Raven Dow-Hygelund

Raven Dow-Hygelund is currently a sophomore at CU Boulder, where she is a recipient of the Sher Distinguished Musician Scholarship, and is pursuing degrees in both classical guitar performance and neuroscience. She began her journey in classical guitar at age 8. Since then, she has also studied flamenco and bossa nova styles, and gained experience in chamber music and voice with self-accompaniment. Through her dedication to guitar, Raven has discovered that music allows her to express herself more authentically and connect more deeply with her audience than she can with words.

As an adolescent, Raven won several prizes in competitions and performed in numerous masterclasses with some of the most accomplished classical and flamenco guitarists. In addition to solo performance, she has participated in guitar ensembles and orchestras, and at age 15 performed the 2nd movement of the Villa Lobos guitar concerto for guitar and small orchestra as a concerto soloist. Raven has played in guitar festivals throughout the United States and in Canada, and in 2019 she performed in concert with the Pacific Northwest band, Flamenco Pacifico. Finally, Raven was also selected to participate in the 2020 Virtual Guitar Orchestra production “Relampiños” by Adam Del Monte that incorporated classical and flamenco guitarists from all around the world.

Raven began teaching in high school, where she mentored youth in classical guitar study. As a teacher, she aims to build a strong technical foundation in guitar with her students in order to help them achieve their goals in whatever style they wish to play. She is comfortable working with students of any ability, and believes in a flexible approach that takes into account their interests. Ultimately, Raven hopes to inspire others to find their musical voice and help bring solo guitar to the main stage.