Regarded for her beautiful tone and sensitive music-making, guitarist Candice Mowbray shares the expressive and communicative qualities of her playing through programs of modern and classic works: from the playful acrobatics in Danse rythmique by French guitar virtuoso, Ida Presti, to the elegance and solemnity of Fernando Sor’s Fantaisie élégiaque, listeners enjoy her artful programming and thoughtful interpretations.
Appearing as a soloist, ensemble musician and guest lecturer, Mowbray has been a featured artist at many festivals and concert series such as the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society Series, Toronto Guitar Weekend, Knoxville Guitar Series, Bethlehem Guitar Festival, Austin Peay GuitarFest, Charlottesville Guitar Festival, Lonestar Guitar Festival, Ibero-American Guitar Festival at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian and Guitar Foundation of America Convention in Los Angeles. She is the recipient of a 2020 Maryland State Art Council Independent Artist Award and has performed with Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Wolftrap Opera, Satori, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington and National String Symphonia. Mowbray has been an active chamber musician performing with numerous esteemed artists in the greater Washington D.C. and Philadelphia area, and can be heard playing classical, electric and steel-string acoustic guitar in music theater and interdisciplinary arts productions.
Mowbray’s CD, Reverie, been featured on radio shows such as InTune (BBC Radio 3), The Intimate Guitar (Dayton, OH), G-Strings with Tom Cole (Washington D.C.) and Musica Mundi (Boulder, CO). Blair Jackson of Classical Guitar Magazine called the album, “a revelation!” and one of the Top 10 CD picks of the year. The album is comprised of twentieth-century and contemporary French compositions intertwined by homage including solo works by the great guitar duo, Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya.
Candice Mowbray attended Shepherd University from 1996 until 1999 and received a Bachelor of Arts: Music Composition degree. After graduating from Shepherd University, Mowbray earned a Master of Music in classical guitar performance from Shenandoah Conservatory from where she continued on to earn the doctorate of Musical Arts degree, studying with Dr. Glenn Caluda.
Mowbray earned the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Classical Guitar Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory where she studied with Dr. Glenn Caluda. Also influential were private lessons and masterclasses with many internationally renowned artists including Berta Rojas, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Sharon Isbin, Roland Dyens, Julian Gray, Serap Bastepe-Gray, Ron Pearl, Gerry Kunkel, Angel Romero, Ricardo Cobo, Eduardo Isaac, Maximo Diego Pujol and Victor Villadangos.
Dr. Mowbray has taught courses in classical guitar, music history, fundamentals, and appreciation of the broader humanities at Shepherd University, Shenandoah Conservatory, Hagerstown Community College, Frederick Community College, Cumberland Valley School of Music and other schools in the mid-Atlantic region. She has worked with students of all ages as a guest clinician and adjudicator, and greatly enjoys researching, writing and speaking about music. An experienced lecturer, Mowbray’s musical talks have been described as “enthusiastic” and “insightful” in Classical Guitar Magazine and The Morning Call. Although Mowbray lectures on a variety of topics, she has been an advocate for increasing awareness about the contributions of women in the history of guitar. Her doctoral thesis, “Ida Presti as a Solo Performer and Composer of Works for Solo Guitar” is published by ProQuest and related publications include “Recordings to Revisit: Ida Presti’s Solo Recordings” in Soundboard, “Introducing Ida Presti” in Prodigies.