William Kanengiser has forged a career that expands the possibilities of the classical guitar. A

prize-winner in major competitions (1987 Concert Artists Guild International Competition,

Toronto Guitar ’81) he has toured throughout North America, Asia, and Europe with his

innovative programs and expressive musicianship. He recorded four CD’s for the GSP label,

playing music as diverse as Caribbean, Eastern European, and jazz. A member of the guitar

faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music since 1983, he has given master classes around the

world and produced two instructional videos. Most recently, he performed the U.S. premiere of

“Folk Concerto” by Clarice Assad, with fellow LAGQ member Scott Tennant, and the Albany

Symphony conducted by David Allan Miller.

​

An active proponent of new music, he recently received a grant from the Augustine Foundation

for his “Diaspora Project,” commissioning seven new works focusing on issues of migration and

assimilation. It includes new pieces by Sergio Assad, Dusan Bogdanovic, Golfam Khayam, and

others. An advocate for musicians, wellness, he serves as Chair of the Thornton Musician’s

Wellness Committee, curating their Wellness Initiative with health screenings and a lecture

series, as well as creating a Musician’s Wellness course.

​

A prolific arranger, he has created dozens of transcriptions for solo guitar and guitar quartet, and

composed a number of works for four guitars. In 2009 he created the stage production “The

Illustrious Gentleman Don Quixote” for narrator and guitar quartet, writing the stage script and

adapting music from the Spanish Renaissance. It was premiered with Monty Python member

John Cleese, and extensively toured with Firesign Theater founder Phil Proctor.

​

As a founding member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, William Kanengiser has given

hundreds of recitals and concerto appearances around the world, and has recorded over a dozen

releases. Their Telarc release “LAGQ Latin” was nominated for a GRAMMY®, and it was their

Telarc title “LAGQ’S Guitar Heroes” which won a GRAMMY® in 2005 as the best classical

crossover recording. Most recently, their recording of the title work on Pat Metheny’s “Road to

the Sun” hit #1 on the Apple Music Classical chart.