Colton Chapman (b. 1986) is a guitarist currently residing in New York City, and is a huge advocate for contemporary solo and chamber music written for guitar. Described by a close friend as, “a musical nerd who relishes in coloring outside the box”, he thoroughly enjoys composing and performing regularly with contemporary/avant-garde groups.

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Originally from San Antonio, TX, he began playing electric guitar at the age of 14, writing his own songs and playing in metal bands until he discovered the music of Leo Brouwer. At age 22, he began studying classical guitar with Dr. Kim Perlak (Chair of Guitar at Berklee College of Music) at ACC (Austin Community College), where he received his Associates Degree in Music.

 

He then completed his undergraduate studies with Dr. Mathew Dunne at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where he performed several of his original compositions in recitals, masterclasses, and various contemporary art museums in Austin, TX, including The Blanton Museum of Contemporary Art. He was one of the original members of SPECTRUM, UTSA’s first ever New Music Ensemble guided by Dr. Steve Parker.

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He finished his Master’s degree in performance at the Manhattan School of Music (MM 19') with renowned guitarist composer Mark Delpriora, and also took private composition lessons with Dr. Reiko Fueting. He has performed his compositions for some of the guitar communities leading composers, including Sergio Assad, Johannes Moller, Benjamin Verdery (Yale), Matthew Dunne (UTSA), and David Leisner (MSM).

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During the summer of 2019, he formed the "NYC Experimental Guitar Community", which consists of a series of concerts with the goal of creating a space for those who might not otherwise meet to have a chance share their personal styles, inspire composers to write more for the different types of guitar, premiere new solo/duo/chamber music by upcoming composers, and bring the instrument to a wider audience of open minded and diverse individuals. The debut concert, "Interchange", featured one of the underground scene's favorite electric guitarist, Kevin Hufnagel (Gorguts, Dysrythmia, Sabbath Assembly, Vaura).