Tennessee Guitar Festival 2013

It exceeded all expectations. 28 competitors of the highest quality. An awesome performance by Dr. Silviu Ciulei, and by our guest artists Carlos Castilla, Ben Bolt, and Richard Todd. The competition judges had their hands full. What keeps this festival growing is 'the hang' ... the parties and the celebration of our culture and music. This year was really spectacular. I think classical guitarists spend so much time alone refining their art, when it comes time to party, it is a particularly fun celebration. Some of these guys that I've seen year after year and especially former students and colleagues like Jerry, Howard, Ben, and Silviu, feel like family to me. We'll do it again next year and at GFA in a few weeks.

The competition was as high a caliber as any. There were some exceptionally fine players who didn't make the semis, and all 12 semifinalists were superb. The Finalists were truly some of the best guitarists in America, world-class.


Photos:
1) Paella!! We filled the big dish twice. 10lbs of seafood.
2) Our competition winners, the 'usual suspects' - Jeremy, Chad, and Joseph.
3) The awards presentation with our judges and prize winners
4) A brief clip from the flamenco portion of Silviu's recital. Just listen to the first 5 seconds, wow.