When one thinks fingerstyle and young boy - the first thing that comes to mind is Sungha Jung. Sungha Jung has basically taken over the world by storm. However, on our sunny little red dot island, there is another 13 year old child prodigy who probably is at least his parallel in terms of skill. That boy is Kevin Loh, who has gotten praise from the head of the Yehudi Menuhin School guitar programme, Mr Richard Wright, as a "guitarist of limitless potential. A great talent."

With over 120 videos in YouTube alone, Kevin is poised to be an internationally-known guitarist in his own right. Here is a short interview with him to introduce him to Play Guitar Singapore readers.

The first time we heard Manuel Cabrera II, it was on Youtube and the song was Tango En Skai by Roland Dyens. He blew us away with his expressive use of dynamics and control over his playing. It is our honour to introduce his playing to readers of Play Guitar Singapore. Manuel Cabrera II will be playing at the Esplanade on the 2nd of Apr (Sat) - be sure to catch him there!

Tell us more about yourself. Describe your style.

I graduated from the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music in Manila, and later on obtained my Masters degree in Music from Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima, Japan. I competed and won in several local and international guitar competitions including 1st prize at the Nippon Guitar Competition, one of Japan’s most prestigious competitions for guitar.

I play mainly classical music, and I do like to play blues sometimes for fun.

1. Describe your style.

Well, because i listen to so many different guitar players throughout my 14 years of guitar playing, its really very mixed yet staying on the same path. Guitar solos, instrumentals on abit of every genre. Ballads, Hard Rock, Metal,  etc. But primarily guitar instrumental music.

2. What are your influences/idols?

Very very long list. lol International as well as local influences all played a major part in creating what i offer today. In 1999, i went to the Jazz festival and was so amazed at the fluidity of Lee Ritenour and Tuck Andress with chops and passages that were beyond what i ever imagined how it should be played, at that point of time. haha I also met Bani Faizal and Raizan in 1999. Totally opened up alot of gaps in my mind about guitar playing. Along the way, I discovered Dream Theater, Andy Timmons, Neil Zaza, met and talked with our very own Paul Danial. who is such an inspiration and influence up till today.

In the heart of hougang lies an acoustic tone-master... ... and his name is Jarvis Wong.

Can you describe what is it exactly that you do regarding acoustic guitars?

I help owners setup their guitars correctly with new handcrafted FMI saddle/nuts…it stands for Fossilized Mammoth Ivory. The material used in the making of the saddle can influence those vibrations and contributes to the resulting tone of the guitar. Among the most popular saddle materials used for professional-level guitar is fossilized mammoth ivory. These saddles are not made out of actual fossils (i.e. rock). Rather they are made from ivory tusks that have started the mineralization process which ultimately turns them into fossils. These are legal ones that I have in stock.