There are young musicians whose promise is easy to hear, and others who already seem to have arrived. Penelope Shvarts is rapidly making a case for the latter.

Still completing her studies with Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Institute, Shvarts has already developed a musical voice with unusually broad roots. She has studied classical and flamenco guitar since the age of five, and her playing moves comfortably through music separated by centuries, national styles, and very different ideas of what the guitar can do.

Audiences beyond Baltimore are beginning to take notice. Soundboard singled out her appearance in the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Youth Competition finals as one of the event’s “memorable performances.” More recently, Shvarts was a finalist at the 2026 Hubert Käppel International Guitar Competition in Germany, where she also received the Prix Savarez. Yet the awards tell only part of the story. What makes Shvarts compelling is the sense that technique is serving a larger musical idea: phrasing, character, contrast, and a clear reason for every piece to be on the program.

Some members of the Wilmington Classical Guitar community had an early opportunity to hear Shvarts at an intimate event in December. That performance left us eager to bring her back and put her before our full concert audience.

On March 27, we get that chance.

Works to be performed by Bach, Barrios, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Amelkina-Vera, and Torroba.

MASTERCLASS
3/27/27: Penelope Shvarts will be teaching a masterclass in the afternoon, March 27 at 1:00 pm in the West Room of Covenant Community Center. The masterclass is free to observe and open to the public, but registration is required. Register as an auditor to sit in and hear what Ms. Shvarts has to teach our guest performers, or register as a performer for your chance to perform for Penelope and have her critique your performance (a small tuition fee applies). Register as either an auditor or performer in our Online Store.

About the Artist

A versatile artist, Penelope Shvarts has studied both classical and flamenco guitar since she was just 5 years old with teachers Gohar Vardanyan, Elysa and Jason Hochman, and Grisha and Dmitry Goryachev. She has played in masterclasses with many well-known artists, some of which being Sharon Isbin, Eliot Fisk, Jason Vieaux, Ana Vidovic, and Meng Su. In the fall of 2023, Penelope began her undergraduate degree in classical guitar performance at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where she studies under Maestro Manuel Barrueco. With a list of international accolades, Penelope’s most recent competitions include the First Prize at the UF Guitar Festival and Competition Open Division, Youth Prize at the Tino Andersen International Guitar Festival, and Finalist & Savarez Prize Winner at the Rhine Guitar Festival (formerly Koblenz).

While playing, she has worked with the organizations Notelove and Midori & Friends, where she helps to promote free music education. She currently serves as the Event Intern and member of the Student Advisory Committee for the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society, streamlining communication between conservatory-level and professional musicians. Penelope also works at the intersection of music and wellness through Peabody’s new Music & Health program, bringing music to public spaces at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Recently, she has been awarded the Peabody Archives Recital Research Grant to continue her work in researching non-male composers and the works that they have written for the classical guitar. She hopes to continue this research in order to diversify the standard classical guitar repertoire and make music more inclusive as a whole.