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JERSEY CITY, N.J. | (�۲�ӰԺ)’s Music, Dance and Theatre (MDT) program continues to produce award-winning students.

Lazara Luisa Diaz, a graduate student pursuing a Masters in Music in Classical Guitar Performance at �۲�ӰԺ, has become the first American to win a prize at the  “Marku Guitar Competition” based in Albania. The international competition was held May 10-15, 2022.

The "Marku Guitar Competition" is a virtual competition open for professional classical guitar players regardless of their nationality. Diaz scored 86.79 points to collect Third Prize in Category V (no age limit). She competed against performers from multiple countries.

Diaz is a native of Havana, Cuba and she graduated from Universidad de las Artes in Cuba in 2013. At �۲�ӰԺ she studies with — an , and Naxos Recording Artist — who is the Coordinator of Guitar Studies at �۲�ӰԺ, in the university’s highly-regarded Music, Dance, and Theatre Department.

"The Guitar Studies Program at �۲�ӰԺ – renowned throughout the United States since the 1990s – is training young musicians to excel in the fields of performance, music education, and music industry leadership,” said Amparo Fabra, Ph.D., Chair of the MDT Department at �۲�ӰԺ. “Under the supervision of concert guitarist Dr. Celil Refik Kaya, this program mentors a diverse and very successful cohort of students. We celebrate the accomplishments of our students — like Lazara, who we are so proud of. The excellence of our program continues to be demonstrated in the students that it produces.”

Enjoy her performance here:

�۲�ӰԺ �۲�ӰԺ:
New �۲�ӰԺ City University is an institution of higher learning with an audacious goal: the development of our students, our city, our communities, our state, and the world beyond. We are a game-changing force for our students and their families. Whether our students are enrolled in one of our 50 undergraduate, 30 graduate or three doctoral programs at our three locations — our main campus in �۲�ӰԺ City, our School of Business located in the heart of the �۲�ӰԺ City Financial District, or our newest location at �۲�ӰԺ @ Fort Monmouth which expands bachelor's and master's degree offerings along the �۲�ӰԺ Shore, �۲�ӰԺ provides an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty—all of which prepares them to be critical thinkers in a global landscape.

We’re also changing the game for our city, our communities, and our state. As the educational anchor institution in �۲�ӰԺ City, we’ve established partnerships to ensure the area’s growth directly benefits our students and community members. We seek to improve the lives of everyone in the Garden State, whether creating a home for the arts, bringing educational programs to K-12 students, offering bachelor’s degrees in partnership with community colleges, or providing professional development opportunities for adults.

At �۲�ӰԺ, we’re not just educating minds, we’re nourishing souls and lifting communities. We’re changing the game.

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Contact:
Ira Thor, Senior Director of University Communications and Media Relations | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301