We are in for a lot of gripping competitions and loads of fantastic music. But a ticket and join us at the National Forum of Music.
Held biannually
The competition is managed by Krzysztof Pełech, a celebrated Polish classical guitarist and Director of the Guitar Masters Festival (formerly Gitara +). "I was wondering how to lend a new lease of life to the festival, which has been organised for 19 years now," he says. Ther are several guitar competitions in Poland, each of a different standing, but none of them combines two categories: classical guitar and fingerstyle. "We were also contemplating the idea to include a third category, namely flamenco, to celebrate Wrocław as the European Capital of Culture, but we have finally settled for two," adds Krzysztof Pełech. The competition will be held biannually.
800 guitarists to compete
With more than 800 guitarists willing to enter the competition, the number of applications have gone beyond the initial expectations. Eventually, 200 musicians submitted their recordings for the online stage. 35 classical guitarists and 24 fingerstyle guitarists qualified for the second stage in the competition. "These 35 classical guitarists are the best of the best from all over the world, most of them young and frequently performing, with their own recordings and distinctions awarded at a number of the competitions," says Krzysztof Pełech.
Great Tommy Emmanuel in the jury
The competition in the classical category kicks off on Sunday 23rd Octover at 10 am at the National Forum of Music (concludes on 27th October). The fingerstyle auditions will be held on 15th November, also at the NFM. The contestants are going to perform a 20-25-minute programme of their choice. "One obligatory piece in the competition is a six-minute-long composition by Marek Pasieczny, who was commissioned by the festival to provide a work inspired with a passacaglia by the famous Silesian Baroque lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss," says Krzysztof Pełech. Celebrated artists can also be found in the jury: Krzysztof Pełech himself, the jazz pianist Leszek Możdżer, the eminent fingerstyle guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, the celebrated jazz man Martin Tayloror the fingerstyle guitarist Piotr Restecki. The jury are going to focus on something more than mere technical abilities. "Our competition is something more than just interpretation and technique. Our international jury are going to act as music aficionados who, professionals as they are, will assess the overall quality of the performance, including the presentation and their interaction with the audience," Krzysztof Pełech.
The auditions timetable is available at the Competition's website.
60 thousand EUR prize pool
The Guitar Masters Competition is unique not only because of the artists who are coming to Wroclaw and the jury, but also because of the prizes. The prize pool in the competition is 60 thousand EUR, which is unique for a guitar competition! The winner in each category will be offered 20 thousand EUR, a guitar worth 7 thousand EUR and the opportunity to give a number of live shows and record their own album.
The winners' show (16th November) and the Guitar Masters Festival final evening will be combined with a performance by Tommy’ Emmanuel and Martin Taylor.
