Frank Koonce is internationally acclaimed as a performer, teacher, and writer. He holds degrees from the North Carolina School of the Arts and from Southern Methodist University, studying first with Jesús Silva and then with Robert Guthrie. In 1974-75, he was a Fulbright Scholar and performer in Italy where he studied with Sergio Notaro and Alirio Diaz.
Mr. Koonce's creative output includes an authoritative guitar edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's complete solo lute works and the world-premiere recording in English of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's "Platero and I" for narrator and guitar (Summit, DCD 1002). He has also recorded an album entitled "A Southwest Christmas" with the Phoenix Bach Choir (Soundset, SR 1005) and is featured in a live concert video with the renowned composer/guitarist, Nikita Koshkin (Mel Bay 99231VX). As a founding partner of Soundset Recordings, he has helped produce other classical compact discs, including a premiere recording of works by Alan Hovhaness with the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony Orchestra and the first two recordings of Nikita Koshkin.
A professor of music, Koonce has directed the guitar program at Arizona State University since 1978. He was director of "Guitar Festival 1987," an international event jointly sponsored by the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) and the American String Teachers Association, and has since served as chair the GFA Advisory Board. He is an active performer, with recitals to his credit in England, Korea, Macedonia, Taiwan, China, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, The Czech Republic, Austria, and throughout the United States.