MAESTRO SOLER
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He's an internationally recognized artist. He has received numerous prizes and awards, including the title of the Honorary Citizen of Dallas, (1988); Medal of St. Vladimir
of the K.E.K. (European Churches Congress), (1988); Plaque of the Catalan Catholic Church Council, (1995); Membership in the Royal Order of Christopher Columbus, TX, (1999); the Golden Key and Honorary Citizen of the city of Corpus Christi, TX, (2000); Medal and Diploma of the US Military Academy of West Point, (2001); Honorary Membership in the “Viva la Musica Club”, WA, (2003); Honorary Membership in the Spain Association of the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, (2007); Diploma of the Spanish Cultural Association, Boston, (2010); Diploma of the Institute of Hispanic Culture, Houston (1994 and 2011); Certificate of “Recognition & Appreciation” for his labor in Norwich University, (US Military College), VT, as an extraordinary Cultural Ambassador, in 2009, 2011 and 2013; Diploma of the Institute of Fundamental Theology (from “The Society of Jesus”), Spain, (2015); He has been Cultural Ambassador of KWC, KY, (2012), and was distinguished with the “Tribute to Francesc de Paula Soler” of the US House of Representatives, (2001, 2002, 2004, 2008 & 2016); “Certificate of Cultural Ambassador of LACIA”, IN, (2017), and Diploma of the “Columbus Sailing Association”, TX, (2017), in recognition for his artistic merits
He's currently “Cultural Ambassador of LACIA”.
He has recorded the CD Guitar Collection of Francesc de Paula Soler for Mel Bay Publications (US); the CD & DVD “The guitar with feeling”, and published by “Casa Beethoven Publicacions”, “Catalana de Ediciones Musicales”, “Tenora, Ediciones Musicales” and “Editorial Boileau” (Spain).
Recently, Maestro Soler has collaborated, as musical reviewer, in the books collection, “APRENDE CANTANDO” (learn by singing), published by “Corazón de Mango”.
As musical journalist, Maestro Soler has recently published his last work in the “BLOG” of the Library of Congress:
https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2023/09/la-msica-en-la-poca-de-cervantes/?loclr=eaint
The Washington Post provided the following review: “Soler showed himself to be unusually sensitive to color and the rhapsodic rise and fall of the phrases” adding: “he played dazzling solos with his left hand on the fingerboard, unleashed a battery of right-hand percussive effects on the body of the guitar, and engaged in some creative pitch-bending on blues-tinged melodies”.
Called the new “Poet of the Guitar”, Maestro Soler's wide international activity as a performer has caused critics to hail him as one of the most notable artists of the guitar world.
SOME PERCEPTIONS FROM THE CRITICS
“He is an outstanding a very skillful guitarist, dainty in the sound and, indubitably in the mechanism” (“LA VANGUARDIA”, Spain).
“His interpretations possess a great coloring which produces an extraordinary artistic feeling in the public” (“LA MAÑANA”, Spain).
“Soler's hands have given us a new way to understand the guitar” (“MENORCA”, Spain).
“The performer showed an interpretative style perfect for the program chosen, and his performance, pristine and precise, reached the level of a virtuoso” (“IL MATTINO”, Italy).
“With his exquisite musical feeling, the brigthness of his melodic sketchs, the spontaneity of his harmonic sounds, and the variety of his rhythmic resources, he totally captivated the audience” (“IL GAZZETTINO”, Italy).
“The program was completely convincing; Francesc de Paula Soler is a Master of the guitar” (“VERS L'AVENIR”, Belgium).
“His playing is filled with feeling and expression” (“EL TIEMPO LATINO”, Washington, DC).
“He is a virtuoso in the difficult skill of the string, a master of a great acoustic resources, and thus continues the great tradition of Andrés Segovia” (“LA OPINIÓN”, Los Angeles, CA).
“His personality is an important factor in bringing his natural talent out to its absolute fullest, allowing his artistic performance to approach the pinnacle” (“GACETA IBEROAMERICANA”, Washington, DC).
“In his piece, shows a perfect management of the resources of contemporary composition and Soler deployed, as a composer and performer in an alone person, with solidity and bravery” (“MILLENIUM”, Mexico).
“Soler showed himself to be unusually sensitive to color and the rhapsodic rise and fall of the phrases” adding: “he played dazzling solos with his left hand on the fingerboard, unleashed a battery of right-hand percussive effects on the body of the guitar, and engaged in some creative pitch-bending on blues-tinged melodies” (WASHINGTON POST, Washington, DC).
recital program 1: The Spanish and the Classical & Popular Latin American guitar; the contemporary music; the jazz, swing, be-bop, blues & the classical guitar, like “small rock band”.
recital program 2: The Spanish music from the vihuela to the contemporary guitar & “Rainbow of the Latin American guitar”.
