Budapesti Nemzetközi Gitárfesztivál és Verseny

Karol Samuelčík

Budapesti Nemzetközi Gitárfesztivál és Verseny

“His interpretation is meaningful, you can feel profound understanding of musical material… he already became world guitar personality.“

Prof. Jozef Zsapka

“By listening to Karol’s CD we can say that he is one of the most expressive talents of his generation.“

Duo Siqueira Lima

„His sensitive work with the interpretation of individual epochs, the work with colors is revealed by a very mature performer… His interpretation reveals absolute top view and deep musicality… Again, one excellent musician among the guitarists.“

Prof. József Eötvös

„…despite his youth is an exceptional, very musical, with a strong perspective to future.“

Arturo Zeballos

Karol was born in 1991, Banská Bystrica (Slovakia), where he also studied at Music school of J. Cikker with Zuzana Meleková. During years 2007 – 2011 gained education at the Conservatory in Žilina in class of doc. Ján Labant. Between 2011-2016 was studying at the Academy of music and performing arts in Bratislava with prof. Jozef Zsapka. He has graduated with the highest honour, Prize of the Rector. He enriched his musical progress during exchange studies at Conservatorio Superior de Música in Vigo (Spain, pedagogue – Margarita Escarpa) and during studies at Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona (Spain, pedagogue – Álex Garrobé). In 2019 he finished his postgraduate study at Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Bratislava under tuition of world renowned professor Jozef Zsapka. Currently, he is teaching at Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Bratislava (Slovakia).

Karol had performed in the numerous cities in the whole Slovakia (Bratislava – International guitar festival J.K. Mertz, Sunday matinee; Žilina – Allegretto; Nitra – Cithara Aediculae; Prešov – Presov Music Spring, Presov Days of Classical Guitar, Iuvenilis Cithara; Banská Bystrica; and many others) and abroad (Spain, Austria, Great Britain, Czech republic, Italy, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, China, Hong Kong, …). In 2019 realized his debut tour in countries of South America, in cities of Buenos Aires (Argentine), Montevideo (Uruguay), Santiago, Temuco (Chile) or Porto Alegre (Brazil). As a soloist performed with orchestras as The Slovak Philharmonic; The Slovak State Philharmonic, Košice; Cappella Istropolitana; The Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina; Hong Kong Metropolitan Pop Orchestra; Musica Cassovia and with string quartet Mucha quartet.

He recorded for company Diskant records two CDs: debut CD with compositions by Isaac Albéniz, Johann Sebastian Bach and Vicente Asencio and CD Impresiones de Catalunya focused on catalan music.

He has attented a lot of International guitar festivals and masterclasses with such a great artists like L. Brouwer, S. Assad, P. Steidl, C. Domeniconi, M. Socias, R. Smits, M. Dylla, A. Pierri, C. Marchione, R. Dyens and the others. Karol gained 1. prize at the International guitar competition of J.K. Mertza 2012, Thailand International Guitar Competition 2016, Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship program 2012/2013, International guitar competition of Ivan Balla in Dolný Kubín 2009, The Slovak Conservatories Students Competition 2009. In 2013 recieved prize for the best performance of an italian piece in international competition Udine (Italy). In 2015 became one of laureates at Forum Gitarre Wien. He was awarded prize of Student personality of Slovakia in acad. year 2016/2017 in category Culture and art.

From 2013 he has joined to the organization team of J. K. Mertz festival in Bratislava. Karol is playing the guitar by Masaki Sakurai, model Maestro RF and the romantic guitar, model Stauffer, made by slovak luthier Martin Okenica.

Budapesti Nemzetközi Gitárfesztivál és Verseny