Contemporary Guitar Composers of the Americas

Mexican composer, Guillermo Diego, is considered a key figure in the world of the contemporary

Mexican concert guitar. He is a member of the National System of Creators of Art. In 2015 he was

nominated for his artistic contributions by the SACM (Society of Authors and Composers of

Mexico) to the National Prize of the Arts, the same institution that in 2012 granted him the

“Trajectory” prize. In 2006, he was honored at the Chitarra Caroso Festival in Italy. His catalog is

extensive and consists of pieces for guitar solo as well as guitar with chamber groups and orchestra.

His works also include orchestral and opera music.

His music has been performed by such prominent artists as Juan Carlos Laguna, Martín Madrigal,

Gonzalo Salazar, Roberto Limón, Stefano Raponi, Víctor Pellegrini, Trio D’Argent of Paris,

Ensemble Variances, Percussions Claviers de Lyon and the Mexico Fine Arts Chamber Orchestra.

He has been a resident composer in the Centrum Emerging Artist Residency program in Seattle,

Washington and Th e Banff Center for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. Guillermo Diego has been a

fellow of the Mexican National Council for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation. He has

recorded on Urtext Digital Records and his solo collection, Album of Pieces for Solo Guitar, is

published by Mel Bay Publications. His compositions have been performed in many countries

across the globe. He is currently a professor and a resident composer at the Conservatory of Music

in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico.

William Bay received his undergraduate degree in business at Washington University in St. Louis and his MBA at the University of Missouri. He played trumpet and guitar professionally for many years and has authored hundreds of books on music education and performance. As president of Mel Bay Publications he has produced thousands of books dealing with an eclectic array of musical styles, genres and instruments and performed on many audio and video recordings. He is an accomplished composer and arranger. His books have sold in the millions. He was recently inducted into the Missouri Music Hall of Fame.

The following William Bay recordings are now available on most audio streaming services: Trumpet and Guitar, Guitar Images, Acoustic Guitar Portraits, Christmas Guitar Portraits, Celtic Hymns and Sacred Songs, Songs from the Heartland, Beautiful American Airs and Ballads, Sacred Songs of Early America, Beautiful Airs and Ballads of the British Isles, Early Music Gems, Celtic Gems, Beautiful Carols of Christmas and more.