Okanagan Guitar Festival front page news in Kelowna.

OKANAGAN GUITAR FESTIVAL BRING THE STRINGS TO KELOWNA

The Daily Courier 28 Jun 2023

ANNA JACYSZYN Anna Jacyszyn is an award-winning jazz singer. Email: artafactevent@gmail.com

 The Okanagan Guitar festival happens in Kelowna July 6 – 9. This is the brainchild of Vancouver Concert Society chair Alec Pearson, who has vacationed in Kelowna since childhood and has a passion for the area as well as the beloved instrument itself.

Currently, Pearson serves as sessional instructor of guitar at the University of British Columbia. He also holds the degree “Máster en Interpretación de Guitarra Clasica” from the Universitat d’Alacant in Alicante, Spain, where he studied with an array of the best living guitarists in the world to include; David Russell, Pepe Romero, Manuel Barrueco, Roberto Aussel, Paul Galbraith and Fabio Zanon.

If you google “the best 25 guitarists in the world” these names are on that impressive, dead or alive, list. I also found it interesting that included on the list are four women, and amongst those females a Canadian! Liona Boyd, aptly named “The First Lady of the Guitar” and a Five-time Juno Award winner to prove it!

“Music is really best when it’s working to bring people together” says Pearson, when I asked him a few questions about what we are to expect at this 2nd annual festival. He continues to say, “This year the number of registered participants has doubled and my goal for this festival is to take advantage of local businesses and make it about the city, as much as it is about the guitar.”

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The festival pre-opening day is next July 5, at the Okanagan Regional Library, 1380 Ellis St., with a special introduction to the classical guitar and a chance to meet the Okanagan Guitar Festival faculty. Alan Rinehart, Tatoul Hadjian and Alec Pearson will give an intro to the guitar.

The history of the guitar will be discussed and the music. Thursday or Day One of the festival, join in on some fun with the Open Mic, Meet and Greet held at The Market at Quails’ Gate Winery, 3303 Boucherie Rd. from 3:30 - 7:30 p.m. Guests are invited to play the guitar for fellow music lovers or just enjoy and listen.

This event is free and open to the public to attend. There will be beverages and food for purchase and for those interested, you are urged to kindly register in advance.

Workshops and masterclasses will be held at UBCO Arts Rooms and evening concerts at The Cathedral Church of

St. Michael and All Angels, located at 608 Sutherland Ave.

This year the headline recital happening on July 8 features Luis Medina and Daniel Bolshoy.

Visit the website for registration, more information, concert times and signup at: okanaganguitar.com

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