An Malvina- Johann Kaspar Mertz, Cristobal Selame

Caspar Joseph Mertz was born in Pressburg, now Bratislava , then the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and part of the Austrian Empire. He was active in Vienna (c.1840-1856), which had been home to various prominent figures of the guitar, including Anton Diabelli, Mauro Giuliani, Wenceslaus Matiegka and Simon Molitor. A virtuoso, he established a solid reputation as a performer. He toured Moravia, Poland, and Russia, and gave performances in Berlin and Dresden.
In 1846 Mertz nearly died of an overdose of strychnine that had been prescribed to him as a treatment for neuralgia. Over the following year he was nursed back to health in the presence his wife, the concert pianist Josephine Plantin whom he married in 1842.
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Cristobal Selame became the first undergraduate to ever win the prestigious “Guitar Concerto Competition” at the respected San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2013. Sergio Assad has described his playing as “inspired,” saying, “every note comes straight from his heart.” Selame has been invited to perform in prestigious festivals such as the “Mauro Biasini International Festival and Competition” where he performed the Giuliani Concerto op.30 in A major.
Classical Guitar Magazine said: “…Selamé appeared to have no trouble negotiating the speedy passages in the first and third movements, and handled the middle Andantino with great feeling and delicacy…”
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​Selame first came to United States in 2012 as a mere holiday summer trip. In this trip he met the Guitar teacher at “Cal Fresno” Dr. Corey Whitehead, who described Cristobal as the following: “… I have only been working with Cristóbal now for a few weeks, but I must say he is the most talented 17-year-old classical guitarist I have met in 20 years. His repertoire is extensive and varied and one that he plays with command…”
He has participated in masterclasses with world-renowned guitarists such as David Russell, Marcin Dylla, Alvaro Pierri, Richard Savino and Manuel Barrueco. Selame has previously studied in his hometown, Santiago Chile, with Jaime Calisto at the “Modern Music Institue” and with Luis Orlandini at the “University of Chile”.
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Cristobal recently got accepted to do his master program at the prestigious academy of Music in Darmstadt (Germany), under the instruction of the famous musician and pedagogue Tilman Hoppstock
​Guitar Maker: Glenn Canin