We were lucky to catch up with Andres Guerra recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andres, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In 2023, I applied to participate as an instrumentalist in a musical residency organized by the grammy-winning contemporary classical ensemble 8th Blackbird called the Creative Lab. They only accepted about 10 performers and luckily I was one of them. This experience has been deeply transformative in the way I view my role as an artist, the boundless possibilities of music and its extraordinary ability to connect with people’s innermost selves.

In the founder’s words, this is the concept of the residency: “Founded in 2017, the Creative Lab is a groundbreaking, immersive residency that brings together composers, performers, and creative technologists to develop and perform new works. Through collaboration, experimentation, and mentorship, the Lab pushes boundaries and explores new frontiers in art, technology, and the creative process”. It took place in Yerkes observatory in Lake Geneva Wisconsin. We collaborated with the invited composers and with the members of 8th Blackbird on new pieces which where presented in the different parts of the observatory in a final concert. One of the most incredible moments for me was a piece that was performed inside the dome of the main telescope where there was music being performed from above and underneath the platform where the audience was standing. To see the tears in everyone’s eyes as they were deeply moved by the beauty of the sounds all around the room was a feeling I’ll never forget.

Andres, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name Andres Guerra and I am a Venezuelan composer, educator and, as I like to say, not-so-classical guitarist based in New York City. Through my career as a performer, I aim to break down the stigmas of classical music and bring my multi-faceted musical and artistic influences forth to shed a new light on the classical guitar as an instrument.

Blending the rich tradition of the classical guitar’s repertoire and technique with improvisation and contemporary guitar styles, I try to offer a wide variety of musical colors in my performances; with a palette of sounds coming from Jazz, contemporary classical, Latin American Folk and even pop.

I’ve been very lucky to have shared the stage and collaborated with a wide variety of artists, some of the caliber of Grammy-winning Carlos Vives, Erika Ender (songwriter of “Despacito”), Chucho Valdés, 8th Blackbird, Aída Cuevas, Berta Rojas, Paquito d’ Rivera and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. I’ve also placed as a top guitarist in competitions such as the Twisted Spruce Guitar Competition and was the only guitarist to place as a semi-finalist in the 2023 George and Elizabeth Gregory Concerto Competition.

In terms of my education, I’m very proud to have graduated with a Summa cum laude, dual Bachelor’s Degree in Film Scoring and Performance from the prestigious Berklee College Of Music where I studied with one of my heroes, the Grammy-Winnning Paraguayan classical guitarist Berta Rojas. What made it possible was a scholarship by Berklee as well as the “Gifted Tuition Scholarship” by the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation. During my time there, I was also awarded the William Leavitt Achievement Award for guitar performance by the Guitar department, admittedly one of the most prestigious awards the institution offers its students since its based on anonymous nominations.

I am currently finishing my Master’s Degree in guitar performance at The New School here in New York City under the tutelage of Michael Newman and Joao Luiz Rezende (from Brasil Guitar Duo).

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, a major thing for me is to bring classical guitar and classical music (especially Latin American) in general to a broader audience. There is major accessibility problem with classical music and I think it really comes down to the fact that the social sphere that it has been living in for the past 100 years or so mostly comprises a very small, selective part of the general population. There is a certain feeling that this way of expressing music is “only for worthy, well-versed ears”, when in reality, it is that same artistic elitism that is slowly, but surely killing the classical concert hall as less and less people are interested and willing to come to these concerts. They keep playing the same composers, the same symphonies, the same sonatas; all to appease the “regulars”; which are getting old and not going to fill the concert hall in the coming future.

To me, the beauty of the classical tradition lies beyond the repertoire and politics, but in the simplicity of presenting one’s musical self authentically and vulnerably through an unamplified (if possible), acoustic instrument to a willing audience in a hall that acts as a sort of temple of “the moment”; where every event lives only in the ephemeral world of time. It is one of the most human, genuine activities ever invented. But it needs evolve and adapt to the modern world.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Yes. Recently, some books that have had a big impact on my efforts to keep my professional development and artistic practice steady have been: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks and “The Mountain is You” by Brianna Wiest. These all have a common theme of finding strategies to keep yourself motivated, committed to your own growth and believing in your vision, which are all extremely important to have as an independent artist or creative of any kind

I also love to listen to little snippets of Brianna Wiest’s Podcast, she has a great way to convey really profound advice in little, bite-sized capsules. I try to listen to an episode everyday, to keep the ideas fresh in my head.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andresguerraguitar.com
• Instagram: @andresguerraguitar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@andresguerraguitar