Ricardo Cobo: ‘Guitar was bewitching’

Tiffany Brown

Classical guitarist Ricardo Cobo plays at his home in Summerlin with his dog, Olli, at his feet. Cobo, who teaches privately and at UNLV, was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, and credits his mother for his love of music. “My mom raised four kids in a third-world country in an all-out civil war and she played piano every day,” he says.

By Kristen Peterson (contact)

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Name: Ricardo Cobo, musician

Age: 47

Education: Bachelor’s in music, Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore; master’s, North Carolina School of the Arts; doctorate, Florida State University.

Guitar man: Cobo debuted at 17 with the Orquesta Filarmonica de Bogota, then went on to become an award-winning, internationally known classical guitarist. He toured nonstop, sometimes performing as many as 130 concerts a year — solo and with orchestras.

He moved here in 2000, teaches guitar at UNLV and in his private studio, and still tours, but only on his terms. It’s a decision he made after putting in his time at airports and on long flights.

How it started: Born and raised in Cali, Colombia, Cobo was surrounded by the arts. His father — a surgeon who founded a medical school — introduced Cobo to different styles of classical guitar. The home was filled with art. The family attended concerts regularly.

Cobo started guitar at age 8. Five years later he was accepted to the Antonio Maria Valencia Conservatory. At 18 he left for the Peabody Conservatory to study with Aaron Shearer.

He credits his mother, who played classical piano, for his deep love of music: “My mom raised four kids in a third-world country in an all-out civil war and she played piano every day.”

Why guitar? “Guitar was bewitching. It seemed impossible. I thought, ‘This is the coolest thing in the world. I’ll never be able to master it. I have to do this.’ It’s complicated because there are so many required levels of skill, but you can bend, squeeze, alter pitch, change color, change tuning and alter dynamics.”

Getting to Vegas: In 1993 Cobo performed a gig at the Sands, then drove to Utah to play in festivals there. On the drive he came across Zion National Park and thought, “This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.” He put on his hiking shoes, explored the park and at dusk it hit him: “I gotta get out of New York. I am not going to get old in the city. I need to experience this more often than I need to experience a coffee shop on Ninth Avenue.”

In 1999 he called a friend about teaching guitar at UNLV and moved here in 2000.

His programming: Not wanting a career performing a “tired, overplayed” repertoire, Cobo expanded from European war horses to newer or lesser-known composers and styles. Recordings include works by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer and various other Latin American composers.

On touring: In his 20s and 30s, Cobo toured all the time, but that got tiring, and after 9/11 traveling became more complicated, expensive and restrictive.

“I still tour. I choose very carefully when I do. I love to play. I go to Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela when I can.”

Classical guitar community here: “It’s nonexistent. There are no classical players of any caliber here. There is only one school with one department. Las Vegas Academy, however, has a beautiful thing happening. Whatever they’re doing with their guitar program, it’s working. It’s fantastic. It should be commended and supported.”

Career in guitar? “It’s an impossible way to make a living. There are no guitar positions in academia. In ’79 and ’80, the guitar programs were opening up. There was new repertoire and new departments. We thought, ‘OK, this is good. The art is flourishing. If we all get our doctorates, we can go anywhere.’ That was a rude awakening.”

Other interests? Hiking, bicycling.

Sticking around? “For a while. I have students. I have obligations. I love the Southwest. I love the parks, but I’d love to live in San Francisco.”