Manuel Gutierrez Rojas

Manuel Gutierrez Rojas’s reputation as a brilliant performer has not been established worldwide, but in several ways, he doesn’t mind that. He makes music, because it’s his passion and his way of living, not because he wants his fame.

Born in The Hague in 1985, Manuel began playing the guitar at 14 years of age. During his Pre-University studies, he studied classical guitar with Otto Wolthuis, and later switched to rock & blues with Loek van der Knaap. He also discovered his passion for singing, studying Bel Canto with Muriel van Dinteren, and performing at school as a guitarist, singer, and actor. Manuel attended the Conservatory Codarts Rotterdam for 4 years, where he studied with Paco Peña, Ricardo Mendeville, and Alexander Preuss.

Outside of the flamenco world, he has influences from classic rock and progressive metal bands. John Petrucci, Nuno Bettencourt, James Hetfield, Brian May are notable influences for guitar, while Geoff Tate, James LaBrie, Freddie Mercury, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and Adam Lopez are vocal influences. In his conservatory studies, he also discovered a lot of very interesting and beautiful classical music, like Gustav Holst, Bach, and Chopin.