Celebrated world-wide for his incomparable playing, classical guitarist Marko Topchii appears in Vancouver this month.
Born into a Ukrainian musical family in 1991, Marko Topchii began playing classical guitar at the age of four. He graduated from the Kharkiv Conservatory at the age of 21, followed by studies in Switzerland and the United States. He has won more than 100 awards in guitar competitions around the world, including 55 first-place prizes.
Marko has played solo concerts and with orchestras on many of the greatest stages, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Yamaha Ginza Hall in Tokyo, Salle Cortot in Paris, Grand Hall of the Kyiv Philharmonic, and the Grand Hall of Liszt Academy in Budapest. In 2018 he joined the professional studies programme of the San Francisco Conservatory in the class of Judicaёl Perroy. Most recently in 2023 he won the Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition in New York.
His performances have been described as “beyond virtuosity,” “peak technique and musicianship,” “astounding” and simply “I was blown away!”
In 2016 he recorded two CD albums with “Fleur de Son Classics” (Buffalo, NY) and “Contrastes Records” (Seville, Spain). In 2018, recorded the CD with the company Naxos as the winner of the Michele Pittaluga competition (Alessandria, Italy) and in 2022 – as the winner of the Francisco Tarrega competition (Benicassim, Spain) with Contrastes Records.
His most recording, for the Laureate Series of Naxos, demonstrated a superb command of the instrument, and a willingness to explore demanding, yet rewarding repertoire. His tone is immediately recognizable: elegant, yet deeply moving. Marko uses Augustine Strings and plays guitars by Julian Dammann, Felix Müller and Jim Redgate.
The Vancouver Guitar Society is pleased to present Marko in person for a one-night engagement at the Vancouver Academy of Music, 1270 Chestnut Street. Program highlights follow:
Maurice Ravel – Sonatine (arr. Topchii)
J. S. Bach – Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826 (arr. Manoukian)
Francis Poulenc – Sarabande
John Dowland – Chromatic Fantasy
Agustín Barrios Mangoré – Un Sueño en la Floresta
Mauro Giuliani – Six Variations, Op. 49
The event is scheduled for Friday, March 14, 2025 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available at http://www.vancouverguitar.org/ , both for in-person attendance and live streaming.
