Eric Symons is a guitarist composer who lives for the roots of the instrument by embracing the Spanish tradition, with a love that is inspired by his own maternal Spanish heritage.
Reviewers have given him numerous credits and accolades in recent years. Rocco Ruggiero of the Napa Register proclaimed Eric in 1997 “Not only a great musician, but when he plays the instrument, he is a magician!”
A prodigy of Maestros Angel and Celedonio Romero, Eric gave his first concert at age sixteen in his native Hollywood, California, performing masterworks by composers such as Tedesco, Bach and Albeniz. At age 20 he performed Concierto Del Sur by Ponce with the Reno Philharmonic. This was only three years after turning professional and joining the Musician’s Union . During this period he also studied composition at the Boston Conservatory with Larry Smith, and with famous film composers Jerry Fielding and Lyle Murphy in Hollywood.
Unlike many guitarists, Eric has had a split career working not only as a professional guitarist, but also as a composer for fine arts and commercial settings. His first love has always been the concert hall and recording.
Eric attributes much of his vitrtuostic success on the instrument to his always close relationship with Maestro Angel Romero, with whom he has been performing in concert in duos and trios with Lito Romero, for the past five years in Canada, South America, Korea, and throughout the US. In 2004 their performance in Washington D.C. received the following praise from the Washington Post:
“Romero and Symons performed (The Spanish Dances of Enrique Granados) in excellent style.”
Eric’s solo concerts in the past two years include the Absolute Music Series the Friedman Center with Soprano/Violinist Wendy Loder, The Junipero Serra Guitar Series in San Diego, a duo concert at Gloria Ferrer with Patrick Imbimbo, and numerous commnity concerts throughot California.
In years past, Symons has career highlights including the grand opening celebrations of Expo ’92 in Seville, Spain, tours nationally representing the Spanish government, and scores of community concerts. For many years, Eric also performed daily at the Fairmont Hotel and the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco.
Eric’s repertoire spans seven centuries, and includes Latin American rhythms, new and old Flamenco, and even Brazilian jazz.
His compositions for the guitar span many styles, as do his compositions for film and video. These are always the highlights of his performances. His recent fifth album, “Serenata”, was released in 2011, and fetures both Wendy Loder and Ptrick Imbimbo in famous Italian and Spanish operatic classics.
The repertoire played in Eric’s concerts is a break from the traditional guitar society program, embracing many styles and reaching a diverse audience, with warmly received commentaries that entice an audience to further understand the wonderfully rich history of the Spanish Guitar.