Biography
Praised for his rich sound and expressive interpretations, Jon Fitzgerald is becoming increasingly in demand as a performer and pedagogue. Recent concert highlights have included recitals for the Great Lakes Guitar Society, Syracuse University, Buffalo State College, Roberts Wesleyan College, the Musicales Series at the George Eastman House, and performances for WCNY and WXXI Rochester. Jon was a prize winning finalist in the 2011 Great Lakes Guitar Festival Competition and winner of the “Audience Choice” Award, which resulted in a concert tour on the 2011-12 season. Other accolades include the Rosalia Ablan Memorial Prize in Guitar, which he was awarded in 2003 and 2005.
Jon is currently finishing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music, where he studies under the guidance of Dr. Nicholas Goluses, and serves as his teaching assistant. Jon earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied classical guitar with Jason Vieaux (now on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music). His pedagogical studies have included guitar pedagogy with Tom Poore (editor of Aaron Shearer’s “Learning the Classic Guitar” series), and Eurhythmics pedagogy with David Brown.
A dedicated teacher, Jon is currently an Adjunct Professor of Guitar at Roberts Wesleyan College, and instructs students of all levels at the Eastman Community Music School and at his private studio in the Park Avenue area of Rochester, NY. He also teaches Guitar Chamber Music to undergraduate and graduate students at the Eastman School of Music. In addition to guitar teaching, he has served as the Director of the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, and taught Dalcroze Eurhythmics at Horizon Montessori School and the Fairmount Center for the Creative and Performing Arts in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jon began musical studies at the age of four, completing the Dalcroze Eurhythmics program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He continued on in the Preparatory Department at CIM, studying piano and music theory. From an early age Jon was fascinated by the guitar, though it was not until middle school that he finally received his first instrument – and his love affair with the guitar continues to this day.
Jon Fitzgerald plays a guitar by Gernot Wagner, 2007.