Koblenz Guitar Festival Chamber Orchestra,

Marcin Dylla (guitar/Poland) and Lukasz Kuropaczewski (guitar/Poland)

with music by Krzysztof Penderecki, Anatolijus Senderovas, and others.

Koblenz Guitar Festival & Academy takes place for the first time at the Sayner Hütte

The Koblenz Guitar Festival & Academy is not changing strings this year, but pages – specifically, the pages of the Rhine: The concerts of the 33rd edition of the renowned music festival will take place this year for the first time at the Sayner Hütte, which, according to festival director Georg Schmitz, offers concert venues that are predestined for this music: "The Krupp Hall is particularly suited acoustically for solo recitals, and the Gießhalle for orchestral concerts." Until now, they have taken place in the Rhein-Mosel-Halle; the masterclasses previously held in the Koblenz Castle are now moving to the State Music Academy at Schloss Engers.
As an "absolute fan of the Sayner Hütte," Schmitz, who teaches as a professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Mainz, has long had his eye on the Bendorf industrial monument with its fascinating architecture and found a receptive partner in managing director Dr. Björn Rodday. He emphasizes: "The Sayner Hütte unites history and the present, and as a vibrant resonance space for artistic questions, it provides the ideal setting for the Koblenz Guitar Festival. Amid the historical industrial backdrop, the music can open new perspectives, promote the dialogue between tradition and innovation, and intensify cultural experiences." The nearby State Music Academy in Engers also offers excellent opportunities for instruction as well as for catering and accommodation for participants and instructors, Schmitz is pleased to note: "You are right at the pulse here."
And that pulse is bound to quicken for guitar music enthusiasts between June 1 and 9, when everyone of significance in the international scene meets at the Sayner Hütte. Audiences can experience artists from Germany and numerous European countries as well as overseas. They will perform solo and in various chamber music ensembles. The festival also welcomes the orchestra and choir of the Hochschule für Musik Mainz, the Oxalis Quartet, the Joscho Stephan Trio, the Koblenz Guitar Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the French flutist Patrick Gallois, among others.
The program includes, in addition to the concert offerings, exciting seminars, workshops, and masterclasses, as well as the annual competition at Schloss Engers, conversation concerts, and the awarding of the festival prize for lifetime achievement to guitarist David Russell. During the festival, instrument makers will present their portfolio of plucked instruments and invite participants to try them out. Additional attractions include sound art installations by students from the sound art composition department of the Hochschule für Musik Mainz throughout the entire monument area of the Sayner Hütte, as well as daily concerts in the chapel of the Heinrich-Haus in Engers. The move of the series and the new venues have generated great enthusiasm worldwide: "There are already registrations from Japan and Australia."
The audience can already purchase tickets for all events at www.koblenzguitarfestival.de and get detailed information about the individual concert programs. All performing artists are also introduced there.