José Guzmán

Certified Private Instructor

José Guzmán is currently pursuing his doctorate at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in Jazz Guitar Performance. In the summers of 2010 and 2011, he collaborated with the folkloric ballet, ELMYRBA, on cultural trips to Egypt and Europe representing Puerto Rico. He currently teaches at the University of Illinois Springfield. As a composer, he scored music for short films for film festivals and arranged music for Puerto Rican songwriter Ivelisse del Carmen’s album, Amor y Tierra: Ir para regresar. As a jazz guitarist, he recorded Dimijtre Vasiljevic’s Accidental Nomad. released on Rope a Dope Records. José has performed as a classical guitarist in the Caroga Lake Music Festival in 2017 and 2018. He has also performed with the Regalia Wind Ensemble in Indiana and Sinfonia de Camera in Illinois.

TEACHING STYLE

I believe that all guitar players should familiarize themselves with all music genres to be able to be employed in the future. As an example of this philosophy, I have performed in both classical and jazz genres successfully and I hope to pass this knowledge to future generations.

Professional Affiliations

D'Addario Education Collective