Welcome

In two days, Boston GuitarFest 2011 launches. We are excited to welcome those coming from out of town, as well as artists and audience members from the Boston area who will come together to make this year's GuitarFest fantastic. As a flutist, my experience of Boston GuitarFest activities is perhaps slightly different from those who arrive with a guitar in hand. I know for some participants, this week will be a breath taking opportunity to meet, converse with and hear live performances by artists who have been an inspiration for hundreds of aspiring guitarists. It is a place to share ideas, to expand one's horizons and embrace new ways of thinking about music, life and art. In my eyes, the social impact that Boston GuitarFest has in the community is greater and much further reaching than the typical week-long instrumental workshop or convention. Boston GuitarFest has differed from the common gathering of one type of instrumentalist, playing one type of music since its conception. Instead of an environment full of cut-throat competition and politics, Boston GuitarFest is an explosion of culture, personality and a celebration of learning. Leader and visionary Eliot Fisk's love of the classical guitar world, encompassing the instrument, the music and the people, generously spills over and embraces music of all styles, from every time period on every instrument. Boston GuitarFest offers the community a place to experience great music, frequently including selections and performers that are innovative in their creativity and hardly mainstream. It offers a place for non-guitarists to collaborate, listen and learn from other artists. And it offers guitarists a place to dive into diverse aspects of music making, including the art of performing and guitar technique while giving participants a unique opportunity to network with other musicians (not just guitarists) from around the world.

Welcome to everyone who enters the fabric of this year's GuitarFest. I hope that you are able to reap unanticipated benefits from this experience.

- Emilia Salazar

Video of Boston and NEC, Fenway Center

Hello,

Coming to GuitarFest but don't know anything about Boston or the New England Conservatory? No problem because I made a video for you!





This video shows you how to get to NEC and introduces Williams Hall and Fenway Center, the locations of the competition.

Found great rep for ensembles

Dear Friends,

We have found repertoire for our ensembles to play! Giuliani Duets based on Rossini, Tadesco and Francesco Da Milano (The Divine!). This music will be coached by the best students of Eliot Fisk and will be performed at the closing reception of the Boston GuitarFest. The stylistic range should make for a good program. We look forward to meeting everyone as they start coming to Boston!

Devin U.
Boston GuitarFest 2011, Director of Competitions

So many ideas. So little time.

      The biggest problem with Boston Guitarfest 2011 is that there are too many great ideas.  Considering that as our biggest challenge is not a bad place to be at all. The organizing team for the BGF as been brainstorming since September and we have come up with so many interesting ideas, lectures, concerts, programs, partnerships and cultural ties that we could stop now and be able to program the festival until 2020. Eliot Fisk definitely has a vision and creating this years theme Bell Italia to celebrate the wonderful music and culture of Italy is a great way to focus our energies. Now it is time to execute.  

     We have a great team this year working behind the scenes, probably the strongest we have ever had in the history of the Guitarfest. As the festival draws closer and all the small details are finalized, I get more and more excited for the event. This year we went with the approach that less is more. Instead of programming every minute of every day with events we decided to really hit a homerun with everything we scheduled. Trips to the quaint North End, Boston’s Italian district, the great collection of Italian art at the Museum of Art.

To see more visit www.bostonguitarfest.com