Belgium
saturday, may 23rd – 8 pm
Booking information coming soon
Raphaella Smits performs worldwide with her unique style on eight-string guitars and historical instruments. She has been described as “an extraordinarily musical guitarist” (Tim Page, The New York Times), “Une Grande Musicienne,” and “one of the most sensitive and cultivated performers of our time” (Jean Bernard, Diapason, France).
In 2019, she received the prestigious award “Por su aporte a la Guitarra y la Cultura” in Argentina, presented during the Festival Guitarras del Mundo.
Alongside her intense concert activity, Raphaella Smits has recorded 25 albums, many of which are considered essential listening for lovers of high-level music-making. She continues to produce new and valuable recordings to this day.
She is also widely recognized as a highly inspiring pedagogue, both in the field of guitar and chamber music. She taught at the Lemmens Institute / LUCA School of Arts in Leuven (Belgium) from 1986 to 2022. She currently gives regular masterclasses throughout Europe, North and South America, and Japan.
Organizers of international music competitions frequently invite her to serve as a jury member or jury president, appreciating her exceptional balance of judgment and her ability to offer thoughtful and empathetic feedback to candidates.
Raphaella studied classical music at the Royal Conservatories of Antwerp and Brussels. At the same time, she further refined her studies with José Tomás at the “Cátedra Andrés Segovia” in Spain. It was during these formative years that her concert career began to flourish, and she established herself as a devoted advocate of the eight-string guitar.
In 1986, she became the first woman to win First Prize at the “XX Certamen Internacional de Guitarra Francisco Tárrega” in Benicàssim, one of the most prestigious international guitar competitions. This success consolidated a career already marked by significant awards in the competitions of Granada and Palma de Mallorca. Jury presidents Andrés Segovia and Narciso Yepes both expressed their admiration for her musicality, showing remarkable foresight in their confidence in her future achievements.
Alirio Diaz International Guitar Festival 