Adam del Monte is widely recognized as one of the leading flamenco and classical guitarists and composers of his generation. His work is defined by a lifelong dedication to both genres, shaped by deep traditional training and an openness to global musical influences. His compositions and performances reflect a unique voice—rooted in flamenco heritage while continually evolving through cross-cultural exploration and innovation.
Del Monte recorded the featured flamenco guitar part in Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar (Deutsche Grammophon, 2006), a double Grammy Award-winning opera starring soprano Dawn Upshaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Spano. He has since toured internationally with the production, performing at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the Los Angeles Opera, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Barbican Centre (London), the Colorado Music Festival, the Chicago Symphony, Teatro Real in Madrid and other prominent venues.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, del Monte composed and co-produced Relampiños, a Virtual Guitar Orchestra piece performed by 117 guitarists worldwide—including Angel Romero and Eliot Fisk—marking the largest known collaboration between classical and flamenco guitarists. On February 16, 19, 21 & 23, Del Monte premiered Llantos 1492, a flamenco opera commissioned by Opera Southwest, which ran to four sold-out performances in Albuquerque, NM. This groundbreaking work integrates flamenco with classical operatic form—musically, aesthetically, and rhythmically. A pre-debut workshop performance of select scenes was presented at the Tucson Desert Song Festival in January 2019. Del Monte has represented the United States at the Euro Strings International Guitar Festivals in Hungary and Bosnia, with support from the U.S. Embassy. He has also collaborated with celebrated Persian vocalist Homayoun Shajarian and the Pacific Symphony under conductor Carl St. Clair.
His international performance career includes appearances in Hong Kong, China, and Australia with the Altamira Guitar Festival. In 2019, he was invited to perform at the Shanghai Guitar Festival. Del Monte’s second flamenco guitar concerto, Paisajes, was commissioned and premiered by the St. Monica Symphony in 2012. It has since been performed with the Moscow State Symphony at Tchaikovsky Hall and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Caracas, Venezuela. His first concerto, Ensueño Flamenco, was premiered by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, conducted by Gil Rose. He has contributed to several major film scores, including Munich (John Williams), Knight and Day, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (John Powell), and Toy Story 3 (Randy Newman). He has also performed with flamenco greats Enrique Morente and Lole y Manuel, as well as the Madrid Symphony Orchestra.
Throughout his career, del Monte has been committed to pushing the boundaries of flamenco, drawing from jazz, classical, and world music to shape his personal approach. His original flamenco work Cambio de Aire was commissioned by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and he has collaborated with jazz innovator Yusef Lateef and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the National Black Arts Festival. His debut flamenco album, Viaje a Un Nuevo Mundo (Sonifolk, 1998), was praised by leading Spanish music critics including Ángel Álvarez Caballero (El País), Miguel Mora (El País), and Alfredo Grimaldos (El Mundo). Other releases include a Mel Bay Artist Video Series, a classical and flamenco recital, and Ezordio, a classical CD released by GSP.
Del Montes' early training began with his father and continued with flamenco masters such as Pepe Habichuela, Paco Cortés, Niño Miguel, and Gerardo Núñez. His classical studies included training with Menashe Baquiche in Israel and Gordon Crosskey at Cheatham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. He studied at the Thelma Yellin High School for the Arts in Tel Aviv.
He has performed at a wide range of venues, including the Mark Taper Forum, the Wilshire Theater, Disney Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Teatro Real and Conde Duque in Madrid, the Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada, and international festivals in Israel, France, Brazil, Argentina, India, Malaysia, and the United States. Del Monte was the first prize winner of the 1997 Stotsenberg International Classical Guitar Competition and has since maintained a career at the forefront of flamenco and classical guitar performance. He has taught at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music since 2000, where he specializes in flamenco and classical guitar.
Adam Del Monte performs on custom-made classical and flamenco guitars by Israeli luthier Erez Perelman.
Learn more: www.adamdelmonte.com
