Photo/Pinsky Studio

About James Lorusso

James Lorusso has devoted most of his life to the guitar for the past 40 years, as a performer, teacher, arranger, composer. He has taught at the Music Conservatory of Westchester since 1973, Manhattanville College since 1976, and Westchester Community College since 1993.

His love of Renaissance and Baroque music, arranging works from piano, harpsichord, and lute, and his studies with Narciso Yepes led him to play the 10-string guitar in 1978. After placing in several international competitions, he gave his New York debut in CAMI hall in 1984. He still performs on both the traditional 6-string and 10-string guitar, as a soloist as well as in duo with his wife, MaryAnn, who is also a guitarist and Renaissance lutenist.

To Motivate & Inspire

Photo/Pinsky Studio

Constantly looking for new ways to motivate and inspire his students, Mr. Lorusso has arranged many popular songs and classical pieces, and has also composed many short works, all of these on a variety of levels, giving more flexibility to the teaching process. Many pieces on many levels means there is something for everybody. This has been done with the goal of creating a smooth and more interesting transition from the most basic to a very advanced level of playing. The result is a fresh new approach for classical and fingerstyle guitar.