Charles Ramirez (born 1953) is a concert guitarist based in London. He is also Professor of

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...

Biography

Early life

Charles Ramirez was born on 2 September 1953 in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. He studied with William Gomez MBE (a student of

Narciso Yepes Narciso Yepes (14 November 19273 May 1997) was a Spanish guitarist. He is considered one of the finest virtuoso classical guitarists of the twentieth century. Biography Yepes was born into a family of humble origin in Lorca, Region of Murcia. ...

) who gave him his first lessons and such was his aptitude that, just two months later, he gave his first performance live on local

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

(

Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) is Gibraltar's public service broadcaster. It has provided the community with a radio and television service since 1963. History Modelled on the BBC, the Corporation was established in 1963 with ...

). He was a regular performer on Gibraltar television and radio prior to moving to London to study.

Royal College of Music

In 1971, Charles Ramirez entered the

as a student, where he studied guitar with Patrick Bashford and composition with

Stephen Dodgson Stephen Cuthbert Vivian Dodgson (17 March 192413 April 2013) was a British composer and broadcaster. Dodgson's prolific musical output covered most genres, ranging from opera and large-scale orchestral music to chamber and instrumental music, as ...

. Whilst at college, he won the Jack Morrison guitar prize. He was the first ever guitar student at the Royal College of Music to be invited to play with the full orchestra and he gave his first performance of

Rodrigo Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name '' Roderick'' (Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last Vi ...

's Aranjuez Concerto in June 1973. He became an Associate of the Royal College of Music (ARCM) in April 1974. Whilst still a student of the college he gave his debut at the

Purcell Room The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the Southbank Centre, one of central London's leading cultural complexes. It is named after the 17th century English composer Henry Purcell and has 370 seats. The Purcell Roo ...

. Ramirez was appointed

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

of Guitar at the Royal College of Music in 1978 (age 25) and also teaches in the college's Junior Department. He was invited by Trinity College of Music to devise the

syllabus A syllabus (; plural ''syllabuses'' or ''syllabi'') or specification is a document that communicates information about an academic course or class and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is generally an overview or summary of the curric ...

for their international guitar grade examinations. This also led to the publication of his Technical Development for Guitarists that has been used by Trinity for over a decade. Charles Ramirez organised a tribute to

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...

at the Royal College of Music in 1987 and performed alongside John Williams and Carlos Bonnell, where he played Rodrigo's '

Fantasy for a Gentleman Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama. ...

', conducted by John Forster.

Performing career

Charles Ramirez made his professional debut on

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

’s South Bank while still a student and has since given many concerts and master classes both in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

and abroad. He has broadcast regularly for Radio 3, his first programme being chosen for 'Pick of the Week'. He has a special interest in modern contemporary music and has given world premiers of several contemporary works, including 'Nick's Lament' by Erika Fox, 'Sonetos y Casidas del Amor Oscuro' by Jeremy Dale-Roberts (both commissioned with funds from the Arts Council of Great Britain), 'Shades V' by Naresh Sohal, 'Toccata" by John Lambert and 'Serenata for Guitar' by Jesus Eduardo Alvarez, which was dedicated to him.

Duo

Charles Ramirez and Helen Kalamuniak (a student of John Williams) formed a Guitar duo in 1974. They premiered their transcription of Bach's

Goldberg Variations The ''Goldberg Variations'', BWV 988, is a musical composition for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, it is named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may also hav ...

at the Purcell Room in 1975. BBC Radio 3 later broadcast a live performance with a studio audience. The duo went on to premiere Charles Ramirez' transcription M de Falla's ballet 'El Amor Brujo', also broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Andrés Segovia Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 2 June 1987) was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were students of Segovia or their students. Segovia's contribution to the m ...

on one of his annual visits to London asked the Duo to give a private performance of the Goldberg Variations.

Instrument

Charles plays a guitar made for him by Jose Romanillos (1973, Semley).

Recordings

Charles Ramirez signed an exclusive recording contract in January 2010.

Personal life

Charles Ramirez met his wife Helen Kalamuniak at the RCM and married in 1975. They have three children and two grandchildren.

References

External links

Charles Ramirez Official Site

Maestro Workshop
*

List of Gibraltarians The Gibraltarians (also called '' Llanitos/as'', es, link=no, Gibraltareños/as) are a cultural group or nation from the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The following is a list of notable Gibraltarians or people born in Gibraltar, ...

Music of Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory with many musical influences. Rock based music is undergoing a renaissance with a multitude of local bands playing original material and covers. Local venues have begun accepting Gibraltarian bands and ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramirez, Charles 1953 births Living people Gibraltarian classical guitarists Alumni of the Royal College of Music Academics of the Royal College of Music Gibraltarian emigrants to England