Born in Cali, Colombia, Antonio Cobo began taking guitar lessons at age six on an instrument given to him by his grandfather; it would become his companion while traveling throughout South America and while living for three years in Spain, Italy and France. Demonstrating the abilities of a natural prodigy, Cobo was sent to the Settlement Musical School at Temple University, Philadelphia; by the age of 16, he was already a music professor for classical guitar at the Music Conservatory, a position he held for five years.
Subsequently relocating to Europe, he studied with Andres Segovia and Alirio Diaz. Expanding his repertoire, Cobo is now proficient on harp, tipple, quattro, charango, bouzouki, keyboards and Latin percussion. " The first song I remember hearing was " Esperanza ( Hope by Luis Morale) ", Cobo remembers. " And the first record I purchased was " The Accent is in the Rhythm" by Los Indios Tabajara. What impressed me about this guitar duo was their precision, technique, and speed. Now, I'm influenced by Sabica, the king of flamenco, for his agility and digitization, as well as solist Alfredo Gil of Los Panchos for his technique and style. I'd love to play with Paco de Lucia because I would be able to learn so much from him, but I'd also like to accompany Julio Iglesias."
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