. At age 15 he became part of the San Diego State Guitar ensemble and was its featured soloist in 2008 and its concerto soloist in 2009.

 

Alejandro has studied with many of the best classical guitarists in San Diego including: Christopher Mallett (M.M. Yale), Connie Sheu (D.M.A. USC), Craig Devine (Head of the Devine School for Guitar), Robert Wetzel (SDSU) and George Svoboda (Mesa College).  In addition, he has had master classes with many of the luminaries of classical guitar including: David Russell, Roland Dyens (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris), Benjamin Verdery (Yale), Scott Tennant (USC), Bill Kanengiser (USC), Lily Afshar (University of Memphis), Andrew Zohn (Columbus),  and Michael Partington (University of Washington).