Houston Classical Guitar Festival & Competition was created in 2018 by board members of another festival no longer present in the United States. The new name reflects the inclusiveness of the Houston community and the nature of the activities presented.
BACKGROUND
The festival was initially hosted by Episcopal High School in nearby Bellaire. In 2019, the festival relocated to the campus of St. Philip Presbyterian Church, centrally located in Houston’s Galleria area. Use of the campus includes the Sanctuary for concerts and guitar orchestra rehearsals, the Education Building for private lessons, lectures, workshops, and master classes and the Gathering Area, which hosts Open Mic Night with dinner, vendor presentations with lunch, and serves as our general “hang out” area. The campus is within easy walking distance to nearby options for lunch.
The festival is always held the second full week in June for 6 days – Monday thru Saturday. This allows ample time for a variety of activities, individual attention, and the opportunity to bond and create new friendships. Our participants have come from Canada, Mexico and South America and from over 14 states in the USA.
VISITING ARTISTS
Every year we invite world-renowned guest artists to perform in concerts, and to join our core faculty to teach in private lessons and master classes, and to give presentations and workshops. Some of the notables who have graced our stage and imparted skill and wisdom in our classrooms are: Jason Vieaux, Richard Savino, Adam Holzman, Kitharo Duo, Jesus Serrano, Gohar Vardanyan, Simon Powis, Joseph Palmer, Jiji, Juan Carlos Laguna, David Chapman, Ibison Duo, Philip Hii, Marina Alexandra, Angelina Reed and Houston Classical Guitar Competition First Prize winners, Stephen Lerman and Samuel Hines.
EDUCATION
In addition to workshops on theory, technique, composition, practice skills and performance preparation, our guest artists have presented many interesting and unusual topics including:
•Interaction of Voice & Guitar in Flamenco – Jeremy Garcia, Irma LaPaloma
•Sight-Reading For Guitar – Juan Carlos Laguna
•Incorporating Polyphonic Texture into Guitar Writing – Olga Amelkina-Vera
•Skill Sets Needed by the 21st Century Musician– JIJI
•How the Guitar Invented Harmony – Richard Savino
•Transcribing Lute Music – David Chapman
•C.F. Martin and the Birth (?) of the American Guitar – Richard Savino
COMPETITION
The Competition portion of the festival used to be in person until the pandemic, when all competitions went virtual. We have remained virtual as it attracts many more applicants, especially international artists. It enables the competitors to save money on travel and lodging, especially not knowing if they will place. Some festivals are returning to in-person events, at least for the final rounds. We will continue to monitor this trend and revisit it each year.
The Houston Classical Guitar Competition has 5 Divisions: Artist, College I & II, High School, and Middle School. Cash prizes are dependent on donations. The First-Place winner of the Artist Division receives $1700 in cash or the option of a return engagement and $500 in prize money. The other divisions receive cash prizes except for Middle School which receives discounts towards tuition for the following year’s festival.
LEADERSHIP
We owe much of our festival success to the leadership of Dr. Jay Kacherski, Artistic Director, and Prof. Jeremy García, Associate Artistic Director. They creatively direct and curate each festival with skill, imagination, and steadfast attention to detail, producing a memorable experience for both students and audiences. Our Board of Directors are hands on. Whenever asked to help, they say Yes! We could not launch and produce this festival without them.
MISSION
Houston Classical Guitar Festival and Competition is a project of Gulf Coast Guitar Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose mission is “to promote fine arts and education, to foster creativity and artistic growth, and to create a sense of community through the classical guitar for guitarists and aficionados alike.” We are grateful for the support of our faithful donors. Their generosity helps fund the Festival, provides scholarships for students, and makes community outreach possible to Houston area schools and colleges, retirement communities and hospitals.
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