This year’s Adelaide Guitar Festival is fast approaching, and today (June 12) organisers announced the itinerary of events making up the festivities.
The festival itself will be spread across a mighty 18 days, kicking off on Thursday September 12 and running until Sunday September 29.
Before then, however, there’s the Winter Warm Up event to really get the hype train rolling – that’s scheduled to go down at Elder Hall on Friday July 19, and will see the bespoke Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra (featuring more than 40 incredible guitarists) perform an ultra-special set alongside virtuoso Giuseppe Zangari and renowned concert flutist Jane Rutter.
As always, a flagship event on the program is the Adelaide Guitar Festival Expo, which will run over the first four days of the stretch (September 12-15) at the The Playhouse & Space Foyer Bar. According to official materials, the must-attend installation will allow punters to “learn about how guitars are made, admire the craftsmanship of talented luthiers and play a range of different models in [an] interactive gallery-going experience”.
For another chance to get hands-on with some beautiful pieces of equipment, there’s the Yamaha Come & Try Sessions, presented by Derringers Music and running over the same stretch of dates in the Dunstan Playhouse Foyer.
In the way of live performances, the 2024 Adelaide Guitar Festival will present a suite of the world’s best guitarists over more than a dozen standalone concerts. Leading the roster are Paco Peña (presenting his purpose-built stage show Requiem For The Earth) and Jeff Lang (with his own show More Life), both of whom will take to the stage on Thursday September 12.
The following evening (September 13) at Her Majesty’s Theatre, some of the world’s pioneering instrumentalists – China’s Xuefei Yang, Brazil’s Chrystian Dozza and Australia’s own Grigoryan Brothers – will convene for Travel Guide: A Global Gathering, a night of live music promised to take punters “on a glorious journey unparalleled in its scope with the exquisite, unalloyed guitar as our guide”.
Also on September 13 will be the Nancy Bates-curated Blak Country show – “celebration of the resonance First Nations people have found in country music, nurturing generations to tell strong stories about life, land and love” – as well as a show co-headlined by Opelousas and the Lucas Day Band.
Yang will return to the stage on Saturday September 14, performing a solo recital at the Dunstan Playhouse. South Korean favourite Deion Cho will also perform at that event, while elsewhere in the same venue, Antoine Boyer and Yeore Kim will play a joint set for a show co-headlined by the Josh Meader Trio.
Over at the Space Theatre, Rafael Montilla will play his own show alongside Compañía Alma Flamenca – and at Her Majesty’s Theatre, the Rolling Stones Revue (featuring Tex Perkins, Adalita, Sarah McLeod and Steve Kilbey) will deliver the ultimate rock’n’roll tribute.
Rounding out the headline shows will be two special gigs on Sunday September 15: one led by the solo debut of beloved multi-hyphenate Dusty Lee Stephensen, going down at the Dunstan Playhouse, and one from Carl Orr’s London Underground at the Space Theatre.
Meanwhile, the Guitars In Bars series will showcase more than a dozen fantastic artists between Monday September 16 and Friday September 27, with notable acts on the 16-gig bill including James Muller, Eric Bogle, Grace Petrie and William Crighton. “Guitars In Bars is a broad celebration of the artists, venues and audiences that are the beating heart of our vibrant live music scene,” says Slava Grigoryan, artistic director for the Adelaide Guitar Festival.
Last but certainly not least, Grigoryan will perform Mark Knopfler’s iconic score to The Princess Bride over two nights – Saturday September 28 and Sunday 29 – at the Festival Theatre.
Tickets for all shows on the program are on sale now – head here to grab yours, and pore through the entire itinerary.
