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
