The Royal Greenwich Guitar Festival is held at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and has been running every year since 2015. The festival is run by Graham Anthony Devine, and always has a fantastic line up of concert guitarists and teachers. The course runs over a few days with lessons and masterclasses aimed at a range of abilities, as well as individual concerts performed by visiting guitarists and course tutors. As well as the classes and concerts, an EXPO runs through the whole festival, allowing guitar makers to showcase their instruments. Guitar festivals can be a great way to learn new techniques and skills, as well as meeting new people with similar interests.
2021 Greenwich Guitar Festival
The festival returned after Covid with a slightly reduced capacity, but with some friendly faces and some new ones. Craig Ogden was the main feature in the festival, holding a full concert as well as masterclasses through the week. I was joined by many guitar makers in the EXPO section, including Miles Henderson Smith, Stuart Christie, Stephen Eden. This gives us a good opportunity to meet new clients, and showcase our guitars to them, as well as hearing our guitars being played my master guitarists. Every year there is a small concert is held for the handmade guitars to be played. Each maker chooses one guitar to be played by one of the guitarists. This festival EXPO concert was played wonderfully by Harold Gordon-Smith.
2022 Greenwich Guitar Festival
This years festival is expected to be bigger and better than ever. Running from Wednesday July 15th to Friday July 15th, at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Headlined by Graham Anthony Devine, Carlos Bonell and Paul Galbraith. Tutors include Nathen Durasamy, Fiona Harrison, Kianush Robeson, Bridget Mermikides, Harold Gordon-Smith, Meridian Guitar Quartet and Stefan Melovski.
You will find me in the lobby section with the rest of the guitar makers, so feel free to come over, have a chat and try a couple of guitars. You do not have to have a ticket if you want to visit the Guitar EXPO. I will have a brand new Concert Classical guitar with me as well as the New P-8 Nylon Crossover guitar with me.
I’ll update you all on how it goes and some pictures from this years festival.
Attending the festival
If you are wanting some more information on The Royal Greenwich Guitar Festival, or looking to buy tickets, please see their website https://www.greenwichguitarfestival.com/
