Leonela Alejandro, Guitar Foundation of America Competition Winner in Concert

Guitar Foundation of America winner Leonela Alejandro in concert

with a Prelude performance by Campbell Muffly

Winner of the Rose Augustine Grand Prize in the 2024 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition, Leonela Alejandro has garnered attention as a soloist, captivating audiences with her powerful and energetic performance style. She has been invited to perform in numerous venues in the U.S. and Europe, including the Latino Arts Guitar Festival, Northern Illinois University International Guitar Concert Series, Southern Guitar Festival, Florida Guitar Festival, Marlow Guitar Series, Louisville Guitar Society, Orange County Guitar Circle, and José Tomás Villa de Petrer Guitar Festival.

Alejandro has been a top prizewinner in more than a dozen competitions in the U.S., and has won more than ten first-prize awards in competitions including the Louisville Guitar Festival, Appalachian State Guitar Festival, Columbus State University Guitar Symposium, Indiana Guitar Festival, and Chicago Guitar Festival, among others. She has also had success internationally, receiving prizes from the Domaine Forget de Charlevoix Guitar Competition, Ciudad de Coria International Guitar Competition, and the Iserlohn International Guitar Competition.

Originally from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Alejandro began music study at age seven and received instruction from Jomel Rivera, Julio Reyes, and Rey Nieves. In 2016, she was accepted into the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico at age 16 to study with world Maestro Iván Rijos. After two years in the Conservatory, she transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed her undergraduate degree with Cuban virtuoso René Izquierdo in 2020. Alejandro completed her graduate studies with Andrew Zohn at Columbus State University in 2023.

Apart from her celebrated solo work, Alejandro has established herself as a performer with orchestra and has played concertos by Vivaldi and Castelnuovo-Tedesco with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra under Roselín Pabón. She was the soloist in the recent premiere of Atanas Ourkouzounov’s Concertino for Guitar, Percussion and Strings under the baton of Paul Hostetter. She also has appeared as a solo mandolinist with the Schwob School of Music's Wind Ensemble and as a soloist in Ottorino Respighi’s Roman Festivals under the direction of Jamie L. Nix.

Alejandro is an Augustine Strings ambassador and her strings of choice are Paragon Reds. She performs on guitars built by luthiers Stephan Connor and Martin Blackwell. 

Prelude performer Campbell Muffly, student of Angelica Artelt and Scott Cmiel