BIOGRAPHY
John Marcel Williams is a Philadelphia-based classical guitarist and educator. He serves as Instructor of Guitar at the University of Pennsylvania and as adjunct faculty at Rowan University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society.
By age 16, he had won more than 20 prizes in national and international competitions, including first prizes at the Boston, Rosario, and James Stroud competitions, as well as second prize at the Guitar Foundation of America Young Artist Competition. He has been featured on NPR’s From the Top as a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award and was named a winner of the 2021 Pittsburgh Concert Society Major Artist Award.
He performs frequently as both a soloist and chamber musician. Performance highlights include a debut with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra performing Elmer Bernstein’s Guitar Concerto and multiple tours as a guest artist for the Panama Guitar Festival. At the Curtis Institute of Music, he appeared at Princeton University with the Curtis Guitar Quartet to premiere Paul Lansky’s Four’s Company. He is also a founding member of the New York City Guitar Quartet.
He maintains a private teaching studio in Center City, Philadelphia, working with students of all levels.
John Marcel Williams holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Manuel Barrueco, and a diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Jason Vieaux and David Starobin.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
“No single method works for everyone”
I do not believe in a single method that works for everyone. Every student has different hands and different goals.
My teaching centers on physical mechanics, tone production, and efficient movement. We look closely at what is actually happening in the hands so that technical problems can be identified precisely and addressed directly. Just as important, we work on how to practice: how to isolate difficulty, how to slow things down productively, and how to structure repetition so that it leads to tangible results rather than frustration.
When technique is clear, musical freedom follows and you’re free to focus on the musical ideas instead of managing the mechanics.
If you have questions about my approach or are considering lessons, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to talk through whether it’s a good fit.
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