Born in Cali, Colombia, Ricardo Cobo is the son of Lebanese immigrants who came to America during the early 20th century. His mother, a classical pianist and avid visual artist, taught him to play the piano and read music as a young boy. His father, a brilliant surgeon, devoted concertgoer, and lover of classical music, instilled a passion for guitar music in Cobo during many hours of listening to Flamenco and classical recordings. He began taking guitar lessons at 8, on a twenty-dollar souvenir guitar, a gift from his uncle. Quickly outpacing his lessons, Cobo’s parents enrolled him in the Antonio Maria Valencia Conservatory at age 12. His professional career began at the early age of 17 at a live televised performance with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá. This performance was viewed by an audience of over nine million people. Cobo’s career took flight at that point and is still soaring today. Following high school, Cobo attended the Peabody Conservatory where he became a protégé of Aaron Shearer. He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a Master of Music from Florida State University. While at FSU, Cobo pursued postgraduate studies under the late Bruce Holzman as a Graduate Assistant and University Doctoral Fellow.
While completing his degrees, Cobo won many international competitions, a host of academic excellence awards, and numerous scholarships. Competitions included the 6th Guitar Foundation of America International Competition (GFA), the 9th Alirio Díaz International Competition in Caracas, and the 9th Casa de España Competition in San Juan. As the first Hispanic/Latino to win the GFA competition, he embarked on a highly auspicious tour that covered over 70 American cities, followed by debut appearances throughout Europe, Ukraine, and Asia. Following this tour, Cobo was awarded an extraordinary ability visa by the United States while he continued to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts at FSU.
Cobo has been collaborating with composers to develop new music based on Latin America's rich literary and cultural legacy. Chilean composer Javier Farías dedicated his “Romanzas de Rihoacha,” based on Gabriel García Marquez’s stunning autobiography, to him. This piece was premiered in Washington, DC in 2015. Cuban American composer José Lezcano, Colombian composers Franz Castillo, Hector Gonzalez, Fabio Salazar Orozco, and many others have dedicated new pieces to Cobo.
Celebrated for his passionate and mesmerizing performances worldwide, Cobo is in demand as a soloist, chamber musician, lecturer, and recording artist. His versatility can be heard on his award-winning ESSAY, NAXOS, Ellipsis Arts, Angel/EMI, Cambria Records, and ESSAY/Allegro recordings. Many include his remarkable arrangements of Latin American standards. Cobo will soon release new music under his own recording label.
A long-time resident of Las Vegas, Cobo is a dedicated and avid supporter of music education and often hosts master classes for students of all ages. He also enjoys the outdoors and walks with his Boston Terrier, Gizmo. For additional information, please visit ricardocobo.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
