Theduardo Prasetyo

Theduardo Prasetyo is an Indonesian classical guitarist, composer, arranger, and music educator whose work spans performance, teaching, and community building. With classical guitar as his primary instrument, he has also developed expertise in cello and mandolin. Over more than a decade of active engagement in the classical music scene, he has performed in solo and ensemble settings across Indonesia, Europe, and Asia.

His music draws from a rich palette of influences — classical, jazz, flamenco, Brazilian music, and Indonesian traditional music. During his studies in Germany, he collaborated with flamenco dancers and Brazilian jazz-samba-choro musicians, an experience that further shaped his artistic voice. Among these collaborations was an Hommage concert dedicated to the great Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, performed alongside flamenco dancer Ángeles Santiago and flamenco guitarist Willi Grote — an evening attended by members of the Lorca family.

Theduardo holds a Master of Music from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, where he studied under Prof. Eugenia Kanthou, and a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Pedagogy from the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, where he studied under Prof. Dale Kavanagh — both completed with high distinction. His studies were supported by the Neustart Kultur, Deutschlandstipendium, and Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Berlin scholarships. He has attended masterclasses with acclaimed guitarists including Thibault Cauvin, Máximo Diego Pujol, Eduardo Trassierra, Antonio Andrade, Salvador Gutiérrez, and Prof. Tilmann Hoppstock.

As a performer, Theduardo has collaborated with a wide range of artists and ensembles. He is one half of Duo Ausma, a Berlin-based guitar and mezzo-soprano duo that recorded under the German classical label Genuin Klassik, releasing their debut album Ninghe. His arrangements and compositions — including works for guitar and voice — are published by Universal Edition and Peermusic. He is also a co-founder of Tilurama Guitar Trio, alongside Priscilla Setiawan and Yudistira Aji Putra, a group that performs classical, jazz, and Indonesian music on three guitars and is currently recording their debut album of original music.

His compositional work continues to grow. In 2024, he composed a set of pieces for bandoneon, guitar, and cello inspired by the poetry of Sitor Situmorang, premiered in Frankfurt to mark the poet's centennial alongside Windy Setiadi and Billy Aryo Nugroho. In 2025, the same ensemble premiered his Tetralogi Pram, written in honor of the centennial of Indonesian novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer — also in Frankfurt.

Theduardo is a dedicated music educator and a passionate advocate for the classical guitar community in Indonesia. He founded Guitanesia, an online platform promoting classical guitar through articles, events, masterclasses, and community engagement, and organizes bi-monthly guitar community concerts. He has also served as a jury member for national and international guitar competitions. His teaching spans students of all ages and skill levels across institutions in Indonesia and Germany, with former students gaining entry to music conservatories, completing high-grade ABRSM and Trinity exams, and continuing to make music as an active part of their lives.

Beyond the concert stage, Theduardo works in music production through Thetris Studio in Jakarta, creating music for advertising, film, and animation. His achievements include the SEA Guitar Artist of the Year award at the Southeast Asia Guitar Festival (2023) and 1st Prize at the Yogyakarta Guitar Festival.

Seeking a deeper understanding of his instrument, Theduardo spent over a year studying guitar making with Indonesian luthier Saefull — an experience that culminated in the making of his own handcrafted guitar and gave him an intimate appreciation of the instrument's complexity. He currently plays guitars by Alessandro Marseglia, Sang Gil Kim, Budi Santoso, and Saefull.