2019 Festival Highlights
3rd Annual Guitar Festival
On August 9 and 10th, guitarists flocked to the Sorenson Unity Center, in Salt Lake City, for two days of workshops, master classes, teacher training, orchestra rehearsals, juries, and concerts. The variety of offerings at the festival attracts teachers, students of all ages, levels and abilities, and community members. The UCG Guitar Festival was created to celebrate the classical guitar, its music, and its impact through education and community engagement.
This year, we welcomed back Dr. Jon Paul Yerby (http://www.jonpaulyerby.com). In addition to his fantastic performance on Friday evening, he presented his upcoming publication, "The Space Between: A mental framework through which to cultivate effective practice skills, grounded performance habits, and refined musicality." during the festival. Assistant Conductor Troy D. Leavitt led the youth ensembles in an inspiring performance while Gabino Flores, Director of the UCG Orchestra, set down his baton to share his remarkable skills as a soloist on Saturday evening.
As usual, the Sorenson Unity Center was filled with the sounds of guitars being plucked and strummed during the two full days of activities. New offerings this year included Dr. Lawrence Spell's conducting workshop to improve musicianship and body awareness and a lecture recital on composer John W. Duarte by local guitar historian David Norton.
Thanks to generous donations from UCG members and Salt Lake County residents through the ZAP program, we were able to present a variety of new experiences and offer the festival tuition-free this year. UCG is very grateful for the support of our audience, partners, donors, and guitar community, who make it possible for us to pursue our mission of presenting great artists and promoting the beauty of classical guitar through outreach and education.
