Dedicated to Bruce Holzman

Bruce Holzman

Guest Faculty

Boston GuitarFest mourns the incalculable, searing loss of our beloved brother, mentor, and eternal inspiration: the great artist, the tireless, eternally patient educator, the guitar genius, Bruce Holzman.
In addition to his countless contributions to the pedagogy of the guitar, Bruce was also a kind of moral compass.
No matter how dark the night, you could always solicit his wise advice on any matter and set sail at dawn towards a better tomorrow.
It is with the greatest humility that we dedicate Boston Guitar Fest XVIII to his sacred memory.
 
Eliot Fisk
Zaira Meneses
Directors
Boston GuitarFest, 2023
Bruce Holzman & Eliot Fisk in Atlanta, GA (December 1989)

BGFest XVIII: "Transformation" CONCERT SERIES (TICKETS)

Tue | June 27 | 7:30 pm

The Foundry

Cambridge

Wed | June 28 | 7:30 pm

Multicultural Arts Center

Cambridge

Thu | June 29 | 7:30 pm

Multicultural Arts Center

Cambridge

Fri | June 30 | 7:30 pm

Multicultural Arts Center

Cambridge

Sat | July 1 | 7:30 pm

Multicultural Arts Center

Cambridge

Sun | July 2 | 3:00 pm

Multicultural Arts Center

Cambridge

June 27th - July 2nd, 2023 BGFest XVIII: “Transformation”

Welcome to BGFest 2023!

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the 18th Boston GuitarFest, administered for the second year in a row by the Eliot Fisk Guitar Academy, Zaira Meneses, President.
We are extremely excited to present this celebration of the sacred art of music, heard through the medium of its noble ambassador, the classical guitar and sister instrument, the renaissance lute.

This year’s theme is “Transformation”, and, as millions of people all around the world will attest, the guitar is an instrument that transforms us all. Its beauty can be hard to catch and hold, but even its many difficulties compel us to grow, change, and adapt and in the process become something better than we were.
I am very proud of our 2023 BGfest guest artists, who include the renowned, Grammy winning, Sharon Isbin, who will open our master class series, the extraordinary lutenist, Nigel North, and the eminent guitar virtuosi, Jorge Caballero and Gohar Vardanyan. I myself will be playing selections from the soon- to- be- released double CD of my transcriptions of the Bach Cello Suites among other works.
In addition, the world’s preeminent Bach scholar, my beloved friend and esteemed colleague, Christoph Wolff, joins us online from Germany, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Bach’s move to Leipzig. Nigel North will offer a unique tripartite Baroque Workshop exploring basso continuo, ornamentation and rhetoric.

Boston GuitarFest XVIII will take place in a unique pair of newly renovated venues located near to one another in Boston’s famous Cambridge neighborhood, home to Harvard and MIT. These new venues are: the Multicultural Arts Center and The Foundry, inspiring spaces that will transform the BGFest experience, taking us out of our familiar academic environment and putting us into some new experimental spaces.
Of course none of this would be possible without our terrific EFGA team: Zaira Meneses, David Malvinni, Maurice Liu, Julimar Alarcon, and Carlos Trujillo or our equally great Gfest faculty: Adam Levin, Jerome Mouffe, Lautaro Mantilla, Zhenqi Min, Bruce Holzman, Scott Borg, and the YGW team including Ceili Connors, Thatcher Harrison and Alex Romanov.

We invite you to join us on this marvelous journey, or, as Shakespeare says: “If music be the food of love, play on!”.
Warmest greetings,

Eliot Fisk, 2023

Artistic Director, Boston GuitarFest

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Every effort will be made to maintain BGFest XVIII as described herewith, but programs may be subject to change in response to circumstances beyond control of the Festival.

BGFest XVIII: "Transformation" MASTER CLASSES

Sharon Isbin

Guest Artist

Wednesday, June 28th

Eliot Fisk

Artistic Director

Friday, June 30th

Jorge Caballero

Guest Artist

Saturday, July 1st

BGFest XVIII: "Transformation" TECHNIQUE WORKSHOP

Gohar Vardanyan

Guest Artist

Thursday, June 29th

BGFest XVIII: "Transformation" BAROQUE WORKSHOPS

Friday, June 30th  – Sunday, July 2nd 

BGFest XVIII: "Transformation" PROGRAMS

Young Guitarists Workshop

Ages 6 - 15

Academy

Ages 15 - 30

International Academy

European & Asian time zones, online only

Continuing Education

Ages 20 and above

Location BGFest 2023 Venues

BGFest XVIII: "Transformation" AUDITOR PASS

IN-PERSON AUDITOR PASS

IN-PERSON AUDITOR PASS

$150

BGFest XVIII welcomes auditors to attend BGFest workshops, lectures, master classes, and events in person and/or online. CONCERTS NOT INCLUDED!

In person & Online

Purchase

IN-PERSON AUDITOR PASS
ONLINE AUDITOR PASS

ONLINE AUDITOR PASS

$100

BGFest XVIII welcomes auditors to attend BGFest workshops, masterclasses, and events through Zoom. All event recordings are also available for up to 30 days. CONCERTS NOT INCLUDED!

Online

Purchase

ONLINE AUDITOR PASS
DAY PASS

DAY PASS

$80

BGFest XVIII welcomes auditors to attend all BGFest workshops, lectures, master classes, and events for ONE DAY. CONCERTS NOT INCLUDED!

In person & Online

Purchase

DAY PASS
ORCHESTRA DAY PASS

ORCHESTRA DAY PASS

$125

This day pass includes all auditor access and orchestra participation for one day. CONCERTS INCLUDED!

In person & Online

Purchase

ORCHESTRA DAY PASS

BGFest XVIII: Transformation GENERAL SCHEDULE

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Check-in

@ The Foundry, Community Hall

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Welcome Reception

@ The Foundry, Community Hall

7:30 PM

Faculty Concert

@ The Foundry, Steam Set

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Workshop

Workshop

Dr. Lautaro Mantilla

Improvisation on Classical Guitar

@ The Foundry, The Point!

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Lunch Break

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Private Lessons

@ The Foundry

3:00 PM- 6:00 PM
Master Class

Master Class

Sharon Isbin

@ Multicutural Arts Center - Main Hall

6:15 PM - 7:15 PM

Dinner Break

7:30 PM

Concert: Academy Competition Finals

@ Multicultural Arts Center - Main Hall

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Lecture

Lecture

Christoph Wolff

J.S. Bach life and works (live from Germany)

@ The Foundry, The Point!

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Lunch break

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Private Lessons

@ The Foundry

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Technique Workshop

Technique Workshop

Gohar Vardanyan

@ Multicultural Arts Center - Main Hall

6:15 PM - 7:15 PM

Dinner Break

7:30 PM
Guest Artist Concert

Guest Artist Concert

Nigel North

Music of da Milano and Dowland

@ Multicultural Arts Center - Main Hall

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Baroque Workshop (Part I)

Baroque Workshop (Part I)

Nigel North

Basso Continuo (bring your guitars)

@ The Foundry, Red Multi Room

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Lunch Break

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Private Lessons

@The Foundry

 

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Master Class

Master Class

Eliot Fisk

@ Multicultural Arts Center - Main Hall

6:15 PM - 7:15 PM

Dinner break

7:30 PM

Concert: Jorge Caballero & Gohar Vardanyan

@ Multicultural Arts Center - Main Hall

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Baroque Workshop (Part II)

Baroque Workshop (Part II)

Nigel North

Ornamentation (bring your guitars)

@ The Foundry, Red Multi Room

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Lunch Break

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Private Lessons

@The Foundry

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Steve Connor Guitar Presentation

@The Foundry, The Point!

3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Master Class: Jorge Caballero

Master Class: Jorge Caballero

Jorge Caballero

@ Multicultural Arts Center - Main Hall

6:15 PM - 7:15 PM

Dinner Break

7:30 PM
Concert: Eliot Fisk

Concert: Eliot Fisk

Eliot Fisk

BGFest XVIII Academy Performance Competition winners announced

@ Multicultural Arts Center - Main Hall

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Baroque Workshop (Part III)

Baroque Workshop (Part III)

Nigel North

Rhetoric in Baroque music

@ The Foundry, Red Multi Room

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Lunch Break

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Private Lessons

@The Foundry

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Concert: 2023 Competition Winner & 2023 Participants

@ Multicultural Arts Center - Main Hall

5:15 PM

Closing Reception

@Multicultural Arts Center

A TANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE

BGFest XVIII: "Transformation"

Boston GuitarFest was founded by Eliot Fisk, Zaira Meneses, and Steve Lin at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2006. Since its inception, it has aimed to become an international, cross disciplinary, outward-looking festival.

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