Guitar Hero
Pepperdine Magazine is the feature magazine for Pepperdine University and its growing community of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends.
After a stirring final performance with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Emanuele Buono, 21, of Italy was crowned winner of the prestigious Parkening International Guitar Competition on May 30. Buono received the $30,000 Stotsenberg Prize, the Gold Medal, and a paved path to international renown in the classical guitar world. The second triennial event brought 15 of the world’s preeminent guitarists representing 10 countries to Pepperdine’s Smothers Theatre. A sold-out crowd hung on every note as the final three—Ian Watt, 18, of Scotland; Juuso Nieminen, 29, of Finland; and Buono—competed for the largest prize purse of any classical guitar competition.
