Monday June 15, 2026
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
 

Performance Anxiety and Discussions with the Composer
Olga Amelkina-Vera
Award winning composer, Olga Amelkina-Vera will offer techniques to overcome performance anxiety and have an open discussion of her compositions and composing process.
 

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Kickoff Lunch in the Sanctuary Gathering Area
Courtesy of The Avalon Diner
 

1:00 pm – 2:45 pm
Vendor Showcase
Vendors in attendance will present some of their instruments and there will be time to visit with them afterwards.
 

3:00 pm – 4:15 pm
Workshop – Building a Career in Classical Guitar: Expanding the Possibilities
An Tran
This workshop explores practical strategies for building a multifaceted career in classical guitar. Through discussion and examples, it aims to open perspectives and spark ideas about the many paths available in today’s music world.

 

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Festival Guitar Orchestra
Jay Kacherski, Conductor
All students and faculty play in the Festival Guitar Orchestra. This year’s electrifying program blends classical precision with Latin beats. Jeremy Garcia’s arrangement of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Brazilian smooth jazz piece, Desafinado, opens the orchestra segment. Latin Grammy®-winner, Berta Rojas performs with students in Astor Piazzolla’s Verano Porteño and conducts Bobby Capó’s Piel Canela - both arranged by Mariano Mattar.
 

Tuesday, June 16, 2026
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Workshop – How Music Theory Helps Us on a Practical Level– Part I
Eddie Healy
We will examine the many ways in which we benefit from cultivating a strong grasp of theoretical concepts and how they pertain to the music we play on the guitar. We will also walk through well-known pieces of guitar literature plumbing the depths of their theoretical underpinnings, then explore the ways our interpretive choices may be shaped by that knowledge.
 

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Workshop – Fretboards de Fuego
Berta Rojas
This engaging workshop explores practical approaches to developing fretboard knowledge through chord construction, and inversions, while applying these tools to the vibrant rhythmic language of Latin music. Participants will learn strategies for visualizing the fretboard, connecting chord shapes across positions, and using inversions to create smooth voice-leading and more colorful harmonic textures.

Designed for guitarists interested in expanding both their technical command of the fretboard and their rhythmic vocabulary, this workshop offers practical exercises and musical examples that can be immediately applied in performance, arranging, and improvisation.

 

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Festival Guitar Orchestra
Jay Kacherski, Conductor
 

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Workshop – How Music Theory Helps Us on a Practical Level– Part II
Eddie Healy
 

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Workshop – Guitar Fitness for the Advancing Guitarist - Left Hand
Fernand Vera
A hands-on, technical development workshop using Fernand Vera’s own pedagogical materials including exercises and etudes. This is a 2-day workshop for left and right hands.
 

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Guitar Orchestra
Jay Kacherski, Conductor
 

Thursday, June 18, 2026
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Workshop – Guitar Fitness for the Advancing Guitarist - Right Hand
Fernand Vera
 

3:00 pm – 4:00pm
Workshop – D'Addario Presentation - History of String Manufacturing
Matei Rusu
 

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Guitar Orchestra
With soloist Berta Rojas
Jay Kacherski, Conductor
 

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Open-Mic Night with Lasagna Dinner
Sign up to play a piece or two as we jam in the Sanctuary Gathering Area. You may play solo or play with a friend or faculty. Enjoy this night of fun and fellowship with a great dinner prepared by Davanti Ristorante
 

Friday, June 19, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Master Class – Berta Rojas
4 Students will play for Berta who will then offer suggestions. The audience learns from the critique as the information imparted to the student player benefits everyone.
 

1:45 pm – 2:30 pm
Flamenco Idioms in Early 20th-Century Spanish Music: Implications for Classical Guitar Performance Practice and Arrangements.
Jeremy García
Spanish nationalist composers of the early 20th Century frequently drew upon flamenco idioms, and yet their works are generally interpreted through the classical lens in modern guitar performance. This presentation examines how flamenco rhythmic structures, melodic gestures, and guitar techniques appear in works by Isaac Albéniz and Joaquín Turina, and how an awareness of flamenco practice can lead to more stylistically informed interpretations and arrangements.
 

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Guitar Orchestra in Fellowship Hall
With soloist Berta Rojas
Jay Kacherski, Conductor
 

7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Concert - St. Philip Sanctuary
   An Tran
   Kithara Duo
 

Saturday, June 20, 2026
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Master Classes – An Tran and Kithara Duo
4 Students will play in each of these two simultaneous classes and receive suggestions. The audience learns from the critique as the information imparted to the student player benefits everyone.  You may move about between the two masterclasses.
 

1:45 pm – 3:30 pm
Festival Guitar Orchestra — Dress Rehearsal
 

6:30 pm
Arrival of Guitar Orchestra
 

7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Concert – St. Philip Sanctuary
   Berta Rojas
   The Festival Guitar Orchestra
        Conductor Jay Kacherski