"Juan Manuel is a wonderful musician with wonderful musical instincts, great playing skills and a deep knowledge of everything he plays."
Prof. Alexander-Sergei Ramírez
Robert Schumann Hochschule
"Listening to Juan Manuel is always a rewarding musical experience. His technical precision and fluidity, richness of timbre and interpretative depth make him an exceptional guitarist."
Alejandro Valencia Duque
Universidad EAFIT
"Juan Manuel Molano's clarity and knowledge of the repertoire he offered are, to a large extent, one of the reasons for his prolix execution."
Press
Red Cultural del Banco de la República de Colombia
"Juan Manuel pushed the limits of what is usual in this kind of concert, and told a story (...) He told us about the stories behind the pieces and, by the hand of their protagonists, made visible the threads that united them."
Press
Red Cultural del Banco de la República de Colombia
Biography
Colombian guitarist Juan Manuel Molano has been awarded prizes at various international competitions in Europe and Latin America and has been a multiple-time winner of the Jóvenes Intérpretes series of the Banco de la República of Colombia. Thanks to his great sensitivity and technical command, he has established himself as one of the most outstanding Colombian guitarists of his generation.
Juan Manuel graduated with honors from Universidad EAFIT in Colombia and later from the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Germany, where he studied with Alejandro Valencia and Alexander-Sergei Ramirez, respectively. He is currently pursuing the Konzertexamen degree at the Musikhochschule Münster under the guidance of Marcin Dylla, and is a scholarship holder of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). He has also participated in masterclasses with renowned guitarists such as David Russell, Joaquín Clerch, Álvaro Pierri, Ricardo Gallén, Judicaël Perroy, Gabriel Bianco, and Hubert Käppel, among others.
His work as a performer encompasses a wide range of styles, from Renaissance music to contemporary repertoire. Driven by a strong interest in Latin American music of the 20th and 21st centuries, he completed an exchange program in 2018 at the University of São Paulo in Brazil under the guidance of Edelton Gloeden.
As a soloist, Juan Manuel regularly performs on stages across Europe and Latin America, appearing in numerous concert series and international guitar festivals. Alongside his artistic career, he is also active as a teacher at the Music School of the city of Moers in Germany.
Awards
1st prize Comarca el Condado International Guitar Competition. Spain, 2026.
1st prize AIERSI International Guitar Competition. Italy, 2025.
1st prize Jüchen International Guitar Competition. Germany, 2025.
2nd prize Culiacán International Guitar Competition. Mexico, 2025.
1st prize Albania International Guitar Competition. Albania, 2024.
Winner of Jóvenes Intérpretes del Banco de la República de Colombia years: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2018.
1st prize Mauricio de Oliveira International Guitar Competition. Brazil, 2021.
Honorable mention Panama International Guitar Competition. Panama, 2019.
1st prize Uniquindío National Guitar Competition. Colombia, 2018.
2nd prize El Nogal National Guitar Competition. Colombia, 2018.
3rd prize Fernando Sor International Classical Guitar Competition. Colombia, 2017.
1st prize Concurso Jóvenes Talento de la Orquesta Sinfónica EAFIT. Colombia, 2017.
