About Richard
A Distinguished Career in Classical Guitar
Richard Jacobowski is a classical guitarist whose life with the instrument spans more than fifty years as a student, performer, teacher, and scholar.
He holds three degrees in Guitar Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, including the Doctor of Musical Arts. While at Manhattan, he served as assistant to then chair of the guitar department Nicholas Goluses, teaching and coaching undergraduate guitarists and chamber ensembles.
His formative studies included work with Carlos Barbosa-Lima and Frederic Hand, and he was selected to perform in one of Andrés Segovia’s final master classes. He was also the recipient of the Andrés Segovia Award for Outstanding Guitar Performance.
Jacobowski has performed in the United States and Europe, with appearances in Italy, France, Lithuania, Poland, and elsewhere. His performances have been heard on WNYC and WQXR in New York. His recordings include the solo albums Richard Jacobowski Plays and Canción, as well as A Summer’s Day with mezzo-soprano Barbara Rearick.
Teaching has been an equally important part of his musical life. He has spent more than twenty-five years as a music educator in the Half Hollow Hills Central School District, is on the faculty of Teachers College, Columbia University, and has taught at William Paterson University. He has given master classes in the United States and Europe and has worked with generations of young musicians.
Alongside performing and teaching, Jacobowski’s scholarly work has included the transcription of the complete solo vihuela works of the Spanish Renaissance composer Miguel de Fuenllana and a translation of Fuenllana’s original text.
Throughout these varied roles, the guitar and its repertoire have remained a constant presence in his life.