with Patrick Gallois (flute/France) & Judicael Perroy (guitar/France)

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

The Koblenz Guitar Festival & Academy won’t change its strings this year, but it will change its venue – to the banks of the Rhine: The concerts of the 33rd edition of the renowned music festival will take place at the Sayner Hütte for the first time this year, which, according to festival director Georg Schmitz, offers concert spaces that are predestined for this type of music: “The Krupp Hall is particularly suited acoustically for solo recitals, while the foundry hall is ideal for orchestral concerts.” Until now, they were held at the Rhein-Mosel-Halle; the master classes that were previously conducted at 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 University of Music in Mainz, had long had his eye on the Bendorfer industrial monument with its fascinating architecture and found open doors with managing director Dr. Björn Rodday. He emphasizes: “The Sayner Hütte combines history and present and offers an ideal framework for the Koblenz Guitar Festival as a vibrant resonance space for artistic inquiries. In the midst of the historical industrial backdrop, the music can open new perspectives, promote dialogue between tradition and innovation, and intensify cultural experiences.” The nearby State Music Academy in Engers also offers excellent opportunities for lessons as well as catering and accommodation for participants and instructors, Schmitz happily notes: “You are now very close to the pulse.”
And that pulse is sure to race among guitar music enthusiasts from June 1 to 9, as everything that has rank and name in the international scene will gather at the Sayner Hütte. Artists from Germany and numerous European countries as well as overseas will perform. They will appear solo and in different chamber music formations. The festival will also welcome, among others, the orchestra and choir of the University of Music Mainz, the Oxalis Quartet, the Joscho Stephan Trio, the Koblenz Guitar Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the French flutist Patrick Gallois.
The program includes not only concerts but also exciting seminars, workshops, and master classes, 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 showcase their portfolio of plucked instruments and invite attendees to try them out. Additional attractions include sound art installations by students from the Sound Art Composition department of the University of Music Mainz throughout the entire monument area of the Sayner Hütte, as well as daily concerts in the chapel of the Heinrich House in Engers. The relocation of the series and the new venues have generated great enthusiasm worldwide: “We have already received registrations from Japan and Australia.”
The public can now purchase tickets for all events at www.koblenzguitarfestival.de and find detailed information about the individual concert programs. All performing artists are also presented there.