Alexander Dunn (1955–2024)
Alexander Dunn, instructor of guitar in the Department of Music at the University of California, Irvine, passed away on May 8, 2024.
Dunn earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in guitar performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and completed a Ph.D. in musicology at the University of California, San Diego, where he studied with the Spanish masters Pepe, Angel, and Celin Romero. From 1990 to 2024 he taught guitar at the University of Victoria, and from 2021 to 2024 he taught guitar performance and led the guitar ensemble at UC Irvine.
An accomplished concert performer of classical and contemporary music, Dunn was also widely recognized as a prolific arranger and transcriber of works for guitar, a dedicated teacher of many successful students, and a vital member of the international community of classical guitarists.
Maestro Pepe Romero said of him:
“I have played with Alex on many occasions, with orchestra and in duo concerts, with great pleasure. He brings tremendous energy to performances, and I always anticipated working with this wonderful player. I also regard him as one of the finest teachers I have encountered, with great sensitivity and musical intelligence whose teaching is marked by an outstanding ability to produce musical results, an ear for all styles and periods, and amazing sight reading. With his inspiring musicianship and technical prowess, he is truly a musician’s musician.”
