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Ahmed Dickinson Cárdenas traces his development as a classical guitarist from his childhood in Cuba through his education and professional career in the United Kingdom. His musical upbringing was shaped by an unusually broad cultural environment: children’s choral music, the Cuban classical-guitar tradition, Nueva Trova, African music, Soviet recordings, and popular music such as the Jackson Five.

His earliest musical experiences came through the children’s choir Pinquio, directed by María Esrius and Nora García. Although he initially attempted to study violin, he ultimately found his instrument in the guitar, beginning his formal studies with Fernando López. His education was grounded in the Cuban guitar school associated with Isaac Nicola, whose pedagogical tradition emerged from Nicola’s studies with Emilio Pujol in Spain. Ahmed describes the method as incorporating European, South American, and specifically Cuban musical materials, demonstrating that his classical training was never entirely detached from his Cuban cultural environment.

His trajectory changed significantly in 2002 when he moved to London amid restrictions affecting travel between Cuba and the United States. His family background helped prepare him for this transition: his father had studied in the Soviet Union, while his mother taught Russian. In London, Ahmed entered a new musical and cultural environment and developed a professional career that eventually included performances at major venues such as Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Queen Elizabeth Hall, as well as recognition at the Cuba Disco Awards, where he received awards for soloist and instrumental album.

A major thread throughout the conversation is migration and changing perceptions of identity. Ahmed contrasts his experience in Cuba with his experience in the UK. In Cuba, he describes a strong sense of national identity in which being Cuban could take precedence over racial distinctions. At the same time, he recognizes a contradiction: despite Cuba's culturally diverse society, the classical repertoire he encountered remained overwhelmingly European.

Moving abroad made questions of identity and representation more visible to him. Rather than approaching representation primarily through a demand for external recognition, Ahmed emphasizes self-reliance, artistic excellence, and confidence in one's own work. His philosophy is essentially that an artist should develop the substance of their craft rather than depend upon foreign institutions to validate their legitimacy.

This philosophy is connected to his broader understanding of music. Ahmed's exposure to multiple traditions allows him to look for what he calls "connecting tissue" between seemingly different musical worlds. Cuban classical guitar, Nueva Trova, African music, Soviet music, rock, and European classical music are not necessarily isolated categories for him; they form part of the musical environment through which he understands himself.

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In this episode of Finding Our Way, Damian Goggans speaks with composer and guitarist Justice Phillips, an Austin-based musician whose relationship with the guitar began through Austin Classical Guitar's school programs.

Justice reflects on his early musical development, his experiences at McCallum Fine Arts Academy and the University of Texas at Austin, and the transition from classical guitar performance to composition. He discusses improvisation as a foundation for his creative process, his work with poets and vocalists, and the development of his compositional voice.

The conversation also explores Justice's wide-ranging musical influences—from Shostakovich, Bartók, and classical guitar repertoire to flamenco, jazz, rock, metal, pop, and hip-hop—and how these traditions inform the music he creates.

Later, Justice discusses his experiences as a Black guitarist and composer, the question of representation within classical guitar, and the challenges of creating spaces for musicians and audiences who have historically had less access to the field. Damian and Justice also consider the usefulness—and potential limitations—of terms such as AfroDiasporic guitar traditions, asking how musicians can be recognized without being placed into restrictive categories.

The episode concludes with Justice reflecting on his desired legacy, his advice to his younger self, and his current work as a composer.

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• Kareem McCullough reflects on his compositional process, beginning with improvisation, experimentation, and musical discovery.
• He discusses how pieces such as “Finding My Way,” “Aftermath,” and “Internal Shadows” came into existence.
• Kareem explores the relationship between improvisation and music theory, and how theory helps him develop ideas rather than dictate them.
• He discusses his fascination with modal mixture, harmonic ambiguity, major 7th and 9th chords, and internal dissonance.
• He reflects on how the guitar itself shapes his compositional language, particularly through its ability to blend and “warm” dissonant sonorities.
• Kareem describes composition as an archaeological process of discovery, including the experience of musical ideas emerging through dreams and improvisation.
• He discusses the influence of blues, jazz, rock, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, and classical guitar on his musical voice.
• Kareem considers what makes music Black music, emphasizing lived experience rather than a fixed collection of rhythms, scales, or stylistic characteristics.
• He reflects on the autobiographical nature of his music and the ways his experiences as a Black man in the United States inform his creative practice.
• Kareem discusses race, identity, class, solidarity, and the evolving way he understands his place within American society and the classical music world.
• He addresses the challenges Black musicians face in entering classical music, including access to private instruction, socioeconomic inequality, and representation.
• Kareem discusses the importance of seeing people who look like you in spaces where you may not initially see yourself.
• He encourages the next generation of Black musicians to “expand the net” rather than limiting themselves to a single musical or cultural category.
• Kareem reflects on his hope that, eventually, Black music can simply be understood as music—while still acknowledging the importance of preserving and discussing Black cultural history.
• Finally, Kareem considers legacy and memory, sharing what he hopes listeners and musicians might discover in his music generations from now.

Themes: Composition · Improvisation · Black Musical Identity · Classical Guitar · Race & Identity · Representation · Access · Class · Tradition · Musical Memory · Legacy

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Introduction and Background

- Kareem McCullough introduced himself as a musician living in the DC metro area, specializing in classical guitar.

- He has been playing guitar since age 14, studied music education at Radford University, and earned a master's in performance at Marshall University.

- He taught high school for about 5 years and now runs a private studio. He's also been the guitar ensemble director of the Celedonio Romero Guitar Institute (Leyenda Foundation) for 8 years.

Early Musical Interests and Influences

- Initially wanted to play piano, but got interested in guitar after a friend's dad played blues guitar, which inspired him deeply.

- Enjoyed music from a young age, influenced by R&B, soul, jazz, and rock legends like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, and Muddy Waters.

- Played in a rock band in high school, wrote and recorded songs, and was heavily into blues and rock.

Senior Recital and Classical Music

- Kareem's senior recital was “ambitious”, titled "Sweets and Sonatas," where he performed complete classical pieces including Bach's violin suite BWV 001 in A minor, the Cavatina suite, Giuliani sonata, and Suite del Recuerdos.

- He experienced severe stage fright during undergrad but overcame it through rigorous performance classes and practice.

Teaching Philosophy

- Emphasizes breaking down complex musical concepts into simple, digestible parts and building from there.

- Believes in teaching music theory by contextualizing it in real life rather than rote memorization.

- Stresses the importance of educators practicing what they preach and demonstrating skills to students.

- Treats serious students like college freshmen to prepare them realistically for a music career.

Challenges in Music Education and Identity

- Discussed the difficulty of being a black classical guitarist and the rarity of black musicians in classical music.

- Highlighted the internal and external challenges black musicians face, including stereotypes and lack of representation.

- Emphasized the need for solidarity among black musicians and breaking down stereotypes about race and music genres.

Composing and Creative Process

- Kareem's composing started in high school with rock band songwriting, then paused during undergrad due to difficulties with the composition professor.

- Resumed composing during the pandemic, creating pieces like "Under Quarantine" and "Internal Shadows," inspired by personal experiences and social events.

- Described composing as an improvisational and iterative process, often starting with a melody or ending and building around it.

Cultural and Racial Identity in Music

- Explored the complexity of defining "black music" and the diversity within black culture and experiences.

- Discussed the importance of authenticity in music, reflecting personal and cultural experiences rather than fitting into racial stereotypes.

- Addressed the social challenges and systemic oppression that affect black musicians' access and representation in classical music.

- Advocated for expanding the narrative to include diverse black experiences and rejecting limiting categorizations.

Open Questions

- How to create research and spaces that support black musicians without marginalizing small communities or boxing artists into categories?

- How to balance acknowledging cultural identity and avoiding virtue signaling or tokenism in music?

- How to encourage and support black musicians in classical music, given systemic barriers and stereotypes?

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Lecture Abstract:

Black music and music from other diverse cultures deserve preservation and recognition equal to their Eurocentric counterparts. To truly understand the classical guitar, we must comprehend its complete history, which spans the globe. Composers like Brouwer (Cuba), Villa-Lobos (Brazil), Takemitsu (Japan), and Bogdanović (Yugoslavia) provide some insight into the guitar’s diverse origins. However, until recently, many cultural traditions and musical contributions to our instrument have remained unrecognized.

This lecture, which introduces Damian Goggans’ research on AfroClassical Guitar music, aims to highlight the contributions of Black composers to the classical guitar tradition. It will discuss the connectedness of Black classical guitar music throughout the diaspora and invite audiences to analyze this musical soundscape. One that has been shaped by resilience, innovation, and global exchange. Through performances and analyses of works such as Petro from Franz Casseus’ Haitian Suite and Jesus, Won’t You Come By and By from Thomas Flippin’s 14 Etudes on the Music of Black Americans, audiences will deepen their understanding of the musical structures, cultural contexts, and interpretive questions essential to this repertoire.