Biography

German guitarist Eva Beneke was born in East-Berlin, and studied classical guitar with Prof. Martin Rennert at the Berlin University of Arts. She graduated with a Masters in Music Education and completed her studies with Prof. Thomas Müller-Pering at the Franz Liszt Hochschule in Weimar, where she received the prestigious solo-artist diploma in 2007. Eva was awarded first prizes at guitar-competitions in Italy, the Netherlands and Los Angeles.

Career highlights include a performance at the Musikfestspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern (Germany, 2005), concerts with the German Symphony Orchestra under Kent Nagano at the Berlin Philharmony and the L.A. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (2000), an invitation to perform and teach a masterclass at Lima´s conservatory (Perú, 2005) during the 13th edition of the Festival International de la gitarra and the publication of her compositions for solo guitar with Clearnote Music Publications in 2009.

She performed live on national television with Carrie Underwood at the American Country Music Awards 2010 and was broadcasted live on classical radio stations KUSC and KCSN.
Eva has performed at festivals in Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Perú, Mexico, the Netherlands and the USA. She currently lives and works in Los Angeles where she teaches at Whittier College and holds a teaching assistantship at the University of Southern California´s Thornton School of Music. While pursuing a Doctorate at USC, Eva is taking private lessons with Grammy-winning artist Scott Tennant, Pepe Romero and Jazz-guitar legend Bruce Forman.
 Her debut CD “Coming Home” was released in June 2010.

Prizes, Scholarships and Awards

Los Angeles, USA 08-11 Teaching assistantship at USC

Los Angeles, USA 2009 Presser Foundation Award for Musical Excellence

Los Angeles, USA 08-09
 Colburn Foundation Early Music Award

Los Angeles, USA 2008
 Winner of the Donald Miller Concerto Competition at USC

Mexico, 2008 Finalist at the International Guitar Competition Culiacán

Los Angeles, USA 2007-09 
Franklin Hunter Memorial Endowed Music Scholarship

Weimar, Germany 2006 
Stipend of the Research Ministry of the State of Thuringia

Netherlands, 2005 
2nd prize at the "International Guitar Festival Zwolle" (1st prize not awarded)

Mainz, Germany, 2004
 Villa Musica Stipend

Weimar, Germany 2004 
Stipend of the Research Ministry of the State of Thuringia

Saluzzo, Italy 1997 
1st prize "Chitarrissima", International Guitar Competition