Thomas Kikta
As a classical guitarist, vocalist, composer, pedagogue, producer, audio engineer and author, Thomas Kikta is a versatile artist who has been the director of the Classical Guitar and Recording Arts and Sciences at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. for thirty years.
A native of Pittsburgh, he studied Classic Guitar performance with Aaron Shearer at both the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has performed around the country, including collaborations with the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, Ricardo Cobo, Manuel Barrueco and for such dignitaries as Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison.
After working closely with Aaron Shearer for over 28 years, he with Mr. Shearer coauthored the 3rd edition of the best selling and benchmark work "Classic Guitar Technique Vol 1," which was nominated for "Best Instructional Book or Video for 2009" by Music and Sound Retailer.
As an Alanna Records Recording Artist, Thomas Kikta has recorded on numerous internationally released albums with the New Century Saxophone Quartet, Stephen Pollock, Amanda Ford, and Ken Karsh. Working with six time Grammy Award winning engineer Jay Dudt, Kikta wrote, performed and produced the 2015 released album 2Believe with the Colourtime Project, winner of Best Jazz Album and Best Music Video by the Akademia Music Awards.
As Vice-President of the Aaron Shearer Foundation, Mr Kikta lectures around the country at conservatories, conventions and music festivals including "The Shearer Summer Institute at Zion National Park", a weeklong festival that combines guitar and the love of high country hiking into one amazing event.
Thomas Kikta is an artist endorsee for Alfred Publishing, Alhambra Guitars, D'Addario Strings, Line 6 and Fishman Electronics. As a Co-founder and Board Chairman of the Guitar Society of Fine Arts, Pittsburgh audiences enjoyed a decade of world class guitar music as well as free music lessons for underprivileged children. Thomas Kikta along with members of the Shearer family founded The Aaron Shearer Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving and propagating the teachings and legacy of the revolutionary guitar pedagogue, Aaron Shearer.
A native of Pittsburgh, he studied Classic Guitar performance with Aaron Shearer at both the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has performed around the country, including collaborations with the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, Ricardo Cobo, Manuel Barrueco and for such dignitaries as Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison.
After working closely with Aaron Shearer for over 28 years, he with Mr. Shearer coauthored the 3rd edition of the best selling and benchmark work "Classic Guitar Technique Vol 1," which was nominated for "Best Instructional Book or Video for 2009" by Music and Sound Retailer.
As an Alanna Records Recording Artist, Thomas Kikta has recorded on numerous internationally released albums with the New Century Saxophone Quartet, Stephen Pollock, Amanda Ford, and Ken Karsh. Working with six time Grammy Award winning engineer Jay Dudt, Kikta wrote, performed and produced the 2015 released album 2Believe with the Colourtime Project, winner of Best Jazz Album and Best Music Video by the Akademia Music Awards.
As Vice-President of the Aaron Shearer Foundation, Mr Kikta lectures around the country at conservatories, conventions and music festivals including "The Shearer Summer Institute at Zion National Park", a weeklong festival that combines guitar and the love of high country hiking into one amazing event.
Thomas Kikta is an artist endorsee for Alfred Publishing, Alhambra Guitars, D'Addario Strings, Line 6 and Fishman Electronics. As a Co-founder and Board Chairman of the Guitar Society of Fine Arts, Pittsburgh audiences enjoyed a decade of world class guitar music as well as free music lessons for underprivileged children. Thomas Kikta along with members of the Shearer family founded The Aaron Shearer Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving and propagating the teachings and legacy of the revolutionary guitar pedagogue, Aaron Shearer.