David Dueñas

David Dueñas, a versatile performer and teacher, began playing the guitar at age 12 at the Guam Academy of Music and Arts, under the virtuoso flamenco guitarist, Adelo Alcaraz. Mr. Dueñas received a Bachelors Degree in Music from the California State University in Hayward, and a Masters in Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He is indebted to his teachers, the late Jim Bertram, Mark Stefani, Dave Eshelman, and Dusan Bogdanovic.

He has performed with the Orchestra de Lyon, France, San Jose Jazz Festival, Omni Performances, San Francisco Classical Guitar Society, and Centro Universitario Marianum, Rome, Italy. Mr. Dueñas teaches privately in Antioch, California, and is on the music faculty at Santa Clara University, and Civic Arts Education located in Walnut Creek. David plays a 1994 Paul Jacobsen guitar.

Mark Simons

Mark Simons has performed and taught internationally for nearly two decades. He has been heard several times on National Public Radio and toured briefly as a member of the renowned Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Mark studied and trained with several of the world's leading musical artists in classical, popular, and improvisatory styles. Former teachers include David Leisner, Mick Goodrick, Benjamin Verdery, William Kanengiser, Julian Gray and Gary Thomas. He holds degrees from the New England Conservatory, Tufts University, the University of Southern California and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

Among numerous awards and honors, Mark was the recipient of Fulbright and Peabody scholarships, winner of the 1996 Baltimore Chamber Music Awards Competition and the sole American invited to perform in the 1990 Tokyo International Guitar Competition. Also an experienced teacher, Mark has run private studios in Boston, Stuttgart, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Baltimore, and Santa Barbara. He currently teaches privately in San Francisco, at the Marin Music Conservatory, and at the City College of San Francisco. Mark plays a guitar by Paulino Bernabe, Madrid.

Patrick O'Connell

Shortly after Patrick O'Connell began playing the guitar, he was performing around the country in master classes held by such artists as Christopher Parkening, Manuel Barrueco, Antigoni Goni, Scott Tennant, Aniello Desiderio, and Tilman Hoppstock. He received his Bachelors degree in guitar performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Manuel Barrueco and Ray Chester in 2003. Upon entering his graduate studies, Patrick was awarded the extraordinary opportunity of giving his Carnegie Hall debut in 2005. In 2006, Patrick received his Masters degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he studied with David Tanenbaum, Dusan Bogdanovic, and Mark Teicholz.

Jon Mendle

Since making his Carnegie Hall debut at age 20, classical guitarist Jon Mendle is rapidly building a career as a performer, teacher, arranger, and composer. Jon began studying the guitar at the age of 12, and is currently a graduate student at the San Francisco Conservatory under the tutelage of renowned guitarist Sergio Assad, pursuing a Master of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance. 

Jon's primary instrument is an 11-string archguitar built in 2007 by Alan Perlman of San Francisco. The archguitar is a hybrid of the Renaissance and Baroque lutes, 19th century guitar, and modern guitar, making it ideal for a large cross section of early music. Jon received a Bachelor of Music in classical guitar performance in 2007 from the Conservatory.  In 2009 he won the San Francisco Conservatory guitar concerto competition, and will be performing Villa-Lobos’ Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra with the Conservatory Orchestra in 2010.  Outside of the classical world, Jon enjoys playing the occasional punk rock show.