Michael Fogler

Michael Fogler is the “senior member” of the Lexington Guitar Trio. A native of North Carolina, Michael spent his college years majoring in guitar performance at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with summer studies at the North Carolina School for the Arts in Winston-Salem. At UNC, Michael studied with David Barison, a former student of Alexander LaGoya; and at the North Carolina School for Arts, he studied with a renowned Segovia protégé from Mexico, Jesus Silva. Silva had been personal friends with Segovia and the guitar composers Heitor Villa-Lobos and Manuel Ponce. In 1976, Michael graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in guitar performance from UNC.

From 1976-1978, Michael earned his Master’s Degree in guitar performance from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, where he served as graduate assistant with Bruce Holzman.

During his college time, Michael performed in a number of masterclasses with world-renowned players including Oscar Ghiglia (at the Aspen Music Festival during the summer of 1977 and at other times), Eduardo Fernandez, Eliot Fisk, Robert Guthrie, Manuel Barrueco, and many others. Michael considers Oscar Ghiglia to be the guitarist who has influenced him in the most profound ways musically.

After Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, Michael moved to Kentucky in 1978. Since that time, Michael has been an active solo and chamber music performer, and a college faculty member. Michael has taught for the University of Kentucky and 3 other smaller colleges in the Lexington area.

For a number of years, Michael was a performer with a professional voice and guitar duo with soprano Margaret Kennedy. This duo performed for the annual Guitar Foundation of America Festival among many other venues. In addition, Michael has performed with numerous music faculty at the University of Kentucky involving guitar with violin, flute, cello, and bassoon. He has also performed Romancero Gitano for guitar and chorus by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco with the professional choral group of the region, the Lexington Chamber Chorale. The Lexington Guitar Trio is his top priority these days.

Michael plays a 1976 Kohno which he bought with practically every penny he had while in graduate school.