Celebrated guitar player returns to Bloomington

World-renowned guitar performer Denis Azabagic will travel to Bloomington for an anxiously awaited performance Saturday. The guitarist has played in various countries and received international accolades. His performance was a short-notice collaboration with the Bloomington Area Arts Council and Bloomington Classical Guitar Society. \nAzabagic's upcoming show replaces guitarist Atanas Tzvetkov's scheduled appearance, according to a John Waldron Arts Center press release. The show is part of the Performance Series at the Waldron, and in addition to Saturday night's concert, Azabagic has agreed to hold a Master Class at 11 a.m. Sunday at the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium.\nAzabagic is originally from Bosnia, where he was exposed to music at a very young age. He said he thought playing music was a challenge and that is what fueled his fire.\n"My parents enrolled me in a music school when I was five years old," Azabagic said.\nWhile growing up, he never imagined where his love of music would eventually take him. He enjoyed practicing and worked very hard at his instrument, but he never thought he would be doing what he is doing now, he said. \n"I thought I would play guitar in a rock band or something," he said.\nWar broke out in Bosnia in 1991, and Azabagic left his home country and moved to the Netherlands. There he met his wife, Eugenia Moliner, an established flautist.\nIn 1993 Azabagic became the youngest winner of the esteemed International Guitar Competitions in Madrid, Spain, which he feels had a major influence on his later career, he said. In 1998, the Guitar Foundation of America granted Azabagic a 60-concert tour of the United States and Canada, which he said also proved to be instrumental in his success.\n"This helped me to establish a name for myself in a new continent," he said. \nIn addition to winning a number of prestigious awards, Azabagic has also recorded six CDs for various international labels including "Opera Tres," "Printemps de la guitarre and Naxos" and a video for Mel Bay Company, a company focused on creating new concepts in guitar and acoustic instrument performance and instruction since 1947.\nWhen Azabagic and his wife first moved to America, they settled in Bloomington for a short time. They later moved to Chicago where they now reside with their month-old child, Alexander.\nIn addition to his solo career, Azabagic and his wife began performing as the Cavatina Duo. The couple thrives together because of the uniqueness of a flute/guitar duo, Azabagic said. One of their good friends, Sergio Assad, thinks very highly of their combined sound. \n"In my opinion, they are the best flute/guitar duo in the world," Assad said. "They are very special." \nAssad and Azabagic met long ago at a concert in Chicago, but Assad recognized Azabagic's work prior to their meeting. \n"He has built a reputation as a solid musician in the guitar world," Assad said.\nThe two men are now colleagues and both members of the guitar faculty at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. \n"(Azabagic) is actually responsible for most of the students in the program," Assad said.\nAssad also discussed Azabagic's skills from more than just a musical standpoint. \n"He is a very good teacher as well as musician," he said. "He is always very positive with his students." \nAzabagic looks forward to his upcoming show at IU because of his love of performing. \n"Wherever I am invited to play, I go and play," he said. "It's what I do."\nFor ticket information, call 334-3100 ext. 102 or visit www.artlives.org.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Teri Rosenbaum at terosenb@indiana.edu.