Curriculum Vitae

Christoph Denoth was born in Basel and spent an important part of his early life in the Grisons. His extraordinary musical talent became ap­par­ent early on; from the very first, he preferred the guitar. He began his concert career already at 15. His studies of the classical guitar led him to the conservatories of Lucerne, Basel, and Zurich. He attended countless international master-classes and continued his studies above all with Oscar Ghiglia, Konrad Ragossnig, Alvaro Pierri, Pepe Romero, and others. He trained as a soloist with Professor Oscar Ghiglia at the Basel Academy of Music.

Sergiu Celibidache - with whom he studied the Phenomenology of Music and Conducting - proved to be one of the most important influences on Christoph Denoth. In addition to his long list of accomplishments, Denoth has con­ducted several orchestras.

Denoth dedicates himself to expanding the tonal and dynamic range of the concert guitar. His repertoire focuses on music ranging from the Renais­sance to the present. He follows a long tradition in the European history of guitar music and, moreover, shows how today's concert guitar can open new musical vistas to a larger concert audience.

Christoph Denoth was given several international awards for his playing: for example at the 35 th Concours International de Guitare de Paris by Radio France in 1993, and in Stresa and Tokyo in 1995. As an acknow­ledgement of his musical work, he received several important grants such as the one awarded by the Louise Sil­verberg Foundation in St. Moritz, the Werner und Helga Degen Foundation, as well as the Swiss pro arte grant. In 2008 he was given the UBS Culture Award for Music.

He performs solo concerts or as a soloist with orchestras and chamber music ensembles in Europe and overseas and participates in international festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein one or the Salzburg Mozarteum. CD recordings (Philips/Universal), radio recordings, and first per­formances round off his artistic activities. He is frequently invited as a guest lecturer by universities and music academies.

From 2006-2008 he was the first Swiss musician to be nominated at Balliol College, Oxford University, as "Musician in Residence". He participated also in joint lectures with the Physiologist Denis Noble.

Christoph Denoth made his debuts at the Carnegie Hall in New York 2001 and has played regularly at the Berliner Philharmonie.