Biography

Noted by ClevelandClassical for his ability to “bring out subtle inner details” and to “communicate directly with the listener”, classical guitarist Gideon Whitehead is quickly establishing himself as an outstanding and captivating artist.  In July 2015, Gideon released his Latin themed album Fiesta!  Throughout the 2015-16 concert season, Gideon will be featured in solo performances throughout Philadelphia as well as in collaboration with Mimi Stillman and the Dolce Suono Ensemble and Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster, David Kim.  Last season, he was featured on radio broadcasts from W-QXR in New York, W-WFM in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania and television appearances on WHYY-TV and YArts in Philadelphia.  In July, 2014, he was selected as the recipient of the Monique Schoen-Warshaw grant by the Salon de Virtuosi competition for which he performed at Steinway Hall in New York City.  This performance was subsequently broadcast on The McGraw-Hill Financial Young Artists Showcase on W-QXR in New York.   He also appeared in solo recitals throughout the greater Philadelphia area and was frequently engaged in performances with flutist Mimi Stillman and the Dolce Suono Ensemble.  Highlights from the 2013-14 concert season include recitals at Grand Rapids Community College (Grand Rapids, MI), Deerfield Presbyterian Church (Deerfield, NJ), and Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY). In June 2013, he celebrated the release of his debut album Russian Romance featuring rarely-played classical guitar music from Russia. Gideon has also presented solo recitals for the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society (Cleveland, OH), the Guitar Society of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI), the Sturgis Council of the Arts (Sturgis, MI), the Louisville Guitar Society (Louisville, KY) and Hope College (Holland, MI) among others. In 2012, he made his New York City debut in a concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As a chamber musician, Gideon has had the honor of collaborating on numerous occasions with world-renowned violinist and Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim. He also performs frequently with flutist Mimi Stillman and the Dolce Suono Ensemble. Since beginning his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2012, Gideon has premiered two works for guitar and string quartet, along with works for solo guitar, guitar and violin, and a song cycle for soprano and guitar. In addition, he has appeared in chamber music performances for the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, the Stars in the Classics series in Cleveland, Ohio, and at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA. Gideon has earned prizes at the James Stroud Guitar Competition and the University of Louisville International Guitar Competition.

Gideon is committed to serving the community through his music. He frequently performs for residents at retirement living centers and nursing homes and presents the classical guitar to school children of all ages as both education and entertainment. While studying at the Cleveland Institute of Music, he was heavily involved in the school’s Community Outreach Program, performing in more than fifty events. During his time at Curtis, Gideon was active as a mentor with the Curtis Community Engagement Mentor Program. In this role, he helped younger students learn more about interacting with diverse audiences. He also served as an administrator for the Mentor Program and the Curtis Career Center. During his first year there, he was selected to participate in Curtis’s newly developed Community Artists Program (CAP), for which he developed a classroom guitar teaching residency at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.

Gideon is an active teacher and has maintained a small, private studio since 2007. He taught at the Csehy summer music camp in Houghton, NY in the summer of 2014 and lead workshops at the inaugural White Lake Guitar Festival in Montague, Michigan in 2012. He has also taught classes in guitar at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Twin Lakes, MI). Gideon holds a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and completed his Artist Diploma at the Curtis Institute of Music in May, 2014 studying with renowned guitarists Jason Vieaux and David Starobin. He has performed in master classes for Manuel Barrueco, Christopher Parkening, Lorenzo Micheli, and Marcin Dylla among others.  Gideon performs on a 2011 Toby Rzepka cedar-top guitar.

Gideon resides with his wife Sarah in Philadelphia, PA.