Billy Arcila

Billy Arcila is considered one of Southern California's prominent classical guitarists. He has received Bachelor and Master's degrees in classical guitar performance at USC. During his tenure at USC, Billy studied with William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant, members of the Grammy Award winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet as well as Prof. James Smith and Brian Head. Billy has taken part in classical guitar master classes with renowned virtuoso and Grammy-winner David Russell, as well as Roland Dyens, and Pepe Romero. Maestro Russell accepted Billy as a private student and, subsequently, Billy spent a year in Spain where he received additional tutelage.

Billy has also studied the Baroque guitar and vihuela, an historic precursor to the guitar, with James Tyler, chair of the early music department at USC and leading authority on early plucked instruments. While in Spain Billy's interest in early music led him to José Miguel Moreno, one of the worlds's leading performers and authorities on the vihuela and lute, from whom he received the vihuela used on the recording "Canto del Cavallero" and invaluable stylistic and technical advice.

In 1999, Billy founded the on-line store Los Angeles Classical Guitars. Since that time, LACG has emerged as a world-wide supplier of classical guitar sheet music, early music facsimiles, accessories as well as concert and student classical guitars.

As a teacher, Billy's methods engage students with a combination of popular music enhanced by the depth of his eclectic background. Billy is on the faculties of Fullerton College, Cerritos College, Cypress College and Pasadena City College.