The Sydney Guitar Festival returns this Thursday 9 August – Sunday 19 August.
Sydney’s premier guitar event, the festival celebrates the diverse instrument’s rich history and exciting future, and today announces a packed first lineup of events featuring maestros sourced from the Australian guitar scene and the world over.
Leading the lineup is Australia’s most iconic guitarist Tommy Emmanuel who will be performing a very special show with his brother Phil Emmanuel. This family affair will showcase the jaw-dropping fingerstyle technique that catapulted Emmanuel to international stardom, an event not to be missed by any Australian music fan.
The festival is also thrilled to welcome American guitarist and composer Kaki King, who will be performing her groundbreaking audio-visual set The Neck is the Bridge to the Body. The jaw dropping work will be showcased alongside one of the most exciting acoustic singer-songwriters on the scene, Daniel Champagne.
Australian classical guitar maestros Grigoryan Brothers return to the festival in 2018, this time accompanied by Beijing Guitar Duo for one exclusive show. Meng Su and Yameng Wang gave their New York debut at Carnegie Hall in 2010 and have since stunned audiences all over the world with their artistry and technical ability.
Joining the first release of stellar events is Grammy Award-winning guitarist Albert Lee (UK), joined by 9 piece outfit The Spin Drifters, leading an evening of top class Blues, Country and Western Swing.
Purple Haze – features a star-studded tribue to the world’s favourite “psychedelic voodoo child” featuring Peter Northcote, Kevin Bennett (Chasin’ The Train), Kirk Lorange, Mal Eastick and many more.
And finally, introducing The inaugural Sydney Guitar Festival Gala! This unique event will feature an incredible curated line-up of artists from the 2018 festival. From classical to blues, acoustic to rock, the gala is the perfect chance to see some of Australia and the world’s best guitarists doing what they do best.
Venues housing the diverse lineup of events include Marrickville’s largest hub of arts and culture, The Factory Theatre, Northern Sydney’s performing arts gateway The Concourse and Sydney’s most iconic music venue The Enmore Theatre, with more spaces to be announced.
Tickets for Sydney Guitar Festival events on sale from Monday, March 26
For more information regarding lineup, tickets, venues and more visit sydneyguitarfestival.com.au
FIRST RELEASE PERFORMANCES
Tommy Emmanuel
with special guest Phil Emmanuel
Enmore Theatre – Saturday 11 August
Concourse Concert Hall – Sunday 12 August
Purple Haze – a Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
The Concourse – Sat 11th August
Kaki King
with special guest Daniel Champagne
Factory Theatre – Friday 10 August
Albert Lee
with special guests The Spin Drifters
Factory Theatre – Sunday 19 August
Bejing Guitar Duo
with special guests the Grigoryan Brothers
The Concourse – Fri 17 Aug
Sydney Guitar Festival Gala
The Concourse – Thursday 9 Aug