Guitarist Peppino D'Agostino immigrated twenty years ago to America to pursue his dream as both a composer and performer. Those early days as a struggling street musician (and sometimes house painter and vegetable seller) in San Francisco now seem far behind. Peppino has since released ten critically acclaimed albums and a DVD in the US, and two CDs in Europe. D'Agostino has been praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as "a poet...among the best talents around", lauded by Acoustic Guitar as "one of the most capable composers among fingerstyle guitarists," applauded by the San Diego Times as " potentially a giant of the acoustic guitar," and touted by Jazziz as a "phenom in the same league with John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Doc Watson and John Renbourn." A busy touring schedule has whisked him from Carnegie Hall to Wolftrap, and to music places such as the Vancouver Festival where he's shared the stage with such noted guitarists as Leo Kottke, Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, Laurindo Almeida, Michael Hedges, David Bromberg, David Grisman, John Lee Hooker, and Egberto Gismonti.

D'Agostino, who claims to have been "obsessed" with music since his childhood, is still exploring and expanding. Few can match Peppino's combined technical prowess and lyrical artistry on the steel string, and not many are as eager to challenge the limits of their instrument--using unconventional tunings, playing the notes on the fretboard only with the left hand while simultaneously creating percussive effects with the right hand and inventing a mini orchestra of sounds that, on first listen, seem almost impossible for one lone guitar.

Italian born D’Agostino was first drawn to the guitar after watching his cousin perform during church services in his hometown of Torino; the self-taught musician began picking out tunes by ear, and inspired by legends like Paco de Lucia, Leo Kottke and Carlos Santana, was composing and recording solo throughout Italy by the age of 18. Immigrating to San Francisco in 1984 to pursue his dream as a composer and performer, he paid his dues as a street musician before developing into a world renowned recording artist and performer critics have long hailed as “a poet…among the best talents around” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “one of the most capable composers among fingerstyle guitarists” (Acoustic Guitar magazine).

In addition to regularly performing concerts throughout North and South America, Canada and Europe, D’Agostino has been featured on numerous guitar samplers alongside greats like Pat Metheny, Mike Stern and John Scofield; written numerous guitar instructional books and videos; and in 1997 wrote, composed and produced a soundtrack for the feature length Italian movie Ardena, directed by Luca Barbareschi. D'Agostino was recently a featured guitarist in the World Guitar Ensemble, an ensemble composed of seven of the world's top classical guitarists and D'Agostino on steel string. His most recent recording is this year's Bayshore Road on Favored Nations