Welcome to Boston GuitarFest XIX!
Celebrating Nineteen Years of Guitar Excellence: Boston Guitar Fest 2024, the Premier Guitar Landmark of Boston
For nearly two decades, under the visionary guidance of Artistic Director and world-renowned maestro Eliot Fisk, the Boston Guitar Festival has stood as the pinnacle of excellence in the realm of classical guitar. Each year, this esteemed event brings together virtuosos from around the globe, converging in Boston to create a sanctuary for guitar aficionados worldwide. Join us as we commemorate nineteen years of sublime mastery, where every strum resonates with the depths of the soul and each performance etches an unforgettable melody upon the hearts of all who listen. Don't miss your opportunity to immerse yourself in the enchantment of classical guitar at the Boston Guitar Festival, where legends are born and music transcends boundaries
Education Programs
Boston GuitarFest XX
Academy
Ages 15 - 28
- Two private lessons OR 1 masterclass and 1 private lesson
- Workshops
- Competition (optional)
- Closing academy student concert (optional)
- Free admission to all Boston GuitarFest XX events
Competition
Boston GuitarFest XX
The BGFest XX Academy Performance Competition is open to participants enrolled in the Boston GuitarFest XX Academy program.
Finalists
Benjamin Gascon
Distinguished as a finalist in multiple national competitions, Benjamin Gascon is known for his virtuosity and sensitive, colorful interpretations. A product of the esteemed Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Benjamin performs across the US. Deeply dedicated to musical craftsmanship, Benjamin shares a repertoire that seamlessly intertwines Classical- and Romantic-era masterpieces with the stunning body of work for classical guitar of the 20th Century. Noteworthy achievements include being honored as a Presser Scholar and receiving recognition through the Harry Randolph Prize and the James Winship Lewis Memorial Prize in Performance.
Nick Liu
Nick Liu, Bachelor and Master of Classical Guitar Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, student of Marc Teicholz, Meng Su, and Denis Azabagic. "Some of the best who had ever come to our department." – David Tanenbaum.
Michael Vascones
Michael Vascones was born in 1998 in Queens, New York. Inspired by watching his father play, Michael began playing guitar at the age of twelve. Michael completed his undergraduate studies at the Juilliard School in 2021, studying under Sharon Isbin, and finished his graduate studies at Manhattan School of Music in 2023 as a student of Mark Delpriora. Michael currently attends the University of Southern California for his doctorate in music, where he is an assistant lecturer in the guitar department. Michael has won first prize in the ASTA L.A Guitar Competition, USC Classical Guitar Competition, Southern Guitar Festival and Competition, Domaine Forget International Music Festival Youth Competition, and the National Federation of Music Clubs Classical Guitar Award. Michael was also a finalist in the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Youth Competition.
Daniel Villela
Recipient of the 2025 BCGS Frank Wallace Fellowship, Daniel Villela is a Mexican-American classical guitarist originally from Essex County, New Jersey, now based in the Greater Boston area. He began his musical studies at 15 as a self-taught guitarist before briefly studying with Gene Stein two years later. Daniel met his current mentor, Adam Levin, at the 2022 Boston GuitarFest, who he later went on to study with at The University of Rhode Island. Currently studying Classical Guitar Performance and Mandarin Chinese at the University of Rhode Island, Daniel earned 1st prize in the 2024 URI Concerto Competition, later performing as a soloist alongside the URI Symphony Orchestra. Committed to expanding musical voices through the guitar, Daniel is working with composers on a project to commission new music from various regions of the Middle East.
Rules
- First round: Participants must submit a video made specifically for the BGFest XX Academy Performance Competition. A legible poster (or a sign) with the words "2025 Boston GuitarFest XX Competition" must also be visible behind you for the duration of the video. Candidates should introduce themselves and the pieces they will play at the beginning of the recording. The verbal introduction must include the following sentence: "This is my recording for the 2025 Boston GuitarFest XX Academy, round 1, performance competition."
- Repertoire: Two contrasting pieces from the sixteenth to the twenty-first centuries (total duration: 12 to 15 minutes)
- Video Requirements: The recording must consist of one uninterrupted, unedited take with clear audio and image quality from a fixed camera position, preferably straight in front of the performer. The performer’s face, hands, and the entire guitar should be clearly visible in the video. Please note that a poster (or a sign) with the words "2025 Boston GuitarFest XX Competition" must be visible behind you for the duration of the video.
- Finalists will be announced on: May 31st, 2025 (or before).
- Second/Final Round: The four finalists must select a new program (not including works performed in the first round) exhibiting a variety of musical styles of their choice, about 20 minutes duration. The final round will be held live on June 11th, 2025, at 7:30pm, in Cambridge, MA, at the Foundry. The Final Round will be the concluding event of the first day of the Festival and is open to the public.
- The decisions of the jury are final.
- The first prize winner will perform a solo recital (20-30 minute duration) as part of the closing concert and event of Boston GuitarFest on Sunday, June 15th, 2025, at Gasson Hall, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
Boston GuitarFest XX Competition Prizes
First Prize
- Solo recital on June 15th, 2025
- Boston GuitarFest Performance Competition Prize
- Cash prize of $2500
- Augustine Strings and Additional Merchandise TBD
Second Prize
- $1000 Cash Prize
- Augustine Strings and Additional Merchandise TBD
Third Prize
- $500 Cash Prize
- Augustine Strings and Additional Merchandise TBD
In Memoriam
Pictured from left: Elena Pappandreou, Oscar Ghiglia, and Eliot Fisk in Thesssloniki, January 2024.
Pictured from left: Eliot Fisk, Fred Draper, and Christopher Parkening in New York
Pictured from left: Bruce Holzman, Michael Chapdelaine
Prof. Enric Madriguera in masterclass with Maestro Andres Segovia
This year Boston Guitar Fest pays homage to a number of great colleagues who have left us since our previous Festival in 2023. Our hearts go out to their families and loved ones and we salute their many contributions to our “noble art”.
We mourn the passing of Maestro Oscar Ghiglia, whose great presence will never be forgotten. As poetic, virtuoso performer; inspiring, mystical teacher and treasured and indispensable friend, Oscar enriched the lives of all who came in contact with him. He was a giant presence and a true North Star of inspiration. His ever present light helped generations of aspiring artists and music lovers to navigate a sure course through the musical universe.
Boston GuitarFest XIX is dedicated to his memory.
Boston Guitar Fest also mourns the passing of Michael Chapdelaine, a fearless, maverick artist who began his guitar journey as a classical guitar virtuoso trained by Bruce Holzman, but soon discovered his own unique style in the finger style realm. Mike was a legend in his own time: a great personality and generous friend who through his many recordings, videos and live performances inspired a whole new fan base and expanded the guitar outwards in his utterly unforgettable fashion. In 2010 Boston Guitar Fest with its theme “America America” was honored to feature Mike live from the stage of Jordan Hall. We miss him terribly.
This year we mourn also the loss of Prof. Enric Madriguera, a direct pupil of Maestro Andres Segovia and for many years a fundamental force for good in the Dallas area and around the world. Ric’s performances and recordings and his wonderful mentoring of generations of students at the University of Texas Dallas are unforgettable. Ric was a frequent guest of Gfest as a judge in our composition competition. His perspective was always wise and grounded on an immense spectrum of musical and guitar wisdom. We honor his life and work which made such a huge difference in the lives of so many.
Finally, Boston Guitar Fest salutes Fred Draper, an institution in the guitar world in the New York City area. I often saw Fred especially following concerts in New York. He was always a great friend, a respected colleague and one of those indispensable people whose very presence always gave warmth, hope and enlightenment. We mourn his passing and honor his life of service to the art of music as expressed through the classical guitar.
Pictured from left: Elena Pappandreou, Oscar Ghiglia, and Eliot Fisk in Thesssloniki, January 2024.
Pictured from left: Eliot Fisk, Fred Draper, and Christopher Parkening in New York
Pictured from left: Bruce Holzman, Michael Chapdelaine
Prof. Enric Madriguera in masterclass with Maestro Andres Segovia
Our Boston GuitarFest XX Faculty
Festival Artists
- Eliot Fisk, Director
- Xufei Yang
- Grisha Goryachev
Festival Faculty
- Adam Levin
- Jerome Mouffe
- Robert Bekkers
- Lautaro Mantilla
- Ceili Connors
Administration
- David Malvinni (Executive Director)
- Maurice Liu (International Academy)
International Academy (Online)
- Zhenqi Min
- Antigoni Baxe
- Danilo Cabaluz
- Cecilio Perera
- Kostas Tosidis
Competition Jury
- Adam Levin
- Grisha Goryachev
- Jerome Mouffe
Tech and Events
- Joey Malvinni