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– Spotlight May 2014
- Classical Guitar Magazine about this year's Festival
Congratulations to Berta Rojas whose latest album Historia Del Tango has been nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in the "Best Tango Album" category. Ms. Rojas is scheduled to appear at Festival 2016 Friday, April 15 at 8 p.m.
About the Festival
The Long Island Guitar Festival is an annual international festival presented by the Department of Music of the College of Arts, Communications & Design at LIU Post at Long Island University. The Festival represents the continuing commitment of Long Island University to reach out to the artistic community and continue an established tradition of excellence in guitar performance and pedagogy.
Festival 2015
The 23rd annual Long Island Guitar Festival was held April 22 to 26, 2015 on the LIU Post campus of Long Island University in Brookville, NY USA.
Artists who appeared at the Festival included Composer/Guitarist Carlo Domeniconi, Classical Guitarist Jason Vieaux (Grammy® Award Winner for Best Classical Instrumental Solo in 2015), The Amaryllis Project (Liu Fang, Pipa & Harris Becker, Guitar) performing a program of world premieres for Pipa & Guitar, Mare Duo (Annika Hinsche, Mandolin & Fabian Hinsche, Guitar) and Douglas Back, Guitar/Banjo with a lecture/concert on American Guitar Music of the 19th Century.
Also appearing were the Artesian Guitar Quartet, Jazz Guitarist Mark Marino, Guitar Trilogy, Celia Linde, and Emerging Artist Jonathan Bodian (First Prize, Festival 2014 High School Classical Guitar Competition.)
Groups which performed in Festival 2015's Ensemble Showcases included the Bishop McGuinness High School Honors Guitar Ensemble (Kernersville, NC), the Brentwood High School Guitar Club (Brentwood, NY), the Susan E. Wagner Guitar Ensemble (Staten Island, NY), the POBJFK Guitar Nation (Planview-Old Bethpage, NY) and the Centreville High School Wildcat Guitar Ensemble (Clifton, VA.)
In a very special event on Saturday, April 25 at 7 p.m. members of the Thailand Guitar Society and students from Ho Chi Minh Conservatory, Vietnam performed for a Festival audience via live video streams from Southeast Asia. Many thanks to the LIU/LIU Post IT team for assisting to make this special event possible.
In addition Festival 2015 included master classes given by Carlo Domeniconi and Jason Vieaux and workshops by James Erickson (Fingerboard Harmony) and Mark Marino (Jazz Improvisation).
The Long Island Guitar Festival presents master classes, concerts and workshops by the world's most outstanding guitarists and teachers. Workshops have included Computer Music Notation for Guitarists, Composers and Arrangers, High School Guitar Ensemble Workshops, Fingerboard Harmony and Chamber Music Workshops. Special concerts have included the "Legacy of Segovia" with Segovia protegé Michael Lorimer, the U.S. debut of renowned guitarist composer Carlo Domeniconi, LIU Post alumni concerts and new music concerts including world premieres. The festival has established partnerships with high schools including Greenwich High School and the United Nations International School, as well as local community colleges.
Special Festival Events
In 2002 the Long Island Guitar Festival celebrated its tenth anniversary. As part of the celebration, Guitar x 2 (Festival Director Harris Becker and Pasquale Bianculli) premiered Long Island Suite, a guitar duo written for them by Carlo Domeniconi to mark the anniversary.
Featured during Festival 2012 was the World Premiere of Harrisdale Concerto for Guitar & Saw/Violin and Guitar Orchestra by Dr. Alan Hirsh, celebrating the Festival's twentieth anniversary. At YouTube: First Movement, Second Movement.
Festival 2012 was dedicated to the memory and music of Howard Morgen. A special tribute to him, "Remembering Howard Morgen" was held on the last day of the Festival Sunday, April 22.
In the past the Long Island Guitar Festival has proudly presented such distinguished guitarists and performers as (in alphabetical order): Howard Alden, Artesian Guitar Quartet, Amaryllis Project, Denis Azabagic, Douglas Back, Manuel Barrueco, Rebecca Baulch, Harris Becker, Gene Bertoncini, Pasquale Bianculli, Bishop McGuinness High School Guitar Ensemble, Gunnlaugur Björnsson, Brentwood High School Guitar Ensemble, Winslow Browning, Jorge Caballero, Thibault Cauvin, Centreville High School Wildcat Guitar Ensemble, Paul Cesarczyk, Amanda Cook, Dennis Cinelli, Kevin Dolen, Carlo Domeniconi, Curtis High School Guitar Ensemble, John Dearman, Roland Dyens, Jérôme Ducharme, Cem Duruöz, Mark Elf, Eden Stell Guitar Duo, Eduardo Fernández, Eliot Fisk, Paul Galbraith, Boris Gaquere, Pia Gazarek-Offermann, Derek Gripper, Guitar Trilogy, Frederic Hand, Freedom High School Guitar Ensemble, Olav Chris Henriksen, Adam Holzman, William Kanengiser, Koh Kazama, Dennis Koster, David Leisner, Michael Lorimer, Mare Duo, Mark Marino, Ronn McFarlane, Chieli Minucci, Ben Moran, Howard Morgen, Newman & Oltman Duo, Pat O'Brien, Matt Palmer, Bucky and John Pizzarelli, POBJFK Guitar Nation, Simon Powis, Gyan Riley, Hayley Savage, Cecilia Siqueira, Raphaella Smits, David Starobin, Ernesto Tamayo, Scott Tennant, Stony Brook Guitar Quartet (Jose Maldonado, Barkely Heuser, Yannis Petridis, James Kerr), Threefifty Duo, Benjamin Verdery, Ana Vidovic, VIDA Guitar Quartet, Jason Vieaux, Frank Vignola, Susan E. Wagner High School Guitar Ensemble, Weaver Academy, Jack Wilkins, Jerry Willard, Williams-Etheridge Duo (John Williams and John Etheridge), Andrew York, John Zaccari, Fabio Zanon.
To learn more about the history of the Long Island Guitar Festival, please visit these Web pages:
Past Festival Web sites: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1996
Press Coverage
New York Times. May 6, 2001
Classical Guitar Magazine. June 2005
Classical Guitar Magazine. December 2013
New York Times. March 29, 2014
Classical Guitar Magazine, March 2016
Last update: April 4, 2016
Festival Notes
Celebrating 25 years, April 2 to 9, 2017
Scheduled performers to date include: David Leisner, Huy Thanh Nguyen, Raphaella Smits, Benjamin Verdery, Ana Vidovic, Saigon Guitar Quartet and Vida Quartet.
Find out more about our National High School Classical Guitar Competition.
Returning to the Festival in 2016 for its second year was the Long Island Guitar Festival Guitar Orchestra, open to high schoool students and others.
High School Guitar Ensemble Directors: if you are interested in having your ensemble perform in a Long Island Guitar Festival Ensemble Showcase please read the Ensemble Showcases page.
Music Events of Interest
A Midsummer Music Dream Music School & Festival
College of Arts, Communications & Design
Long Island Guitar Festival
Department of Music
LIU Post
720 Northern Blvd.
Brookville, NY 11548