Giuseppe (Beppe) Ficara, son of the italian painter Franz Ficara, studied in Bari's National Conservatory, where he graduated in Classical Guitar, awarded full marks with honours. He studied Classical Guitar with Linda Calsolaro, a former pupil of Andrés Segovia, and Composition with Francesco d'Avalos.  During his studies he was also advised by Nino Rota, at the time Director of the Conservatory. Awarded in Palermo international Contest in 1973, he won in 1976  the First Prize of the International Competition «Fernando Sor» in Rome. 

He has been attending Oscar Ghiglia's Mastercourses in Gargnano, since 1973, and in Siena, since 1977 at the «Accademia Chigiana», where he has been twice awarded a «Diploma di Merito». 

From 1979 to 1981 he lived in Brussels, studying with Nicolas Alfonso in Brussels' Royal Conservatory, where he obtained a Premier Prix, (i.e. a Degree of Belgian Royal Conservatory). Recently, in June 2010 he graduated in Foreign languages in Macerata University with a degree thesis on Moulin d'Andé including a long documentary.

In 1979 he conceived and organized in Bari (Giuliani's native province), with Bari Orchestra, the first «Mauro Giuliani Festival», introduced by a conference by Ruggero Chiesa, with performances of Guliani's three Guitar Concertos in Petruzzelli and Curci Theatres (Barletta). The First concert was played by Oscar Ghiglia, the second by Hubert Käppel, and the third by Giuseppe Ficara himself. It was probably the first time in contemporary history in which the whole guitare and orchestra production by Giuliani was performed in a single event.

In May 1980 the issue of his first record, all about Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, which was defined «A virtual treasure trove» by George Warren in the american review «Guitar and Lute Magazine».

Clara Castelnuovo-Tedesco, the Italo-American Composer's widow, was enthusiastic about the record in her many letters to Ficara, and eventually sent him in early 1981 the manuscript of an unpublished work by Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Vogelweide, ein lieder-cyclus für Baryton und Guitar. In October 1981 Ficara gave the first performance of the inedit for RTBF radio bradcast in Brussels together with the baryton Ludovic de San. The score has been published later, in 1987, without Ficara's revision and fingering. 

Ficara was also commissioned by Luciano Berio a guitar transcription of the Harp part in his Folk Songs, that they completed together in 1983 in Berio's home in Radicondoli, Siena.

From 1982 since 1987 Giuseppe Ficara lived in Rome, devoting himself also to the chamber music repertoire and giving many concerts with the famous italian flutist Angelo Persichilli. In '83 the issue of his second record, with Angelo Persichilli for Edipan-Rome.

After a long period  far from concert halls, due on one hand, to a strong wish of study and research and, on the other, to his devotion to his father Franz in Milan, he started his second concert carreer in 1999 with a series of concerts, dedicated to Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, mainly in Italy, France and Belgium. 

In 2001 he has been awarded in Tunisia the “Prix Cathage” for musical merits.
In 2002 the famous French composer Pierre Jansen (author of most of Chabrol's movie's musics) dedicated to Ficara his Concerto pour Guitare et cordes.
In June 2005, he gave in Perugia the first performance of Jansen's Guitar Concerto with Perugia Orchestra conducted by Giuliano Silveri; the score has been published in 2006, with Ficara's revision and fingering, for Bèrben.

His long and renewed careeer as a concertist let him play a wide repertory in important italian and foreign concert societies, such as «Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia» in Rome, «Orchestra di Bari», «Orchestra di Perugia e dell'Umbria», Brussel's «Jeunesses Musicales», Louvain-la Neuve Musicology Institut, RTBF radio and television broadcasts, «Festival de l'Eté Mosan» (Belgium), Moulin d'Andé Academy (France), UNISA, Stellenbosch University and Classical Guitar Society in South Africa, then recently in Australia: Italian Institute of Culture of Melbourne, New Zealand: Auckland's Classical Guitar Society, USA: Brown University, Art Club of Providence etc., India: Alliance Française de Pondichéry,  Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry and Pitanga Hall in Auroville, Greece: Sonnenlink in Mani.

During his sabbatical year in 2011 he met and video interviewed many Guitar Professors all over the world, about a research on the dissemination of the italian guitar repertoire.

«Visiting Scholar» for nearly six months at Brown University, RI, USA, he finally gave, in April 2011, a Mazzinian Concert, dedicated to the guitar composers quoted by the italian patriot in his letters from exile. The concert took place at the end of a Conference organized by Brown University in the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Italian unification. 

The following step was to give Brown University a strong inspiration to the organization of a great event on the Italo-American composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, which eventually led, in September 2012, to the organization of an International Conference fully dedicated to MCT music, revealing unknown aspects of his  vast repertoire, through a series of talks and concerts held by internationally renowned musicologists and musicians.

Giuseppe Ficara has been teaching guitar all along his life in many italian National Conservatories; he gave lectures, talks and Masterclasses in Italy, in South Africa (Stellenbosch and Cape Town University),  Australia (Melbourne University), New Zealand, USA (Wheeler School, Brown University) and at the Moulin d'Andé Academy, France. He has also been teaching in various belgian music schools and Academies.

Giuseppe Ficara is Professor Emeritus of Classical Guitar of «G. B. Martini» National Conservatory of Bologna and of  «G. Rossini» National Conservatory in Pesaro. And Has been Guitar Professor in Monopoli, Bari, Pescara, Benevento and Fermo National Conservatories.

He lives with the italian pianist Letizia Innocenti

About Giuseppe Ficara:

« Mr. Ficara possesses a very solid technique, a sound and mature judgement and an overall strong and poetic approach in his interpretations. Giuseppe Ficara's thorough experience adds a valuable dimension to his worth and makes him a candidate for a bright musical carreer ».