Renowned guitarists, music educators, adult musicians, and youth contestants will gather to compete and perform at The University of Texas at Dallas’ 22nd Annual Texas Guitar Competition and Festival on Feb. through 29 March 2.
The Guitar Studies Program of The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, & Technology at UT Dallas will host the three-day competition designed to showcase outstanding classical guitar students and internationally recognized guitarists.
Award-winning guitarists Ana Maria Iordache and Bokyung Byun are renowned headliners in this year’s festival.
Iordache is a first-place winner of the Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Madrid, among many other accolades from guitar competitions worldwide.
Byun is the first female guitarist to win the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition. Most recently, she received the prestigious 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant.
The adult competition semi-finals will be held on Thursday, Feb. 29, followed by the finals on Friday, March 1.
Beatriz Pinto, Portuguese musician and winner of the Concurso International de Guitarra Alhambra Junior, will perform the pre-concert for the finals.
“It has always been a goal of ours to increase the number of women participating and performing in the guitar world. We are pleased to have three very talented young women open our Competition and Festival on Thursday night,” said Associate Professor of Instruction and co-director Dr. Kathryn Evans.
Winners will be announced at the end of the concert of Jonathan Valenzuela and Jeremy Garcia’s performance on Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the University Theatre.
All events and concerts are free and open to the public.
Musicians who excel in various fields – such as professional performers and music professors (including five UT Dallas educators) – will serve as judges for the Adult Competition and the Youth Competition (both divisions).
The 22nd Annual Texas Guitar Competition and Festival will award the winners over $8,000 in cash prizes.
For more information, visit the Guitar Fest site at https://bit.ly/3OfbezK