Biography

The secret of this charismatic guitarist lies in his extraordinarily fine musical sensitivity, with which he interprets repertoire from the baroque era to the present. Flowers possess the ability to emotionally connect with each piece and explores their atmospheric essence to the fullest. It is a special art of musicianship to be able to bring not only sounds, but also meditative silence itself, to life. - Darmstädter Echo

Through his masterful command of the classical guitar's rich sound-world, Jesse Flowers has enthralled critics and the public alike. His playing has captivated audiences at renowned venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh Festival, and the Musikverein in Vienna, and has taken him on concert tours spanning his homeland Australia, Europe, China, and the USA.

Flowers has received prizes at not only a number of international solo guitar competitions, in Salzburg, Zagreb, London, Koblenz, Nürtingen, Alessandria, and Darmstadt, but also at prestigious multi-instrumental competitions, including the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb and the Prinzessin Margaret von Hessen Wettbewerb. 

Flowers thrives on collaboration, frequently performing in a variety of chamber music settings. Most prominently, he performs duo recitals with Julia Spies (mezzo-soprano) and Ildikó Szabó (cello). These concerts often feature his unique arrangements of an array of composers, spanning from Schubert to Debussy, Bach to Piazzolla, and also newly commissioned pieces. 

An integral part of Flowers’ mission is to grow the repertoire of the classical guitar, a commitment he fulfils through new arrangements, and collaborating with composers to commission original pieces. He has premiered new works by Olivia Davies, Petra Szászi and João Luiz, and aspires to add to this list in the coming years.

As of April 2020, Flowers is Professor for Guitar at the Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt in Germany, where he teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Beyond this he also gives masterclasses at guitar festivals and universities across the world. 

Born in Sydney to an Australian-Singaporean father and a German mother, Flowers earned his Bachelor of Music at the Australian National University, studying under the guidance of Minh Le Hoang and Timothy Kain. In 2014, he relocated to Germany, commencing his studies with Tilman Hoppstock in Darmstadt (Akademie Für Tonkunst) and later Thomas Müller-Pering in Berlin (Universität der Künste). Throughout his musical journey, the late composer Phillip Houghton served as a significant and cherished mentor.