Southern Guitar Festival & Competition

Schedule

June 12-14, 2020

This year’s Southern Guitar Festival will be virtual! See below for our list of concerts, workshops, panels, and lectures.
Registration fees and procedures will be announced soon, here and via email to competitors.

Schedule of Events:

NEW: Public admission to all of our concerts, workshops, and panels is available at a discounted rate of $30 (normally $90) with our All-Access Pass! Click here to purchase. Registered competitors will have free access to all sessions as part of their registration.

All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (New York Time), and all events are subject to change. All online sessions (public and ticketed) will be accessible after the festival until July 12, 2020. If you did not buy your ticket and would like to watch a ticketed event, please click here to purchase an All-Access Pass.

Competitors are able to attend all workshops, including the networking session, at no charge. The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the finalist / highlight video livestreams, will be available to view live online at no charge.

Friday, June 12

  • 9 AM: Opening Ceremony (free and open to the public)
  • 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Youth Ensemble Finalists Video Livestream* (free and open to the public)
  • 10:30 AM – 12:15 PM: College Ensemble Finalists Video Livestream* (free and open to the public)
  • 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM: Concert & Q&A: MM Guitar Duo (Maja Radovanlija & Milena Petković)
  • 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Lecture & Q&A: Balkan music elements in guitar repertoire (emphasis on works by Dušan Bogdanović) by Maja Radovanlija (buy ticket)
    A lecture examining composer Dušan Bogdanović’s synthesis of the Western classical tradition (Baroque music elements) and Balkan traditional music.

  • 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Lecture & Q&A: Citizen Artist with Matthew Hinsley, Executive Director of Austin Classical Guitar (buy ticket)
    • Public Concert Link Coming Soon
    • Public Q&A Link Coming Soon
  • 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Guitar Idol SC Highlights Video Livestream (free and open to the public)

Saturday, June 13

  • 9 AM – 11 AM: Division II, Division III Highlights Video Livestream* (free and open to the public). Judges will select 10 videos randomly per division to stream.
  • 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Expert Panel with Adam Kossler, Mak Grgic, Kenney Elkomous, Brian DuFord, and Mia Pomerantz-Amaral (buy ticket)
    • Public Panel Link Coming Soon
  • 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM: Concert & Q&A: Austin Wahl (buy ticket)
    • Public Concert Link Coming Soon
    • Public Q&A Link Coming Soon
  • 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Workshop & Q&A: Cigar Box Guitar Building by Joseph Tollefsen (buy ticket)
    In this workshop, the assembly of a cigar box guitar will be shown through video, with commentary and instructions. The instructor will be available for Q&A at the end.

    • Participants attending this workshop are recommended to have the following materials: cigar box or other container/box, 1 inch x 2 inch x 3 feet piece of hardwood, 3 tuning pegs, pencil or small piece of wood, 5/16-inch by 1.5-inch bolt or comparable piece of material, 1/4-inch x 2 inch x 20 inch piece of hardwood, 3 guitar strings, and varnish (optional). A number of common hand tools will be necessary, including: a handsaw, an electric drill with a range of bit sizes, sandpaper (rough to fine), knife (optional). For questions pertaining to materials, email Joseph directly at [email protected].
    • Public Workshop Link
    • Public Q&A Link Coming Soon
  • 4 PM – 5 PM: Lecture & Q&A: Musical Careers Re-imagined—Embracing New Cultural Perspectives with Lynn McGrath (buy ticket)
    A musician’s ability to adapt and develop a broader career perspective has never been more important than it is today. Diversifying skill sets is one option, but that’s simply not enough. Lynn will discuss how can examine the ways in which our views and biases hold us back from the opportunities that may lead to greater financial security, greater personal fulfillment, deeper connections with others, and a feeling of purpose—on the stage and beyond.

    • Public Q&A Link Coming Soon

Sunday, June 14

*For the Youth Ensemble, College/Pro Ensemble, and College/Pro Solo divisions, all of the finalists’ videos will be streamed. For solo divisions II and III, as well as Guitar Idol SC, a small selection of the top video submissions (selected by our judges) will be streamed.