Guitarists You Should Know: Kevin Loh

By Dave Belcher

There is certainly no dearth of great young classical guitarists out there. Any of the many international competitions will give you a taste of just how high the level of talent—in terms of technique and musicianship—is out there these days. It is a truly exciting time for the classical guitar.

There are several among these excellent young guitarists, however, that merit special attention. Kevin Loh Kai Wen (娄楷文) from Singapore is up near the top of that list. Now seventeen years old, Kevin has been playing and performing classical guitar from a very young age. His YouTube page (under the name “Optichero”) has video performances that go back to when he was just five.

For the past several years Kevin has had the distinction of studying at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK with Richard Wright. In 2012 Kevin became the first Singaporean ever to win the Youth section of the Guitar Foundation of America’s international competition (one among several of his top prizes at international competitions). Kevin made a special contribution to the arts in Singapore in his landmark 2013 premiere of Singaporean composer Bernard Tan’s Guitar Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Kevin is a wonderful musician and a guitarist to look out for—one who, though young, has already been playing in many concert settings around the world. Be sure to check him out.

Please enjoy here Kevin’s performance of the “Gigue” from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sixth Cello Suite (BWV 1012)—in his teacher Richard Wright’s transcription.