Classical Guitar Retreat

Internationally acclaimed classical guitarist and soprano Alexandra Viloteau is a rising star from California, USA. Hailed by the San Francisco Examiner as a “Song Stylist”, Alexandra stuns audiences with her virtuosic abilities as both classical guitarist and soprano with her charismatic artistry and genre defying repertoire. Described by the European film collective Open Strings Berlin as “...not only a phenomenal classical guitarist, but soprano singer, she can be her own duo partner and perform the most beautiful repertoire for voice and guitar by herself...” 

Ranging from Brazilian fado, art song, early music, to new commissions; Alexandra does it all with remarkable versatility. Alexandra has commissioned over a dozen pieces for her unique abilities including GRAMMY award-winning composers Christopher Tin and Sergio Assad. Concerts and collaborations include performances with SFMOMA Ragnar Kjartanson’s exhibit, de Young Museum of Art, Berkeley Piano Club, Herbst Theater Green Room, Old First Concerts, Center for New Music, and has been featured on NPR KALW 91.7 FM affiliate “Revolutions per Minute”. She has released two chamber albums with acclaimed SopraDuo and One Great City Duo whom the San Francisco Examiner describes as an “innovative new duo.” 

As a passionate educator, her students have thrived under her tutelage and have won top prizes in competitions and festivals. In 2018, Alexandra’s Advanced Guitar Ensemble from the California Conservatory of Music won first prize in the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Ensemble Competition. Her students have been accepted at top colleges and conservatories and gone on to pursue guitar performance. Alexandra has given masterclasses throughout the United States including Sonoma State University, UC Santa Cruz and San Diego State University. She is currently on faculty at the Levine School of Music in Washington D.C. 

Alexandra earned a Master of Music and Professional Studies Diploma in Guitar Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Sérgio Assad and was awarded guitar department honors. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Guitar Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University where she double majored in classical guitar and classical voice. She was the only student in the Peabody Conservatory's 157 year history to do so.

Christina Schorn – Mancinelli was born in Hallein, in 1976 and had her first guitar lessons by Renate Sölva, at the age of eight. After that she continued her studies at Mozarteum University in Salzburg, by Eliot Fisk and Joaquin Clerch (1998-1st Diploma, 2004-2nd Diploma/Magister, both with distinction).

She was awarded with the first prize of the years 1991 and 1993 at the “Jugend musiziert” Austrian national competition. In 1995 she was granted a scholarship from the “Guildhall School of Music and Drama” in London, in order to broaden her education through studies by Robert Brightmore. After that she won, together with her duet-partner Maria-Paula Marques, the 1st prize at the “Pippa Portallion” chamber music competition. In 1996 she received an artists` aid from Rotary Club. The same year she went to Montevideo in order to continue an, already before that time begun, work with Abel Carlevaro.

Christina Schorn-Mancinelli attended at early age master classes by great artists and teachers such as Alvaro Pierri (Sommerakademie Mozarteum Salzburg), Abel Carlevaro, Leo Brouwer, Hopkinson Smith, Oscar Ghiglia (Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena), Rey Guerra and Konrad Ragossnig. Performances have brought the guitarist through Europe, to the U.S.A. and to South America.

She regularly cooperates with contemporary composers, such as Luca Lombardi, Balz Trumpy, Stefan Hakenberg, Stefano Taglietti, Vito Palumbo, Jack Fortner, Sabine E. Panzer, Gabriele Proy, Gianluca Podio, Virginia Guastella, Brad Hufft, Agustín Castilla-Ávila and Helmut Jasbar, who all have dedicated pieces to her. She is co-founder of the famous Ensemble El Cimarrón, which very often has cooperated with Hans Werner Henze. This formation has performed, among others, at the opening events of the festival of Salzburg, at Aspekte festival, at Audi festival “Sommer in Altmühltal”, at the Kammeroper Tübingen, at NDR in Hamburg, at Theater in Nurenberg, at Theater in Konstanz, at Teatr Scena STU in Cracow, at Teatro Rossetti in Vasto, at Teatro Civico in Sassari, at the California State University in Fresno, at the guitar festivals in Monopoli (Italy) and in Vienna, at Saitensprünge-Gitarissimo in Bad Aibling, at the “Ruhr.2010” festival, the “Nuova Consonanza” festival in Rome, the Gaida festival in Vilnius (Lithuania), at the Semperoper Dresden etc.

Christina Schorn-Mancinelli teaches guitar since 1999 at the Music Schools of the Land of Salzburg (Musikum). She was further Lecturer at the Conservatory in Monopoli (Italy). She very often appears as member of the jury (national youth competition “Prima la Musica”, Herbert von Karajan Centre…).

Eugen Treichel began his musical education at the age of twelve at the Friedrichshafen Music School with Christian Bootz. Shortly thereafter, he became a multiple prizewinner at the national level of the German music competition for children and young adults "Jugend musiziert".

As a scholarship holder of the prestigious "German Academic Scholarship Foundation", he studied with Prof. Tomasz Zawierucha at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, as well as with Graham Anthony Devine at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Masterclasses with renowned guitarists such as David Russell, Prof. Thomas Müller-Pering, and Prof. Olaf van Gonnissen, among others, further enhanced his musical development.

During his studies, Eugen became a prizewinner in numerous international competitions. His awards include first prizes at the NRW Guitar Prize "Stephen Goss" (Essen, DE) and the Twents Guitar Festival (Enschede, NL). In 2015, the city of Friedrichshafen awarded him the Artist Promotion Prize, and in 2019, he received the "Ingrid Girardet Prize for the Promotion of Young Talents" as part of the Folkwang Prize. Additionally, he was a scholarship holder at "Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now", whose mission is to bring classical music to people who, due to special circumstances, cannot attend concerts.

His performances as a soloist and chamber musician have taken him to significant classical music venues in Germany, Portugal, the UK, and the Netherlands, including the Munich Gasteig, the Graf-Zeppelin-Haus Friedrichshafen, and the Gitarrissimo Festival in Oberhausen.

Eugen is the 1st Prize-winner of the inaugural Gallery of Guitar Competition in 2024.

Yvonne Zehner studied with Matthias Seidl, Eliot Fisk and Joaquin Clerch at the University Mozarteum, with Oscar Ghiglia in Siena and Basel and with Nicolas de Souza Barros at the "UNIRIO" in Rio de Janeiro. In 2001 she finished her musical studies achieving a Masters degree "with distinction". She has taught guitar at the University of Passau since 2001 and is artistic co-director of the Hallein International Guitar Festival and the “Passauer Saiten” Festival.

Chamber Music is a special passion – she perfomres regularly with the Gunnar Berg Ensemble Salzburg (contemporarian music, including a CD published in 2011), with the Enemble Mobile (including a CD, published in 2010 with Works by Sofia Gubaidulina and Klaus Ager) and with Trio Collage.

Her close collaboration with contemporary composers has led to the dedication of several works to her; these include Agustin Castilla-Avila’s “Strings – A play” for guitarist and actor, and Julia Deppert’s solo work “Sand”, recorded for the ZHDK label in 2012 (Road to Skye,). In 2011 she premiered the piece Don`t flinch by Michael Edwards for Computer and Guitar, published on the CD “Slippery Chicken. Algoritmic Compositions by Michael Edward on sumtone records.
She has worked with Sofia Gubaidulina, Konstantia Gourzi, Benjamin Lang, Louis Aguirre, Greg Caffrey, Siegfried Steinkogler, Niels Rasmussen, Eirik Moland, Klaus Ager and Andor Losconzy on premieres of their works.
In october 2010 she released her first solo album “passages” at the “Neo-Loop Department (Sony Music)” label. In 2013 she released her sencond solo album “vals total” at the “ZAYrecords” label.

She has performed at a variety of international festivals and concert series . During her career she has appeared in concerts in South America, China, Taiwan and various European countries such as the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany and Austria.