Johan Smith at Foothill Community Presbyterian Church

In Music February 2, 2022 by Grace Stetson

CONCERTO: Johan Smith is the year's classical guitar revelation.

The South Bay Guitar Society starts its 2022 season with a bang, hosting just the right classical virtuoso guitarist for the job in Johan Smith. The Geneva-based guitarist is the 2019 winner of the Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist competition, and was also hailed in 2017 as the year’s “Classical Guitar Revelation” by French magazine Guitare Classique. Yet, that’s not all he has to offer—outside of the classical riffs, he’s also the founder, composer and performer in the Swiss technical/death metal band Stortregn.