Bio

KRISTO KÄO

Estonian guitarist, tutor and researcher. The author of the unique guitar method book “Guitar School – the key to the practical guitar playing” and founder of the web-based music school www.guitarschool.ee

Education

Kristo has a master degree in music. Graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music as a classical guitar soloist (BA 2002, lector Heiki Mätlik, MA 2006, associate prof. Mait Martin).

He has also studied at the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music in Denmark (2001, prof. Jan-Inge Wijk, associate prof. Jesper Sivebaek) and has studied in masterclasses as an active participant with Kari Äikäs, Hannu Annala, Juan Antonio Muro, Per Skareng, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Nikita Koshkin, Luis Quintero, Ana Vidovic, Scott Tennant, Manuel Barrueco, Reinbert Evers, Jose Miguel Moreno, Mats Bergström, Jesper Sivebaek and Per Palsson.

Recent activities

Kristo is teaching the guitar, chamber ensemble and pedagogical subjects at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Also, he is the author of the unique guitar method book “Guitar School – the key to the practical guitar playing” and the founder of the web-based music school Kitarrikool.eu which is part of his PhD research at the University of Tartu. The Kitarrikool Publishing has published Kristo’s books “Estonian Folk Tunes for the Guitar”+CD, “Guitar School’s quickcourse”+DVD, “Tuning and Maintaining the guitar”+CDR

Recordings

Kristo has released the solo-CD “The Dance Album” and a duo CD with Jorma Puusaag “Kiss on the Water“. Also, a CD with Estonian contemporary guitar music (together with other Estonian guitarists) “30 years of Estonian Guitar Music”  and a DVD with the Tallinn Guitar Quartet. Also, Kristo is playing on a couple of other discs (2 CD-s with a band called “Halo”) and has recorded some new music for the Estonian Public Broadcast. “The Dance Album” has been played by more than a hundred classical music radio stations all over the world.

More

Kristo was the chairman of the Estonian Guitar Society for five years and the artistic director of the annual guitar festival Fiesta de la guitarra. Performing as a soloist and with several chamber ensembles with violin, flute, vocals and a classical guitar duo. Member of the Tallinn Guitar Quartet.