Before Ty Burkhardt was recognized as one of the top young fingerstyle guitarists in the world, he got his start by playing electric guitar at age 12 in his middle school jazz band. Although he was just in middle school, his talent was quickly appreciated, and he was recruited to play with the high school jazz band in only 8th grade. When he was a senior in high school, he made 1st Chair All State Jazz, getting the highest score in Virginia for jazz guitar. With this, he went on to UVA with an interest in pursuing jazz music and ended up being selected into the Miller Arts Program, an exclusive program that grants students access to scholarships in order to fund musical projects.

While studying at UVA, Ty began taking fingerstyle guitar more seriously, and before he graduated, he was already playing multiple fingerstyle shows per week. After graduating with a degree in computer science, he decided to go all-in on fingerstyle guitar- incorporating many techniques that mimic the sound of a full band and explore the boundaries of what a guitar can do. After many months of composing, he eventually decided to release his first EP of original tunes titled “One Small Step”, and it has received hundreds of thousands of views across Instagram and YouTube.

His unique style of playing and knack for creative songwriting earned him international recognition as a finalist in the 2025 Natasha International Fingerstyle Competition. After getting the top score in the semifinals, one of the judges commented that he was “one of the most promising upcoming fingerstyle players I’ve heard” and Pete Townshend (founder and guitarist of The Who) called his playing “Astonishing”. He is the only person in the USA to make the final round of the 2026 competition, with the finals to be held in September in Hengqin, China. He currently lives in Richmond, VA, and hopes to inspire a future generation of fingerstyle guitarists.

Visit: tyburkhardt.com