THE
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY College of Music in cooperation with the Guitar Foundation of America presents
Guest
Artist Recital
Alejandro, Guitar
Guitar Foundation of America
2024 Rose Augustine Grand Prize Winner
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
7:30 p.m. | Dohnányi Recital Hall
To Ensure An Enjoyable Concert Experience For All…
Please refrain from talking, entering, or exiting during performances. Food and drink are prohibited in all concert halls. Recording or broadcasting of the concert by any means, including the use of digital cameras, cell phones, or other devices is expressly forbidden. Please deactivate all portable electronic devices including watches, cell phones, pagers, hand-held gaming devices or other electronic equipment that may distract the audience or performers.
Recording Notice: This performance may be recorded. Please note that members of the audience may at times be included in this process. By attending this performance you consent to have your image or likeness appear in any live or recorded video or other transmission or reproduction made in conjunction to the performance.
Florida State University provides accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please notify the College of Music at (850) 644-3424 at least five working days prior to a musical event to request accommodation for disability or alternative program format.
PROGRAM
Tre Preludi Mediterranei Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
I. Serenatella (1895–1968)
II. Nenia
III. Danza
Coco de Alagoas Paulo Bellinati (b. 1950)
— Commissioned by the Augustine Foundation—
Um Amor de Valsa Ronaldo Miranda (b. 1948)
Appassionata
INTERMISSION
Equinox Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996)
Vals en la menor
Leonardo Egúrbida (1945–2022)
Romanza Juan Sorroche (b. 1947)
Pregunta Ernesto Cordero (b. 1946)
Nuages Django Reinhardt (1910–1953) arr. Roland Dyens
Variations on a Theme by Django Reinhardt Leo Brouwer (b. 1939)
Leonela Alejandro is an award-winning classical guitarist from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has garnered attention as a soloist, captivating audiences with her powerful and energetic performance style. She has been invited to perform in numerous venues in the United States and Europe, including the Latino Arts Guitar Festival, Northern Illinois University International Guitar Concert Series, Southern Guitar Festival, Florida Guitar Festival, and José Tomás Villa de Petrer Guitar Festival.
Leonela has also placed in over a dozen competitions in the United States, with more than ten first-prize placements including the Guitar Foundation of America International Artist Competition, Louisville Guitar Festival, Appalachian State Guitar Festival, Columbus State University Guitar Symposium, Indiana Guitar Festival, and Chicago Guitar Festival, among others. She has also succeeded abroad as an international competitor, receiving prizes from the Le Domaine Forget de Charlevoix Guitar Competition, Ciudad de Coria International Guitar Competition, and the Iserlohn International Guitar Competition.
Leonela formally began her musical education when she was seven years old. Following her work with various Puerto Rican teachers including Jomel Rivera, Julio Reyes, and Rey Nieves, she decided to dedicate her professional life to this passion. In 2016, she was accepted into the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico at just 16 years old, studying with world-renowned performer Iván Rijos. After two fruitful years in the conservatory, she transferred to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and completed her undergraduate degree with Cuban virtuoso René Izquierdo in 2020. Leonela recently completed her graduate studies with Dr. Andrew Zohn at Columbus State University in 2023.
Apart from her celebrated resume in competition settings, Leonela has established herself as a soloist in orchestral settings. She has performed multiple concerti with the Puerto Rico Symphony under the direction of Roselin Pabón including Antonio Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto in D major, RV 93, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Guitar Concerto No.1 in D Major, Op. 99. She was the soloist in the recent premiere of Atanas Ourkouzounov’s Concertino for Guitar, Percussion and Strings under the direction of Paul Hostetter. She also has appeared as a solo mandolinist with the Schwob School of Music Wind Ensemble as a soloist in Ottorino Respighi’s Roman Festivals under the direction of Jamie L. Nix.
Leonela is an Augustine Strings Ambassador and her string of choice are Paragon Reds. She performs on a 2019 Stephan Connor guitar and a 2023 Martin Blackwell guitar. Instagram @Leonelaguitar
