Biography:

Francesco Buzzurro's lifelong privileged connection with guitar started at the tender age of six when his father gave him his first guitar, which will then lead him to study classical guitar. After earning his Diploma at "Conservatorio Bellini" in Palermo, he continues education with courses held by Aldo Minella and Oscar Ghiglia. He perfected himself at the "Arts Academy" in Rome under the guidance of Stefano Palamidessi and some big concert performers like David Russell, Alberto Ponce, Hopkinson Smith and John Duarte. After taking his Degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures, he started an intense concert activity that brought him to travel all over the world: from America, to Greece, to Germany, to Spain and Turkey. As a classical guitarist he won three national concerts: the "Città di Alassio", the "Benedetto Albanese" in Caccamo, Sicily, and the "Savona in Musica". On top of his studies of classical music and of his passion for folk music, he soon develops an interest in jazz music, which bring him to graduate in Jazz Music with Honorable Mention. Thanks to a deep search about this specific genre of music, he finds his individual and unique style of improvisation, which show influences from bossanova, ethnic music and latin jazz. Thanks to his distinctive technique of improvisation on classical guitar and to his recognition as a mould breaker guitarist, he is regularly invited each year from the "University of Southern California" in Los Angeles as a teacher for seminars available for both classical and jazz guitar departments.