Mathías Atchugarry

Mathías Atchugarry was born in Montevideo in 1982.

He began to study guitar at the age of 10 years. At the age of 14 he won an award in the Annual Musical Youth Competition of Uruguay and went in for the television program “The guitar and its players”. He left the University Music School, where he took a Degree in Guitar with Mario Payssé and passed the final exam with the highest possible grades. He studied and attended master classes with Abel Carlevaro, Leo Brouwer, Eduardo Fernández and Oscar Cáceres. He also perfected his technique in Europe in courses with Odair Assad, Ricardo Gallén, Joaquín Clerch, Manuel Barrueco, Carles Trepat and Costa Cotsiolis, among others. He has performed in Spain, Italy, Austria and Uruguay.

In Spain he performed in the Gran Teatro de Córdoba, in the city's guitar festival, and also in the Casa de la Cultura de Coria in Cáceres. He performed in the Chiesa di S. Anna di Onnoen in Italy in the province of Como and in Vienna at the "Konservatorium fürMusik und Dramatische Kunst". In Uruguay he has performed for the SODRE in the Hotel Conrad de Punta de Este. He also performed in the Auditorium of the University of the Republic, Ateneo de Montevideo, Teatro del Anglo, the Theatre of the Alianza Francesa, Escuela Nacional de Declamación, Cátedra Alicia Goyéna, amongst other halls. In 2007 he was selected by competition from numerous guitar players to act in the Centro Cultural de España in a cycle called “The Spanish guitar” featuring the participation of musicians from Uruguay, Argentina and Spain.

In November 2008, he won the First Prize in “César Cortinas” 4th International Guitar Competition. He was recently distinguished with the “Sol y Arena” [Sun and Sand] Award by the Uniarte organisation to outstanding individuals in the area of culture.