Carlos Barbosa-Lima

Carlos Barbosa-Lima
Carlos Barbosa-Lima
Background information
Born	(1944-12-17) 17 December 1944 (age 72) São Paulo, Brazil
Genres	Classical music
Occupation(s)	Guitarist, arranger
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	fl. ca. 1958 - present
Labels	ZOHO Records
Notable instruments
Prenkert guitar

Antonio Carlos Ribeiro Barbosa Lima (born 17 December 1944) is an acclaimed Brazilian virtuoso guitarist, arranger and professor born in São Paulo. He has spent most of his professional life as a resident in the United States, devoting much of his time as a recitalist on international concert tours. He regularly appears as a soloist with numerous major orchestras.

Born on 17 December 1944 in São Paulo, Brazil, Barbosa-Lima grew up in the Brooklyn district of the city. He states that he began playing the guitar aged seven.

Barbosa-Lima recalls that his father, Manuel Carlos, had hired a music instructor to teach him how to play the guitar. The guitar lessons were then transferred from the father to the son, and the child became known in the neighborhood as a prodigy. After two years of lessons with Benedito Moreira, the young man was introduced to Brazilian guitarist composer Luiz Bonfá, at the time one of the leading musicians in the field. Under the strong recommendation of Bonfa, the young Carlos was directed to the father of the classical guitar school of Brasil, Isaias Savio. At the behest of family friends and musical acquaintances, and with the firm support of his parents, the young Carlos publicly debuted at a solo concert hall appearance (in São Paulo) in November, 1957, when he was twelve years old.

The immediate rave reviews and enthusiastic public acclaim led to a subsequent invitation for the young guitarist to make his concert debut in Rio de Janeiro, at the time capital of Brazil, preceded by his television debut on a variety style TV show that featured young, up and coming Artists. This was March 1958, Barbosa-Lima was thirteen. These two public appearances led to a recording contract with the then up and coming Chantecler label, initially part of the RCA Brasil group. The LP recording, called "Dez Dedos Magicos Num Violão De Ouro" was released in June 1958, when he was 13 years old.

In 1960 Barbosa-Lima began life on the road, which continues extensively till this day. Trips to Montevideo, Uruguay, and eastern Brazil became common place. In 1967 at the age of 23, Barbosa-Lima made his American debut in Washington, D.C. Excellent reviews followed and Barbosa-Lima's concert career expanded across the United States, Central and South America. Barbosa-Lima was now making his own arrangements for guitar and in 1964 he released an album of arrangements by the popular Brazilian songwriter, Catullo. Close friends of Barbosa-Lima at the time heard these arrangements and encouraged the guitarist to continue on the path of arranging for the guitar.

In 1967 Barbosa-Lima gave his New York debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (then known as Carnegie Recital Hall). This concert was met once again with excellent reviews and truly launched the career of the young guitarist onto the global concert stage where he remains to this day. 1968 marked the year that Barbosa-Lima would travel to Madrid, Spain, to play for Andrés Segovia. Upon his return from Spain in 1970 Barbosa-Lima gave a concert in New York's Town Hall. At the conclusion of this concert Barbosa-Lima was approached by Harold Shaw and Shaw Concerts who offered Barbosa-Lima a steady stream of concert dates within the United States. With the heavy concert schedule and Master classes now available to him through Shaw Concerts Barbosa-Lima took a teaching position at Carnegie Mellon University (1974–1978). It was during this time that Barbosa-Lima's reputation as a world class guitarist began to blossom and composers began writing works for him. One very important composer of this time was Alberto Ginastera who composed the Sonata for guitar, op. 47 for Barbosa-Lima. The later end of the decade (1977) saw Barbosa-Lima perform Francisco Mignone's Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.