Long-time guitar recitalist, chamber musician and Marshall University School of Music faculty member, Dr. Júlio Ribeiro Alves, will perform a free guitar recital 3 p.m. Sunday in the First Presbyterian Church of Ironton. 

Dr. Alves’ performance is sponsored by the church and a free will offering will be taken to benefit the church. Light refreshments will be served after his performance.

Alves has been a MU School of Music faculty member since 2006, where he has served as program director since fall 2024. He is responsible for overseeing the guitar area teaching applied lessons, guitar literature, guitar pedagogy, guitar techniques, fretboard harmony, in addition to being musical director of the MU Guitar Ensemble (MUGE). He is the music theory area coordinator where he teaches courses in music theory, aural skills, Styles and Analysis, and Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis.

Alves earned a Doctor of Music and Musical Literature degree from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Brasília in Brazil. 

Alves taught classical guitar in Brasil, has held residencies in Costa Rica, Italy, and Brazil, and was a guest artist and teacher during the XV Guitar Week at EMAC-UFG (School of Music and Performing Arts of the Federal University of Goiás, Brazil), and during the 6th Bloomingdale School of Music Guitar Festival (New York). 

Alves also taught masterclasses in several venues in Brazil and Italy as well as the Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music (Atlanta, Georgia), Georgia State University (Atlanta, Georgia), University of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky), Campbell University (Buies Creek, North Carolina), Marietta College (Marietta, Ohio), University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minnesota), and Radford University (Radford, Virginia).

In addition to his teaching activities, Alves is an active recitalist, performing regularly as a soloist and as a member of the chamber music groups including the Violauta Duo (with flutist Wendell Dobbs), Duo Alves (with violinist Kristen Alves), Di Gregorio-Alves Duo (with violist Bernard Di Gregorio), Workman-Alves Duo (with tenor Stan Workman), and others. 

His programs include music from various ethnicities and historical periods as well as works dedicated to him. 

During his career as a musician, he has performed in Brazil, USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Spain and Italy. His work is featured on several solo albums from 2014-25.