Bio

In the early 1990s John Fletcher began studying

classical guitar at the “Conservatório Nacional

de Lisboa” (National Conservatory of Lisbon) with

Professor Lopes e Silva, and jazz at the “Hot Club

de Portugal” jazz school, with Mário Delgado

and Pedro Madaleno as teachers. Later he studied

at the “Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa”

with Professors Piñeiro Nagy, António Gonçalves

and Olga Prats. JF also regularly attended

the composition courses oriented by composer Emmanuel Nunes held at Calouste Gulbenkian foundation, and participated in Masterclasses by David Russell, Hopkinson Smith,

Rolf Lislevand, Costas Cotsiolis, Darko Petrinjak, Joaquín Clerch, Hubert Käppel,

Carlo Marchione, Marco Socías, Robert Brightmor, Dejan Ivanovich, Javier Hinojosa,

Turibio Santos, and others.

In 2000 JF proceeded his studies at the Musikhögskolan i Malmö, Sweden, with

Professors Gunnar Spjuth and Göran Söllscher, where he learned to play Altgitarren

(11 string alto guitar).

By the composers request, JF played António Pinho Vargas’s guitar composition

at the series of concerts sponsored by Culturgest in 2002 "António Pinho Vargas

– Obra Completa."

In 2011 JF completed a Masters in guitar teaching, at the Piaget Institute of Almada,

where he developed a research on music in Protestant communities in Lisbon

in between 1945 and 1965, under guidance of Professors Helena Ribeiro de Castro

and Dejan Ivanovich as supervisors. (see research)

In addition to regularly perform solo and chamber music concerts, and to participate

on recordings of various music styles, JF also collaborates in projects covering different

periods and styles, here highlighted: Jogralesca, Orquestra de Jazz Humanitária,

Coro Gospel de Azeitão, Omaira, and duos with clarinetist Fausto Corneo and Luthier Orlando Trindade. (see collaborations)

Currently JF is working with renowned composers, developing new repertoire

for the Altgitarren.

Along with his concert activity JF has been dedicated to teaching classical guitar

at different conservatories in Portugal, and currently teaches at the Conservatório

Regional de Setúbal and Conservatório Regional de Palmela.