The soul of the Spanish guitar runs in Pablo Sáinz Villegas’s blood. Born and raised in La Rioja, Spain, he is distinguished by performances as charismatic as they are intimate. With his singing tone and consummate technique, his interpretations conjure the passion, playfulness, and drama of his homeland’s rich musical heritage. Villegas has collaborated with orchestras in more than 30 countries, including the New York, Los Angeles, and Israel Philharmonics and the Boston, San Francisco, Houston, and Toronto Symphonies. In the 2015-16 season, he made debuts with six orchestras, including the Pacific, Cincinnati, and Santa Barbara Symphonies and Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic. A dedicated champion of new music, it was Villegas who premiered Rounds, the first guitar composition of Academy Award-winner John Williams, and he performed the world and European premieres of Concerto of Rio de Janeiro by Sérgio Assad.

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