Biography
Guitarist Troy King regularly performs solo and chamber music concerts throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America. He has been heard on the BBC and frequently on National Public Radio in both the United States and Spain and has given festival performances at the Interlochen Arts Festival (Michigan), the Charlton Kings International Guitar Festival (England), the Portland Guitar Festival (Oregon), the Bethlehem Guitar Festival, and the Summer Guitar Workshop (NM). Frequent tours have taken King to major concert venues in London, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Mexico City, Honolulu, Cheltenham (UK), Albuquerque, Cleveland, Denver, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Derby (UK), Cincinnati, San Diego, Phoenix, Portland (OR), and Washington D.C., and many more. Concerts and/or master classes at universities and conservatories include Columbia University (NYC), University of Maryland, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Shenandoah Conservatory of Music (VA), Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, Palomar College (San Diego, CA), and Glendale College (Phoenix, AR).
Troy King has released two solo guitar recordings, each containing World Premieres and receiving unanimous international critical acclaim: "Musique de Salon: Classical Guitar Music for a New Belle Epoque", released on the IGW label and distributed by Eroica Classical Recordings (Classical Guitar Magazine (UK) hails it as "A major international debut by any standard. A guitarist of the highest order"), and "Musica del Arte: Masterworks for Guitar by Latin American Composers", released internationally on the Centaur Records label (The American Record Guide states "(Kings) interpretations have a winning rhythmic impulse...harmonically sumptuous and lyrically expansive...a complete delight!"). He also performs along with guitarist Kathrin Murray in the Arabesque Duo, whose debut recording on Centaur Records features transcriptions of piano pieces by Grieg, Brahms, Debussy, Granados and Turina. (The American Record Guide wrote, 鈥淭he Arabesque Duo plays beautifully on this recording.鈥�) Other stellar reviews of concerts and recordings have appeared in the Washington Post, Les cahiers de La Guitare (France), Soundboard Magazine, the Baltimore Sun, The Albuquerque Journal, and the Gloucestershire Echo (UK).
Troy King won First Prize at the Fifth Portland International Guitar Competition. Other honors include winning First Prizes at the Lamont Chamber Music Competition and the Montpelier Recitalist Competition, and being a finalist at the IV Manuel Ponce International Guitar Competition in Mexico.
The objective with all of his students is to increase their musicianship, technical proficiency, and understanding of music notation and music reading as it applies to performing classical guitar, emphasizing the importance of learning to "artistically interpret" the musical score. Troy King holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music/Case Western Reserve University and the The Lamont School of Music/University of Denver. His major teachers have been John Holmquist and Ricardo Iznaola. Additional instruction includes private study in England with composer/guitarist Gilbert Biberian and participation in dozens of public master classes given by various artists.
King is a Lecturer and Head of the Guitar Program at Towson University, teaching guitar lessons, guitar ensembles, guitar accompaniment, guitar history and pedagogy, and guitar class.