Artist Biography

Canadian guitarist Jérôme Ducharme, the 2005 winner of the Guitar Foundation of America International Competition, began his musical studies at the Cultural Center of Joliette in 1990 with André Morissette. Other teachers have included Pierre Morin and Clément Canac Marquis at the Musical camp of Lanaudière as well as a year of private instruction with Mr. Marquis. In April of 2000, after having been a student of Jean Vallieres, he graduated from the Music Conservatory of Montreal and was awarded a prize of distinction. He later spent a year studying with Oscar Giglia and Stephan Schmidt in Switzerland.

Jérôme has been a multiple prize winner in various other competitions including the 2004 Guitar Foundation of America International Competition, The Guitare-Antony in France and Montreal's Guitarre-Lachine of 2003, as well as the 2000 Festival-Concurs de Lanaudiere.

Recent performances have included an appearance in 2005 with the Montréal Symphonic Orchestra for Donizetti's opera Don Pasquale. A featured performer on the Montreal Guitar Society's inaugural and 2004 season, Jérôme Ducharme's playing has also been broadcast on SRC-CBC radio in Canada.

Mr. Ducharme plays on a 2005 René Wilhelmy guitar.