The third annual Pattaya Classical Guitar Festival & Competition 2011 will be held on Saturday, October 29 at the Siam Bayshore Resort & Spa.
The festival is the only event of its kind in Thailand, showcasing many of the world’s top guitar makers and musicians and is open to the public, with collectors, players, music lovers, students and general enthusiasts strongly encouraged to attend.
The festival is surely the biggest and most vibrant event for classical guitar aficionados and music lovers on the Eastern Seaboard. It boasts an impressive list of guest artists, luthiers and students hailing from America, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Philippines and Thailand.
This event will kick off with the adult and junior guitar competitions at 09:30, followed by a guitar exhibition at 13:00, Thailand Guitar Society student concert at 14:00, “afternoon concert” with virtuoso star Hitoshi Miyashita at 16:30 and “master concert” with Woratep Rattana-umpawan, Santi Kaewjai and the Wong-Kojorn Guitar Quarter at 18:00. The day will then culminate with a spectacular “guitar night” concert at 20:00, featuring the expert strumming of Leon Koudelak, Monching Carpio, Tomonori Arai and Paul Cesarczyk.
The Wong-Kojorn Guitar Quartet is a new group of highly gifted and experienced musicians coming out of Bangkok. Since their well-received and acclaimed debut concert on 18 September 2011 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC), the quartet has received significant interest from the public and media.
The quartet consists of Yutthasak Komjornkijborworn, Chavajed Maskulrat, Nalin Phuangkhuamsuk and Pongpat Pongpradit. All the musicians are award-winners who have studied in Europe and America with world-renowned guitarists and teachers. As solo artists they have all individually performed in numerous concerts and festivals around the globe. The Wong-Kojorn Guitar Quartet is the perfect joining together of all their respective skills and experiences. Their repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary compositions. This highly promising new group is a ‘must see’ for all guitar fans and aficionados!
First prize in the adult competition is a guitar valued at US$3000, made by the world renowned Indonesian luthier Hanief Palopo. Proceeds from the festival will go to the Father Ray Foundation that cares for more than 850 orphan children, street children, blind children and young disabled adults.
Admission (inclusive of coffee breaks) is baht 500 for adults and baht 400 for students (with valid I.D.). To learn more about the event, call 02 247 0123, ext. 1917 (Thai)/1980 (Eng), e-mail [email protected] or visit www.thailandguitar society.com.
