Adelaide Guitar Festival Returns with Stellar 2024 Program
Running until September 29, this is your chance to catch a diverse range of musical performers from across the globe.
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The Adelaide Guitar Festival returns this weekend with a program chock full of incredible acts. Running from now until September 29, the nearly three-week event features the world’s most talented guitar players from all genres, including rock, jazz, blues, classical, country, flamenco and more, strutting their stuff at a wide range of iconic venues across the state.
The festival is another highlight on South Australia’s musical calendar and further proof of why Adelaide was awarded a UNESCO City of Music designation.
Adelaide Guitar Festival Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan is super excited about this year’s event: “It’s such a thrill to be here, at the cusp of this year’s Adelaide Guitar Festival. I’m incredibly excited to see so many extraordinary performers gathering in Adelaide, many for the very first time.
“I know that all of the concerts will be presented with great pride and respect for our audiences and I’m personally very excited to be involved as a player in a few of them. Let the guitar festivities begin.”
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM echos Grigoryan’s sentiments: “Adelaide Festival Centre welcomes performers and audiences to Adelaide our UNESCO City of Music to celebrate an exceptional program of ticketed and free events held across the three weeks of Adelaide Guitar Festival. Artists from across the globe will perform in Adelaide and be joined by the brightest Australian and South Australian musicians in a program showcasing the very finest guitar music in all its forms.”
Speaking of the program, there really is something for everybody, with one of the festival’s highlights, Rolling Stones Revue, kicking things off this weekend at Her Majesty’s Theatre. The show celebrates the music of The Rolling Stones and features Aussie talents Adalita (Magic Dirt), Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus), Tex Perkins (The Cruel Sea, Tex, Don & Charlie) and Steve Kilbey (The Church) performing the Stones classic album Sticky Fingers in its entirety.
Also performing over the weekend are China’s acclaimed classical guitarist Xuefei Yang, Brazil’s dynamic Chrystian Dozza, Australia’s own Grigoryan Brothers and the 80 strong Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra as part of Travel Guide: A Global Gathering, highlighting guitar virtuosos from across the globe. The event also features Megan Burslem from ABC Classic Breakfast as MC.
READ MORE: Time To Rock: Our Top Picks for Under 30s At This Year’s Adelaide Guitar Festival 2024
Another must-see event is Blak Country; a celebration of First Nations people at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Dunstan Playhouse that includes performances from award-winning Barkindji songwoman Nancy Bates, singer-songwriter Glenn Skuthorpe, Melbourne-based genre-defying star Jess Hitchcock and more.
Other nightlights include solo recitals from South Korea’s classical virtuous Deion Cho and Xuefei Yang, modern jazz collective Josh Meader Trio playing their first Adelaide gig alongside rising collaborative pair Antoine Boyer and Yeore Kim, and South Australian Music Hall of Famer Carl Orr making his grand return to our shores for his showcase Carl Orr’s London Underground at Space Theatre, which will see the acclaimed guitarist perform alongside Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan and the legendary James Muller.
On the local front, catch Wanderers frontman Dusty Lee Stephensen introduce his new project Dustyn alongside Ross Irwin and a 10-piece band, witness blues guitarist Jeff Lang performing tracks from his forthcoming album More Life and be mesmerised by rising star Lucas Day at Space Theatre.
This year’s festival also features a special screening of The Princess Bride at the Festival Theatre. The iconic flick will be shown on the big screen while a live symphony orchestra performs the amazing Mark Knopfler score.
Another event not to be missed is the Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition. Guiraists from across the globe are taking part in this free event at the Dunstan Playhouse.
Along with all the incredible performers you can enjoy at the Adelaide Guitar Festival, the Guitar Expo and Come and Try sessions return, allowing punters to experiment with guitars and discover their musical passion.
Free talks will be held throughout the festival while Guitars in Bars also makes a comeback, giving live music lovers the chance to sink a few froths watching exceptionally talented artists in intimate venues across the state.
Adelaide Guitar Festival 2024 runs until September 29. For the full program visit the Adelaide Guitar Festival website. Tickets on sale now via Adelaide Guitar Festival and Ticketek.
