Guitar with Marlon O.

While some musicians achieve their success by their talents, others, like guitarist Marlon Oliveira, earn it through their hard work, perseverance, and dedication. Motivated by his passion to bring the wonderful music of the classical guitar to a wider audience, Oliveira has overcome many obstacles to his goals: He started the guitar at the late age of 16, significantly behind his peers in music school; he did not pass his first audition to get into music school, but changed his teacher and worked even harder to get in; and he overcame the debilitating effects of Repetitive Strain Injury that plagued him for 3 years by committing himself the study of better technique, better health, and better practice habits. Oliveira says, “The injury slowed me down a bit, but I remained persistent in my practice and my studies and I have recovered so that I can still play, something I am very happy about”. Before auditioning for music school, Oliveira was enrolled at Queens College as an undeclared major. “I was scared to do music, because it seemed like such a hard living, especially when I saw many other guitarists drop out of the music program. But then I realized if I didn’t devote myself fully to the study of music, then nothing was going to happen with it, so I put everything else off to the side to pursue my degree and a life of music.”Since earning his degree in music, Oliveira continues teaching music for a living. Since his graduation in 2011, Oliveira has performed at the International Toronto BrazilFest, at LIC Concerts, with the NYC Guitar Orchestra, and in many private events.