Classical guitarist Patrick Kearney represents a rare balance between sheer technical virtuosity and intense musicality. Born in Montreal, Patrick Kearney discovered the classical guitar early on in life. Having won his first national competition in Ottawa at the age of ten, he pursued his studies first under Daniel Boyer and then with Jacques Joubert at Vanier College. Patrick went on to complete his Superior Diploma in Performance at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, where he received the highest honours under the direction of Rafaël Andia and Alberto Ponce. Upon his return from France in 1993, Patrick began his professional career as an international competitor and touring artist, winning top prizes in several international competitions. Patrick has performed in concert and conducted master classes on numerous tours throughout Europe, the United States, and Canada. He has appeared as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Orchestre Philharmonique de l’Isle, the Shenandoah University Orchestra, I Musici de Montréal, and the Ensemble Appassionata. Patrick Kearney has commissioned and premiered several works by contemporary composers such as Andrew Zohn, Atanas Ourkouzounov, Jay Kauffman, Ginette Bellevance, and Robert F. Jones, and has inspired composers such as Daniel Boyer and Claude Engel to create and dedicate new works to him. Mr. Kearney has also published three of his own compositions: Collage (2001) with d'OZ, Tabea’s Fancy (2003), and the homage to Carlo Domeniconi, Train to Koyunbaba (2003) with Editions Daminus. In 1999, he inaugurated his own guitar-music publication line, the Collection Patrick Kearney, published by Les Productions d’OZ. Mr. Kearney has been teaching guitar at Vanier College in Montreal since 1997 and is the founder and director of theMontreal International Classical Guitar Festival and Competition (www.guitaremontreal.com),which is hosted by Concordia University in Montreal, where Mr. Kearney also teaches.