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Sten Hostfalt
guitarist. composer. educator

Master of Music Degree Composition
New England Conservatory of Music

Graduate Diploma Jazz Performance
New England Conservatory of Music

B.M Degree Professional Music
Berklee College of Music
Cum Laude, Outstanding musicianship Award

Faculty
NYC Guitar Studio, New York City (Founder, Director)
K M H Royal College of Music, Stockholm since 2001
Various Faculty Positions / Assignments since 1985

Member
I A J E International Association for Jazz Educators
B M I Broadcast Music International

 

Awards & Grants

2003 ASCAP Award
Solo Concert Performance of 29 Pieces For The
Microtonal Guitar at Knitting Factory New York

2000-03 Project/Tour Grants
projects in France, Sweden and U.S.A.
The Swedish Council For The Arts
The Arts Grants Committee of Sweden

1992 N.E.C. Honors Ensemble Member
New England Conservatory Of Music
1992-95 Merit Scholarships

1991 Outstanding Musicianship Award
Performance Dept, Berklee College Of Music
1989-92 Merit Scholarships

PERFORMANCES / COLLABORATIONS

Jimmy Giuffre, Joe Maneri,Clare Fischer, Paul Bley, George Russell, Gary Burton, Peter Erskine,
Chris Cheek, Mark Turner Jeff Ballard, Seamus Blake, Matt Renzi Owen Howard, Guillermo Klein,
Cuong Vu, Rob McConnell, Matthew Garrison, David Boato, Deborah Brown, Bobby Shew, Chris Speed,
Jamie Saft, Melissa Kassel, Tom Beckham, Matt Pavolka, Phil Wilson, Bruno Raberg, Scott Kinsey
Masa Kamaguchi, Olivier Ker Ourio, Katt Hernandez, Jimmy Weinstein, Takuya Nakamura, Magali Souriau

 

"Groundbreaking" Jazz Review
"Editor's Pick" Guitar Player Magazine
"Impressive, intense" TIME OUT NY
"Brilliant solist" All Music Guide
"Inimitable" PM NYC / Paper Magazine
"Takes you on a journey where anything is possible" All About Jazz
"Another angle on exploring that you will not want to Miss" Cadence
"One of the better continuing experiments in New York" NY Times
"Highly Recommended" Jazz Now
"Intriguing" Jazz Views (U.K.)
"A Clever innovative improvisation that is matchless" Jazz Review
"Sensational" Svenska Dagbladet(SE)
"Beautiful, poetic" Altrisuoni(Italy)
"Energetic, frenzied, interesting and finely executed" Jazz Times
"Virtuosic" Joe Maneri
"Highly Exceptional" Jimmy Giuffre

view full presskit >

 

 

BIOGRAPHY / EDUCATOR PROFILE

Internationally recognized as a virtuoso phenom instrumentalist - as well as currently also as an innovative bandleader on the New York City
Creative Music Scene ( " Inimitable - There Are Few Musicians Like Sten Hostfalt " - PM NYC / Paper Magazine '07 and "Impressive, Intense"
- TIME OUT NY '08) known as the world's most competetive and leading in modern music. 13 years after the initial contribution to the scene,
The versatile artistry of award-winning Guitarist, Bassist, Composer and Music Educator Sten Hostfalt is as uncategorizeable as it is unique.

As an initially self-taught - rather than anthing else, an activity on the the progressive, punk / metal DIY scene of the 80's made him an Honors
alumni, Scholarship and Outstanding Musicianship Award, Bachelors and Master of Music Degree recipient and a clinican, at two of today's most
prestigious learning facilities for modern improvised music, New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. The former credited with the
very first fully formulated and develoed Jazz program and the latter arguably known as the world's leading, most influential school for modern music.

Studies with Jazz Giants Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Bley, Joe Maneri and George Russell. Composition masterclasses with Toru Takemitsu and Gyorgi Ligeti
and concert performances with Jazz greats Gary Burton, Peter Erskine and Clare Fischer. Led to activity on the NYC music scene weekly during 1994-95
and the formative years of Smalls, since then known as one of the most influential venues of the recent to present era in Jazz. All as a member of celebrated
Argentine Composer Guillermo Kleins critically lauded large NYC based ensemble, alongside a cast that today ranks among the world's foremost improvisers.

After recording the CD El Minotauro and touring Argentina, and as Klein's ensemble eventually dissolved. The end of the 90's was spent in Europe with tours,
concert halls, festivals recordings and radio broadcasts in Scandinavia with Rob McConnell, Bobby Shew, Deborah Brown & leading Swedish, Danish and Finnish
artists. Other work assignments included a faculty membership of K. M. H, The Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden - one of Europe's oldest and foremost
instituions for musical learning. In addition to numerous substantial work, project and tour grants from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee and Council for The Arts.

Initiated by mentor Paul Bley, the '02 debute CD-release as a leader, Eternity Check, notably featured one of the earliest recordings of electric bass guitar virtuoso,
and since, Down Beat Magazine's Critics Poll-winner Matthew Garrison. Followed by the critically acclaimed '03 solo CD 29 Pieces For the Microtonal Guitar Live at
Knitting Factory New York. Inspired by musical innovator Joe Maneri's 72-ET virtual pitch continuum theory. Realized through self-invented interpretative techniques
on the standard 6-string/12 fret guitar, And lo-fi live manipulated electronics. Referred to as Genuinely Innovative and Groundbreaking by Don Williamson in Jazz Review
and a Guitar Player Magazine's Editor's Pick, regarded as a landmark work and one of Amazon.com's best selling Audio releases specifically dealing with microtonality.

The subsequent works, released on Hostfalt's own label Sonus Rex, are also all recorded live or in attended sessions. The solo CD Macroscope ('06) and
the '08 debute CD of his acclaimed NYC ensemble Ghost Factor, titled MonkeyTown named after the Brooklyn NY venue where it was recorded. A '07 live
recorded CD with bassist Bruno Raberg. And a US / Worldwide release of The '97 Scandinavian Quartet recordings previously released domestically only.

Parallell to this, Sten Hostfalt is known for his commitment to and work with the generations to come in Europe and in the U.S. through work as a guitar, ensemble and
music teacher in various Swedish communities, and more recently in the New York City and State school system. Levels from elementary to High School and College.
And as a frequently featured guest performer in kindergarten school concerts, as well as a player in workshops with mentally challenged and disabled. And additional
clinics include those with Guillermo Klein in Argentina '94 and a '06 microtonal guitar workshop at Berklee College of Music, on the invitation of master educator Jon Damian.

After two decades of thoroughly documented professional educator work, currently running his own Manhattan-based educational facility NYC Guitar Studio.
A tiny one-man operated studio, that has over the past years been located at various places in Brooklyn Manhattan. with anywhere from a dozen to a few regular
students, both locally as well as from other parts of the U.S. and from all over the world. With numerous students admitted to top schools, active as pro musicians.
Along with the creative teachings of traditional guitar techniques and styles. Due to the global leading press acknowledged innovative work with new pitch systems,
NYC Guitar Studio is notably also one of very few facilities in the world today, to offer systematic studies of microtonal music.

 

The Sten Hostfalt website

Sten Hostfalt on MySpace

 

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