Michael Chapdelaine

Michael Chapdelaine (September 15, 1956 – November 16, 2023) was an American guitarist.

Chapedelaine was the only guitarist ever to win First Prize in the world's top competitions in both the Classical and Fingerstyle genres. He won the Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar Competition and the National Fingerstyle Championships at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in Winfield, Kansas. His performances, played on both steel string and classical guitars, included musical styles ranging from blues, to baroque, to country, to rhythm 'n' blues.

In the '80s and '90s, Chapdelaine twice won the coveted National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Grant and took First Prize in both the Guitar Foundation of America's and the Music Teachers National Association's Guitar Competitions. He also won the silver medal in Venezuela's VIII Concurso International de Guitarra "Alirio Diaz". He toured four continents while giving hundreds of performances for Affiliate Artists Inc., and various arts promotion organizations. In 1992 he recorded the Sonata Romantica CD, (now re-released as "Mexico"), about which Acoustic Guitar magazine (January 1993) wrote "... if I were marooned on a desert island with a limited selection of recordings, this one would be among my choices...I have seldom heard a more beautiful album. Other young guitarists have excellent technique, but few have such style and musicality, and Chapdelaine's beautiful tone is the nearest to Segovia's that I can recall."

In 1994 Chapdelaine turned his attention to pop music, by arranging, producing, and recording Time-Life Music's Guitar by Moonlight collection (also released as "with love"), which sold 250,000 copies in its first two years in the stores. In 1998, he won the National Fingerpicking Championships at Winfield.

Chapdelaine was Professor of Music and head of guitar studies at the University of New Mexico and had previously been on the faculties of the University of Colorado at Denver and Metropolitan State University. He gave master classes throughout the world including, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Peru, Venezuela, Taiwan and Indonesia, at institutions such as the University of Miami, Mannes School of Music, University of Texas, and California State University.

Chapdelaine died on November 16, 2023, at the age of 67.

Discography

 * The dbx Reels (1989)
 * Mexico (1992)
 * Time-Life Music's "with love" (1995)
 * Land of Enchantment (1998)
 * Spanish Roses (1999)
 * Yamaha Sampler (2001)
 * Replay (2001)
 * Bach Is Cool (2004)
 * Guitar for Christmas (2003)
 * Portrait de Femme (2005)
 * Grapevine Reserve (2005)
 * Guitar Man (2008)
 * The Somogyi Incident (2014)
 * Counterpoint Boundaries, Homage to Michael Hedges (2018)