Biography

Gilson Antunes is one of the foremost brazilian guitarists, have performing hundreds of recitals in Europe, Asia, North and South America, in countries like Cuba, United States, England, Israel, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguai. The mexican newspaper El Diario classified Antunes´ recital as "Excelent", and the english magazine Classical Guitar wrote about his CD "Marcus Siqueira por Gilson Antunes", released on the brazilian label ÁguaForte: Gilson Antunes seems an excellent champion for this composer´s music. His technical brilliance allows him the luxury of not having any concerns with this side of things and allowing him to focus on the musicality and interpretation of this most interesting music".

Among the most important festival Antunes played are the Encuentro Identidades (Havana - Cuba), Radford After Dark (Radford-USA), Maracay en Guitarra (Maracay-Venezuela), Caroso Festival (Italy), GSMD Music Week (London-England), Guitar Gems Jerusalem Series (Israel), Festival Luys Milan (Valencia-Spain), Festival Ramón Noble (Mexico), Festival de Guitarra de Verano (Lima-Peru), Festival Guitamixtli in Xalapa (Mexico), Festival Fabini (Atlantida-Uruguai), Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Angostura (Venezuela), Festival Otoño-Buap (Puebla-Mexico), Encuentro Internacional de Guitarra Agustin Barrios (Asuncion-Paraguai), Festival Pulso y Pua (La Coruña, Spain), Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Cochabamba (Bolivia), Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Ciudad Blanca (Sucre - Bolivia), Festival Internacional de Guitarra del Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano (Lima - Peru) and Seminário Internacional de Guitarra (Cali - Colombia), besides the most important Brazilian festivals.

Gilson Antunes studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, UK. He pursues master and doctoral degrees in musicology by São Paulo University. Among his most important teachers were Giácomo Bartoloni, Fábio Zanon and Robert Brightmore.

He was a soloist with the Orquestra del MEC (Uruguai), UNESP Chamber Orchestra, Mogi das Cruzes Symphony Orchestra, Santo André Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Chamber Orchestra and São Paulo School Orchestra, among others. 

Gilson Antunes was the artistic director of the Vital Medeiros International Guitar Festival (2002 - 2012) and Ourinhos Music Festival (2001 - 2012). He created the Musicalis Guitar Competition in 1997 and the Musicalis Guitar Festival in 2013. 

He wrote for the most important Brazilian guitar magazines of the last decades, like Violão Intercâmbio (1993-2003), Violão Pró (2007-2008) and Cover Guitarra (2009).

Gilson Antunes recorded four solo CDs: Music for Guitar by Young Brazilian Composers (2000), Works for Guitar by Américo Jacomino "Canhoto" (2003), "Marcus Siqueira by Gilson Antunes" (2009) and "Roberto Victorio by Gilson Antunes" (2012). He recorded also a CD with the São Paulo Guitar Trio in 1999 and was included on the "Violões do Brasil Project" (Guitars from Brazil Project). More than 30 composers from Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Venezuela dedicated pieces for Gilson Antunes.

Currently he teaches at Federal University of Paraiba, one of the most important brazilian music schools, since 2004. Gilson Antunes is a D'Addario artist since 2010.