F. Hand Biography

Frederic Hand is a guitarist and composer who lives in the New York City area. His versatile performances range from early music to jazz to his own compositions, and he has been a guest artist at the Mostly Mozart Festival, the Marlboro Music Festival, with the New York Philharmonic, the Waverly Consort, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, among others. As a composer, his scores have been featured in films starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert DeNiro (This Boy's Life), Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep (Kramer vs Kramer) and Sean Connery (The Next Man), as well as television programs Sesame Street, As the World Turns and The Guiding Light. He has also shared televised camera time with Meg Ryan, Marisa Tomei and Anne Heche.

For 20 years, Fred has been the official guitarist for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. This esteemed position has given him the opportunity to work with some of the finest musicians in the music world, including international opera superstars Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti as well as conductors James Levine, Julius Rudel, Vladimir Gergiev, Sir Andrew Davis, Marcello Viotti, Carlos Kleiber, and many more.

Frederic Hand is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music and studied in England with Julian Bream on a Fulbright scholarship. Hand is currently chairman of the Classical Guitar department at the State University of New York at Purchase and he also serves on the faculties of the Mannes College of Music and Bennington College.