Australian Guitarist

Jacob Cordover

Born in England in 1982, Jacob Cordover began learning the classical guitar in Melbourne, Australia at the age of eleven. At 13, Jacob was awarded a full musical scholarship to study at Wesley College. In 2003 he graduated with first class Honours from the Australian National University where, under the tutelage of the renowned performer and pedagogue Timothy Kain, he consistently received the highest performance marks in his year. Jacob is currently studying for a Masters degree at the ANU, where he is researching the solo classical guitar works of Cuba.

After receiving his Bachelor of Music, Jacob spent a total of nine months as a resident musician at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada where he performed solo, in a number of chamber ensembles, and had master classes with various artists including oboist Nicholas Daniel (UK), violinist Lorand Fenyves (Canada), cellist Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi (Japan) and double-bassist Edgar Meyer (US). In addition to his studies with Timothy Kain, Jacob has had classes with guitarists Pavel Steidl (Czech Republic), Carlo Barone (Italy), Maximo Diego Pujol and Omar Cyrulnik (Argentina) and Costas Cotsiolas (Greece). Jacob has also worked with the Australian composers Phillip Houghton, Richard Charlton, Nigel Westlake and Peter Sculthorpe. Outside Australia Jacob has had several pieces written for him and his guitar and oboe duo by British composers Terry Mann and Hywel Davies, Mexican composer Arturo Villela-Vega and Norwegian composer Fredrik Brattberg.

Jacob has appeared throughout Australia and England as a soloist, in the Australian Guitar Duo with Rupert Boyd, and with oboist Laura Karney. Performances include Nigel Westlake's Antarctica Concerto for solo guitar and orchestra, ‘Music, People and Space Festival’ concert in the Lake District and live broadcasts for local and national radio including a programme for ABC Classic's 'Young Australia Series’. In 2005 Jacob was a featured artist at the Seventeenth Leicester International Music Festival where he performed in a seven concerts, both as a soloist and in chamber groups, including performances with flautist Michael Cox and oboist Nicholas Daniel.

2005 also saw the release of Jacob’s debut solo CD Stélé which feature the works of Leo Brouwer, Carlo Domeniconi, Joaquin Rodrigo and Australian composers Phillip Houghton and Peter Sculthorpe.