Suvan Agarwal (b.2001) is an internationally recognized American guitarist. He has won numerous prizes, namely first prizes at the Dutch Guitar Foundation International Guitar Competition and the Josefina P Tuason International Guitar Competition. He has also received a second prize (with audience prize) at the Tokyo International Guitar Competition and a third prize at the Koblenz International Guitar Competition, the biggest of their kind in Asia and Europe respectively. He has performed in the United States, Scotland, Switzerland, and Japan, at venues such as the University of St Andrews, Kings Place in London, and Hakuju Hall in Tokyo.

Suvan started playing guitar at the age of five taught by Frank Longay, creator of the Suzuki guitar method. During high school he studied guitar under the guidance of Alexandra Viloteau (née Iranfar). Suvan is a graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he studied guitar under Stephen Aron and obtained two bachelors degrees in guitar performance and physics. Suvan is a recent graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he studied under professors Matthew McAllister and Allan Neave. He was a recipient of the prestigious ABRSM post-graduate fellowship. Suvan is currently pursuing a master’s degree at The Juilliard School under the guidance of Grammy winning guitarist Sharon Isbin as a recipient of a full scholarship. He has participated in masterclasses with David Russell and Leo Brouwer, among many others. He has received instruction from Gentaro Takada, and participated in the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Aspen Music Festival.

In addition to his musical activities, Suvan’s interests include physics and computer science. In 2022, Suvan was a recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) scholarship to conduct geophysics research at the University of Hawaii, and in 2023, a scholarship from the Friends of the University of Tokyo (FUTI) foundation to conduct geophysics research at the University of Tokyo Earthquake Research Institute. He studied abroad at Waseda University in 2022, and was the first Oberlin College student ever to receive the Bridging Scholarship from the United States-Japan Bridging Foundation. Suvan was born in Japan and grew up in Sunnyvale, California. His mother is Japanese-American and his father is Indian. He speaks English and Japanese.

Last updated on 6 March 2026