Biography


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	Born in Havana, Cuba, and established in the United States since 1983, Carlos Molina is lauded as founder of the Cuban School of Guitar,one of the most renowned instrumental schools. With a performing career that expands almost 40 years, Molina has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world, such as The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, The Metropolitan Opera House in New York with world famous prima ballerina Alicia Alonso and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, the Philarmonia Theater of Saint Petersburg, the Dvorak Hall of Prague, the Ateneo of Madrid, the Chopin Hall of Warsaw, the Zeneakademia of Budapest, the Hall of Mirrors in Bratislava, the Salle du Conservatoire d’Orleans, the Sala Carlos Chávez in Mexico, the Teatro Nacional of Santo Domingo, the Theater of Performing Arts of Miami Beach, and the Teatro Amadeo Roldán in Cuba . His acclaimed solo recitals and concerts have taken him throughout Europe and America, including Cuba, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Russia, Lithuania, Mexico, Martinique, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Venezuela. Molina has also shared concerts with celebrated guitarists Alirio Díaz, Leo Brouwer, Turibio Santos, Benjamin Verdery, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and Nikita Koshkin.
In 1970, Molina won First Prize at the National Guitar Competition in Cuba. Since then, he has been featured in numerous international guitar festivals, including those of Córdoba, Vélez-Málaga, Linares, Ubeda, Coria, Hondarribia, Aranda del Duero, Fiuggi, Bisceglie, Pescara, Potenza, Brno, Rust, Rotenburg, Stockholm, Fribourg, Bordeaux, Limousin, Vendôme, Esztergom, Bratislava, Ciudad Guatemala, Martinique, and La Habana. Most recently, he has been performing as a duo with his wife, soprano Marisa Molina. In 1968, Cuban composer Leo Brouwer dedicated Molina the “Canticum,” the first avant-garde composition written for the instrument. In 2002, Russian composer Nikita Koshkin dedicated him a duo, which they both premiered in Miami. Other notable composers, such as Olivier Chassain, Gerard Drozd, Roberto Fabbri, Jon Christopher Nelson, Orlando Jacinto García, Carlos Rafael Rivera, Luis Manuel Molina, have also dedicated guitar pieces to him. In addition to his concert career, Molina actively gives master classes and lectures, is a frequent juror for international guitar competitions, and has published articles in a diversity of magazines. A tireless promoter of the instrument, he organized the first guitar festival in Cuba in 1976, and in 1978, the first international festival. Once in the U.S., Molina founded the Miami Classical Guitar Society in 1988. On two occasions, Molina has been Director of the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Convention in Miami, Florida. Four years ago, he founded Miami’s International Guitar Competition. As a pedagogue, Carlos Molina began teaching at the National Conservatory in Havana. In 1976, he was appointed chairman of the guitar department at the University of Havana’s Superior Institute of the Arts. Since his arrival to the U.S. in 1983, he has been a music faculty at Miami Dade College. In 1987 he initiated the guitar program at Florida International University, where he taught for eleven years. In July 2007, Carlos Molina was awarded the “Premio Chitaristico Citta di Fiuggi,”in Italy, together with Alirio Díaz, Leo Brouwer, and Carlos Carfagna. He is featured in Cuban Music from A to Z, by Helio Orovio (Durham, Duke University, 2004); the Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana, (Madrid, Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, 2000) ; Antonio Lauro, by Alejandro Bruzual (Caracas, 2000); Diccionario de la Música Cubana, by Helio Orovio (Colombia, 1993); Música Cubana, by Cristobal Diaz Ayala (Puerto Rico 1981); and Guitar Lexicon, by Josef Powrozniak (Poland 1976).

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Born in Havana, Cuba, and established in the United States since 1983, Carlos Molina is lauded as founder of the Cuban School of Guitar,one of the most renowned instrumental schools. With a performing career that expands almost 40 years, Molina has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world, such as The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, The Metropolitan Opera House in New York with world famous prima ballerina Alicia Alonso and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, the Philarmonia Theater of Saint Petersburg, the Dvorak Hall of Prague, the Ateneo of Madrid, the Chopin Hall of Warsaw, the Zeneakademia of Budapest, the Hall of Mirrors in Bratislava, the Salle du Conservatoire d’Orleans, the Sala Carlos Chávez in Mexico, the Teatro Nacional of Santo Domingo, the Theater of Performing Arts of Miami Beach, and the Teatro Amadeo Roldán in Cuba . His acclaimed solo recitals and concerts have taken him throughout Europe and America, including Cuba, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Russia, Lithuania, Mexico, Martinique, Canada, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Venezuela. Molina has also shared concerts with celebrated guitarists Alirio Díaz, Leo Brouwer, Turibio Santos, Benjamin Verdery, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and Nikita Koshkin.

In 1970, Molina won First Prize at the National Guitar Competition in Cuba. Since then, he has been featured in numerous international guitar festivals, including those of Córdoba, Vélez-Málaga, Linares, Ubeda, Coria, Hondarribia, Aranda del Duero, Fiuggi, Bisceglie, Pescara, Potenza, Brno, Rust, Rotenburg, Stockholm, Fribourg, Bordeaux, Limousin, Vendôme, Esztergom, Bratislava, Ciudad Guatemala, Martinique, and La Habana. Most recently, he has been performing as a duo with his wife, soprano Marisa Molina.

In 1968, Cuban composer Leo Brouwer dedicated Molina the “Canticum,” the first avant-garde composition written for the instrument. In 2002, Russian composer Nikita Koshkin dedicated him a duo, which they both premiered in Miami. Other notable composers, such as Olivier Chassain, Gerard Drozd, Roberto Fabbri, Jon Christopher Nelson, Orlando Jacinto García, Carlos Rafael Rivera, Luis Manuel Molina, have also dedicated guitar pieces to him.

In addition to his concert career, Molina actively gives master classes and lectures, is a frequent juror for international guitar competitions, and has published articles in a diversity of magazines. A tireless promoter of the instrument, he organized the first guitar festival in Cuba in 1976, and in 1978, the first international festival. Once in the U.S., Molina founded the Miami Classical Guitar Society in 1988. On two occasions, Molina has been Director of the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Convention in Miami, Florida. Four years ago, he founded Miami’s International Guitar Competition.

As a pedagogue, Carlos Molina began teaching at the National Conservatory in Havana. In 1976, he was appointed chairman of the guitar department at the University of Havana’s Superior Institute of the Arts. Since his arrival to the U.S. in 1983, he has been a music faculty at Miami Dade College. In 1987 he initiated the guitar program at Florida International University, where he taught for eleven years.

In July 2007, Carlos Molina was awarded the “Premio Chitaristico Citta di Fiuggi,”in Italy, together with Alirio Díaz, Leo Brouwer, and Carlos Carfagna. He is featured in Cuban Music from A to Z, by Helio Orovio (Durham, Duke University, 2004); the Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana, (Madrid, Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, 2000) ; Antonio Lauro, by Alejandro Bruzual (Caracas, 2000); Diccionario de la Música Cubana, by Helio Orovio (Colombia, 1993); Música Cubana, by Cristobal Diaz Ayala (Puerto Rico 1981); and Guitar Lexicon, by Josef Powrozniak (Poland 1976).