Winner of the 1995 International Guitar Composition Competition (Caracas, Venezuela) and of the 1998 Lamarque-Pons Guitar Composition Competition (Montevideo, Uruguay), two of the most prestigious composition competitions for the guitar in the world, he is internationally recognized as one of the most representatives voices of his generation. Kampela has broken new ground in two particular ways: first, in his native country as a sort of “Brazilian Frank Zappa,” establishing himself as a true heir to the Bossa-Nova and Tropicalist movements of Brazilian recent music. Second, in his series of “Percussion Studies” for solo guitar, Kampela  has created an entirely new playing technique, combining in a compelling and seamless manner, traditional playing techniques and noise oriented, percussive effects.