International classical guitar competitions

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International classical guitar competitions are public events designed to identify and award outstanding classical guitar soloists, ensembles, and composers. They allow artists to promote themselves and gain exposure. Some competitions also have newly composed "set" pieces which serve to increase the classical guitar repertoire.

Contents

Early history

The guitar seems to be the absentee in musical competitions until the Second World War.

Present times

In recent years, many international classical guitar competitions were established.

Competitors

List of international competitions for classical guitar

US and Americas

Competition NameTownCountryLast year active1st prize cash, USD
Parkening International Guitar Competition Malibu, CAUSA201930,000
Baltimore International Guitar Competition Baltimore, MDUSA202235,000($20,000 Cash Award & $15,000 Augustine Career Award)
JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition (biennial) Buffalo, New York USA202012,500
International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini (biennial) Bologna, Basel, San Francisco, ParisItaly, Switzerland, France and USA202112,000
Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition (ICAC) New every yearUSA202310,000
Dr. Luis Sigall International Music Competition (Guitar every 5 years) Viña del Mar Chile 201710,000
Miami International GuitART Festival and Concert Artist Performance Competition Miami, FLUSA20185,000
Wilson Center Guitar Competition & Festival Wisconsin USA20195,000
Festival y Concurso Internacional de Guitarra de la Habana (biennial) Havana Cuba 20185,000
Culiacan International Guitar Competition Archived 2016-01-09 at the Wayback Machine Culiacán, Sinaloa Mexico20204,000
Indiana International Guitar Festival & Competition Bloomington, INUSA20194,000
Texas International Guitar Festival and Competition Dallas, TXUSA20203,000
Guitar Symposium & Competition Columbus, GAUSA20202,000
LASP Classical Guitar Festival & Youth Competition Milwaukee, WIUSA2022500

Europe

Competition NameTownCountryLast year active1st prize cash, USD
Tampere Guitar Festival Tampere Finland2023none
Alhambra International Guitar Competition Valencia Spain201815909 ( 14,000)
Frauchi International Competition (biennial: odd years) Moscow Russia202114205 ( 12,500)
International Guitar Competition "Francisco Tarrega" Benicàssim Spain202113636 ( 12,000)
International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini (biennial) Bologna, Basel, San Francisco, ParisItaly, Switzerland, France and USA202413636 ( 12,000)
Michele Pittaluga International Classical Guitar Competition Alessandria Italy201811364 ( 10,000)
International Classical Guitar Competition Robert J. Vidal Barbezieux France201611364 ( 10,000)
Andrés Segovia International Guitar Competition Almuñecar Spain201911364 ( 10,000)
Miquel Llobet International Guitar Competition Barcelona Spain20226250 ( 5,000)
Paganini Guitar Festival Competition Parma Italy20232420 ( 2,000)
European Bach Guitar award Darmstadt Germany202210331 ( 8,000)
Viseu International Guitar Competition (biennial: even years) Viseu Portugal20189091 ( 8,000)
Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Clásica Gredos San Diego Madrid Spain20185682 ( 5,000)
Budapest International Guitar Competition & Festival Budapest Hungary20175682 ( 5,000)
Silesian Guitar Autumn, Jan Edmund Jurkowski Memorial Guitar Competition Tychy Poland20185181 (20,000 )
Incontri Chitarristici di Gargnano - Concorso Internazionale Gargnano Italy20194773 ( 4,200)
Liechtenstein Guitar Festival ligita, International ligita Guitar Competition Eschen Liechtenstein20184545 ( 4,000)
International Guitar Competition “Ruggero Chiesa - Città di Camogli” Archived 2020-02-23 at the Wayback Machine (biennial: even years) Camogli Italy20184545 ( 4,000)
International Guitar Competition Heinsberg (biennial: odd years) Heinsberg Germany20174545 ( 4,000)
International Guitar Competition "Ville d'Antony" Antony France20183977 ( 3,500)
London International Guitar Competition London UK20183750 (£ 3,000)
International Competition of Guitar - Mottola Mottola Italy20183409 ( 3,000)
International Guitar Competition Fernando Sor Rome, Madrid Italy, Spain20183409 ( 3,000)
Linares International Guitar Competition "Andrés Segovia" Linares Spain20183409 ( 3,000)
Dutch Guitar Foundation International Guitar Concerto Competition Groningen Netherlands20203409 ( 3,000)
Koblenz International Guitar Competition Koblenz Germany20183409 ( 3,000)
Iserlohn International Guitar Competition Villigst and Iserlohn Germany20213409 ( 3,000)
International Guitar Competition Nürtingen (biennial: even years) Nürtingen Germany20183409 ( 3,000)
European Classical Guitar Competition "Enrico Mercatali" Gorizia Italy20232841 ( 2,500)
International Guitar Competition "Paris Guitar Foundation" Paris France20192841 ( 2,500)
Zagreb Guitar Festival and International Guitar Competition Zagreb Croatia20172841 ( 2,500)
Twents Gitaar Festival Enschede Netherlands20181136 ( 1,000)
Bale-Valle Guitar [1] CompetitionBale-ValleCroatia20221136

(€1,000)

Transilvania International Classical Guitar Competition Cluj-Napoca Romania20231136 ( 1,000)
Sarajevo International Guitar Festival Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina2018none
Volos international Guitar festival & competition Volos 2017none
International Guitar Competition Berlin Berlin Germany2018none

Asia, Australia, and Oceania

Competition NameTownCountryLast year active1st prize cash, USD
Qingdao International Guitar Art Festival and Competition QingdaoChina201915504 (CN¥  100,000)
Daejeon International Guitar Competition DaejeonSouth Korea201710000
International Guitar Festival China Changsha ChangshaChina201810000
Tokyo International Guitar Competition Tokyo Japan20189112 (¥ 1,000,000)
Taiwan International Guitar Festival & Competition TaipeiTaiwan20188000
Adelaide Guitar Festival and International Classical Guitar Competition Adelaide Australia20187519 (A$ 10,000)
Altamira International Virtual Guitar Competition Hong KongChina20216500
Singapore international Guitar Festival and Competition SingaporeSingapore20162000
Asia International Guitar Festival & Competition Bangkok Thailand2018none
Saigon International Guitar Festival Ho Chi Minh Viet Nam2024none

Youth and Discontinued

Competition NameTownCountryLast year active
Guitar Masters International Guitar Competition & Festival Wroclaw Poland2016
International Classical Guitar Competition Stefano Strata - città di Pisa Pisa Italy2015
Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival & Competition Kolkata India2014
World Guitar Competition Novi Sad Serbia2013
International Guitar Competition Rene Bartoli Aix-en-Provence France2006
International Guitar Competition Mauro Giuliani Bari Italy2004
Competition NameTownCountryLast year active
LASP Classical Guitar Festival & Youth Competition Milwaukee, WIUSA2022
International competition for young guitarists Gauting Germany2016
Gevelsberg Guitar Competition Gevelsberg Germany2016
International Competition for Young Guitarists «Andrés Segovia» Monheim am Rhein Germany
Terra Siculorum International Classical Guitar Festival and Competition Odorheiu Secuiesc Romania
Transilvania Youth Guitar Competition Cluj Napoca Romania2023
Vojvodina Guitar Fest International classical guitar competition Novi Sad Serbia2018

Thoughts on competitions

Analysis of data at a piano competition, with many high-level participants, has made it doubtful that judges are able to make fully objective judgments; because there was a small correlation between the order of appearance of participants and their ranking:

On the other hand, if a competition has many professional-level artistic participants, it may not even be possible to make an objective judgment of who is "best"; because: given numerous professional-level artistic performers, there may not even be room for the concept of comparison; since this presumes the existence of a "best" interpretation, which is itself questionable (and would be a commercialization of art; viewing it from a mass-consumption or absolutist point of view).

Bibliography

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References

  1. "Home". www.bale-valleguitarcompetition.com (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  2. Interview with Cavatina Duo
  3. "Music Competitions/Interviews: Azabagic, Evans/Madriguera, Kanengiser, Tennant, Vieaux"; Classical guitar alive; October 16, 2007
  4. John Williams Interview Archived 2007-08-25 at the Wayback Machine with Austin Prichard-Levy
  5. Expert Opinion and Compensation: Evidence from a Musical Competition by Victor A. Ginsburgh and Jan C. van Ours (2002)

Further reading