Primary Instrument: Guitar, acoustic
Diego Barber was born in Lanzarote. There was already some musical precedent in his family; his great uncle was a pianist by profession and his father, in his youth, played the bass in a band called “Peppermint.” Very early on in his home, his mother promoted listening to classical music. When he turned ten years old he was given as a gift his first electric guitar and he decided firmly to study that instrument. At that time, his musical preferences started to include jazz, as well as some contemporary guitarists.
It can be said that since that period the debate had already begun within himself between these two musical styles. Maybe this is a dilemma that remained with him throughout his entire trajectory, until he came to the conclusion that maybe, both of them are part of his musical path. In his beginnings he attended the Conservatory of Lanzarote, taking music classes from Miguel Angel Calzadilla and he also received private lessons by attending a music school where Tonin Corujo was his professor. Already at that time he began to seriously consider the idea of relocating away from the island, but due to his young age, this was a decision he had to make with the support of his family.
After thinking much about it and accepting the challenge that leaving home entails, he moved to Madrid and enrolled in the Conservatory of Arturo Soria. Possibly in that period, the most important and providential event that occurred was getting to know Jose Ramon Garcia, who with his harmony, analytical and composition classes, helped Diego to develop as a musician. Following this period, he enrolled in the Conservatory Superior of Music of Salamanca where he completed his degree in Classical Guitar. While he studied in Salamanca, there are two very important events: instructors Costas Cotsiolis and Ricardo Gallen accept him as their student. The first one taught him in Athens for a year; the second, wherever in the world they happened to coincide.
He attended graduate school in Mozarteum University in Salzburg, under the tutelage of master Marco Tamayo. During this time he wins first prize in the Classical Guitar International Contest, the edition dedicated to Leo Brouwer, as well as first prize in the contest organized by the Miami Classical Guitar Society in the year 2004, and he offers concerts in different cities in Greece, Spain, Germany, etc. As part of his classical music formation he receives masterful classes from musicians like David Russell, Joaquin Clerk, Zoran Dukic, Eliot Fisk and Pavel Steidi among others.
At the end of his formation in Austria, he had already composed some of the pieces that will form part of his album and he takes great pride in the fact that Ricardo Gallen has one of his pieces as part of his repertoire in his concerts. He composed other pieces in the Mauritanian desert where he goes every year with his father and family and where he always finds great inspiration. Before moving to New York, where he resides at present, he spends a period in Madrid with the guitarist Chema Vilches, who not only teaches him jazz, but also gives him great moral support.
At last, in New York, where he composed some of his last pieces, he records Calima, which is maybe, the crystallization of years of doubt and work. In the recording of Calima he has the collaboration of first class musicians like Mark Turner(saxophone), Larry Grenadier (contra bassoon) and Jeff Ballard (drums) for whom he feels great admiration and to whom he feels great gratitude. This way his dream is realized.
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