The 12th Annual David Russell Prize

One of Tucson’s greatest treasures is the musical residency of the extraordinary David Russell at the University of Arizona. The Grammy Award–winning artist comes every year to teach and perform, honoring the legacy of Sandy and Phyllis Bolton. In May 2014, Russell was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Arizona.

The 12th Annual David Russell Prize features top Bolton Guitar Studies students performing works by Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as pieces recorded or arranged by David Russell. The maestro will judge the final round. Regarding the competition, Russell wrote, “The wonderful music of J.S. Bach is satisfying on all levels: emotionally, intellectually, technically and historically. It has given me so much pleasure and happiness all through my life, that I want to encourage all the students to dedicate some valuable time of their important formative years at the university to studying his music. The competition will be a very good incentive for them to include some of Bach’s works in their repertoire that I hope will give them the same pleasure for their entire lives.” While the 12th edition of this prestigious competition will feature Bach’s works in both rounds, students will also perform pieces from Russell’s extensive repertoire.