Victor San Pedro

Victor San Pedro is a Jazz guitarist who has been studying with Steve Homan for the last 4 years. He is 16 years old, going on 17 on September 23rd and is currently studying in Berklee College of Music’s 5 week program on a full tuition scholarship.

Raised by his parents Mimi and Jermie San Pedro, he developed a strong work ethic practicing four to seven hours per day. Before playing the guitar, Victor played the piano at age four and later studied with Yuriy Oliynyk a professor from American River College. Victor fell in love with the guitar at age 12 after listening to Jimi Henrix’s “Little Wing”. Beginning as a Rock and Blues guitarist, Victor gradually became enamored with Jazz after listening to great Jazz guitarists such as Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, and Barney Kessel and strong encouragement from his parents and his brother Dinos. As well as these three guitarists he lists other strong influences from other Jazz greats such as Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, and Joshua Redman.

Throughout his experiences, Victor has won several prestigious awards. Last year, he received an award from Downbeat Magazine for outstanding guitarist, and outstanding soloist from the Monterey Next Generation Festival. This year he was named outstanding guitarist from the Charles Mingus and Essentially Ellington festivals in New York. His combo Spaghett! (that’s how it is spelled) received an award from Downbeat Magazine as the best high school combo in the nation. Victor San Pedro loves music and someday hopes to perform as he continues to develop his own sound and finding his musical fingerprints. Although he is still working towards his goal, he remembers to stay humble and to really put intent on every note that he plays so that one day he too may become one of the Jazz greats.