Full Bio

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British-born guitar virtuoso Stanley Yates has established an international career as concert performer and recording artist, teacher, ar­ranger and scholar.

Performing to wide critical and audience ac­claim on both sides of the Atlantic, he has been praised by the English magazine Classical Guitar as "one of an elite breed of guitarists," the Fort Worth Star Telegram for the "transcendent quality of his interpretative abilities," the Italian magazine Suonare for his "musical instinct and brilliant technique." He has been the subject of interviews, articles and extended reviews in many of the national and international guitar magazines including, Guitare Aktuel (Germany), Il fronimo (Italy), Fingerstyle (US), Fingerstyle Review (US), Teaching Guitar (US), Suonare (Italy), and Classical Guitar (England).

His recent transcription and recording of the Bach cello suites has received international attention, being described as "immaculate...a major landmark" (Classical Guitar, England), "elegant and persuasive...a transcription that makes history" (Suonare, Italy), "distinguished...refreshing" (Soundboard, USA), "compelling and technically flawless" (American Record Guide). 

A past prize-winner in such prestigious per­formance competitions as the Myra Hess (London) and the Guitar Foundation of Amer­ica International Competition, he has per­formed as recitalist and concerto soloist throughout the United States and Europe. Re­cent appearances include the International Festivals of the Guitar Foundation of America, the Guitar Festival of Great Britain, the Lagonegro Contemporary Music Festival (Italy), the Rantucci Festival (New York), Piccolo Spoleto; the Appalachian Guitar Fest; and the international concert series of the Dallas and Fort Worth Guitar Societies, among many others.

A committed interpreter both of new music and of neglected masterpieces from the past, he has been dedicatee and first performer of music by such notable American and European guitar composers as Stepan Rak, Angelo Gilardino, John Duarte, Atanas Ourkouzounov, Mark Delpriora, Jim Piorkowski, Mark Houghton and Roger Hudson, and has reconstructed and given first modern performances of such important rediscovered works as Villa-Lobos' Valsa Concerto No. 2 and the Shand Premier Concerto and late eighteenth-century concertos by Vidal, Doisy and Viotti. 

His recordings for Reference Recordings, Heartdance Music, and Aeolian Recordings include his widely-acclaimed arrangements of the Bach Cello Suites, premiere recordings of major chamber works by John Rutter, Michael Fink and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, a recent recording of music by Lennon and McCartney, and several didactic recordings. 

His editions and arrangements are published by Mel Bay Publications in the Stanley Yates Series. This critically-acclaimed series in­cludes transcriptions of music by Bach and Albéniz; performance editions of collected concert works by Rak and Shand, and a series of didactic works. In addition, his performance articles dealing with the music of Bach and Villa-Lobos have been published internationally in six languages, appearing in such jour­nals as Il Fronimo, Guitarre & Laute, Gendai Guitar, 8 Sonoro, Soundboard, and Classical Guitar.

A much in-demand teacher, he has presented masterclasses and lectures at numerous festivals, colleges, universities and conservatories, including the Royal Academy of Music, London; and the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto. He is an advisory board member of both the Guitar Foundation of America and Guitar Forum - the Journal of the European Guitar Teachers' Association.

British-born, Stanley received performer's diplomas from Trinity College, London, and Sandown College of Performing Arts, Liver­pool (where he graduated with the highest pass in the history of the college). He also received post-graduate degrees from the University of Liverpool (with a distinction in performance) and the University of North Texas (where he was the only non-pianist ever to receive the Morgan Dissertation Award for Excellence in Music Performance). 

Now a resident of the United States, he currently directs the guitar program at Austin Peay State University, home of Tennessee's Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts.

Reviews 

"one of very few musicians who, having dedicated themselves to the guitar, have managed to bring together instinct and brilliant tecnique with the most refined musical and musicolocal preparation. Suonare (Italy) 

"one of the premier exponents of 20th-century music for the classical guitar...a truly outstanding and  memorable musical experience.
The Rosette, Orange County, California, USA 

"...an exceptional recital from a master of the instrument...an experience not to be missed!" 
Banbury Guitar Society (England)

"The transcendent quality of Yates' interpretative abilities was apparent not only in the Rak piece but also in the rest of his wide-ranging program, which  included two suites by Bach...it is clearly this quality that sets him apart from his peers." Fort Worth Star Telegram, Dallas Classic Guitar Society, Dallas, USA 

"Yates plays with all profundity in undisturbed communication of the music. Technical perfection, tonal purity and a considered objectivity are all perfectly placed." Azijnfabriek in Muzerije, Bosch Auditorium, Den Bosch, Holland 

"...a performing academic of the highest caliber - one  of an elite breed of guitarists whose playing is every  bit as impressive as his qualifications." Classical Guitar, Euro-Wirral International Guitar Festival, England 

"Throughout one tended to be unaware that this was a guitar recital as such, hearing only the actual music - the ultimate test in this writer's opinion..." Classical Guitar, Chester Guitar Society, England 

"... poetic and rhapsodic." Soundboard, GFA Guitar Festival, Miami, USA 

"...great authority and control..." Guitar International, England 

"...totally efficient, controlled mastery of his 
instrument..."  Classical Guitar, The Old Malthouse, England 

"...exhilarating...a superb player" Classical Guitar, Euro-Wirral International Guitar Festival, England 


"the performances recorded here are of the greatest relevance to all who cherish Bach...[Yates] has brought considerable academic and cultural resources to the task. Allied to immaculate technique, this results in a sense of commitment and ownership rarely equaled in this repertoire....A major landmark." Classical Guitar (England)

"This is distinguished playing, a recording to hear and learn from."  Soundboard (USA)

"..a very personal, compelling, and technically flawless performance..." American Record Guide

"Listening to this interpretation it is impossible not to refer to the same transcriptions of the Suites by Yates, where he rethinks the terms in which Bach has been represented in the guitar tradition..." Guitart (Italy)

"In accord with the English saying "The proof of the pudding is in the eating"...we hear nether an arid Bach imitation nor a romanticized interpretation to which the guitar might lend itself, but rather a piece of music-making characterized by joyful playing and knowledge of the subject."  Guitar Aktuell (Germany)