Twisted Spruce Guitar Festival Winners: Marisa Sardo andThomas Aquino in concert
Marisa Sardo is a classical guitarist based in Chicago. Born in the United States of America from Italian parents, she holds a dual-citizenship and is an active musician in the Italian and American music scenes. She began playing at the age of 4, and at a young age, she started competing in and winning local competitions. In 2021, she won 1st prize in the Twisted Spruce International Music Competition. In 2019, she won 1st prize in the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition, and performed in Amsterdam and Salzburg in the winner’s concerts. She also was the Diploma prize winner in the 2021 Tabula Rasa International Guitar Competition and won Honorable Mention in the Society of American Musician’s national competition in 2018. She has performed in numerous venues in Europe as a guest soloist, including the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands, San Simone church, and Accademia Chigiana concert hall in Siena, Italy, and various venues in Milan, Italy. Marisa was also selected to be the guest performer for the 2018 season at the Associazione Culturale Alirio Diaz Concerto di Chitarra in Costacciaro, Italy. She has also performed in multiple operas as the on-stage performer, including Beatrice and Benedict and Le Avventure du Roi Pausole. Marisa will also be releasing her first album with Framework Records in summer 2022, which will include works by Sor, Mertz, von Sehrwald, and more.
In addition to performing, Marisa is also the Associate Instructor for classical guitar at Indiana University and the classical guitar instructor at Arpeggiato music school. She teaches classical guitar and music theory in English, Italian, and Spanish.
Marisa is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree at Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University in 2020, and she also studied at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy, in 2018, receiving a Diploma di Merito, and at the Civica Scuola di Musica in Milan, Italy in 2018. Past and current teachers include Anne Waller, Mark Maxwell, Senio Diaz, Paola Coppi, Oscar Ghiglia, Richard Matthews, Petar Jankovic, Daniel Duarte, Sergio Assad, and Ernesto Bitetti.
Marisa plays on custom-made rosewood guitars by Marshall Brune, Wilson Burnham, and James Baur.
She is also an active composer and bassoonist and has won national awards for her works in both. Her compositions range from solo instrumental music to orchestral pieces.
Thomas Aquino is from Chicago, Illinois. He studied for ten years with Jack Cecchini, a prominent figure in the Chicago guitar community. Mr. Aquino was awarded the Barbara and David Jacobs Scholarship to attend the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as an undergraduate. Thomas has taken master classes with leading guitarists such as Christopher Parkening, Jorge Caballero and Adam Holzman. In 2018, Thomas placed 2nd in the classical category of the Wilson Center Guitar Competition. He has received both bachelors and master’s degrees in guitar performance from the Jacobs School of Music and is currently working towards a doctoral degree in guitar performance there.
