Groningen Guitar Festival - Raphaël Feuillâtre & Kristina Vårlid

Join us for a unique and unforgettable evening celebrating the guitar. We are thrilled to present two of the most brilliant guitarists of their generation in one unforgettable concert, Kristina Vårlid and Raphaël Feuillâtre!

This special event will be presented in two halves, offering a rare opportunity to experience the unique voices of two wonderful artists.

Groningen Guitar Festival - Aniello Desiderio

Experience the brilliance of Aniello Desiderio, hailed for his dazzling technique and expressive artistry. Desiderio brings extraordinary speed, clarity, and emotion to everything he plays. As a winner of 18 international competitions, he has performed worldwide as a soloist and with ensembles such as the World Guitar Ensemble and Quartetto Furioso.

Join us for an evening of Italian virtuosity and passion, where Desiderio’s artistry turns the guitar into a voice of fire and finesse.

Guitar Expo Concert - Gian Marco Ciampa

For the first time in the history of our festival!

It's a real pleasure to share the exciting news that the award-winning Italian guitarist Gian Marco Ciampa will give a lunch concert as part of the program for this season's Expo!

He will perform his program while choosing a different guitar from the Expo for each piece. You won't only be able to test and compare the guitars yourself, but also hear them compared in a professional concert setting performed by this fantastic concert artist!

Groningen Guitar Festival - Pub Quiz

The renowned DGF Pub Quiz
Haven't you always dreamt of joining a pub quiz that is all about guitar, music & gossip? In that case you are in for a treat! There will be drinks, prizes to the winners & crazy times. Join us downstairs in the Jazz Club where we will have our own little classical guitar pub!
Jazz Club - Prins Claus Conservatorium

Guitar Expo Lecture "From a Tree to a Guitar" - Andrés D. Marvi

It is a tremendous honour for us to announce that the legendary luthier, Andres Marvi, will be presenting a lecture on guitar building during the upcoming Expo! Marvi is approaching his 50th anniversary of guitar building in 2026 and it is a pleasure for us to celebrate him and his contribution to the guitar world during the coming festival. The topic of the lecture is called "From a Tree to a Guitar" and will happen on the second day of our Expo, starting at 19:30, so be sure to save the date in your agenda!

Guitar Expo - Livestream Competition

Did you hear about the awesome Guitar Expo Livestream yet? Yes, that's right! It's happening this year yet again! Use the opportunity to tryout as many guitars as you would like and also speak with their makers during. This way you can already pick your favorite one. Don't worry though, since you'll have time to decide which one you like best until 16:00 on Wednesday! Then it's time for the Expo Livestream, where anyone who signed up will perform on their favorite guitar from the Expo, and it will all be livestreamed on our Facebook page! Every person watching will know which guitar the specific participant is playing on during the concert. We will award amazing prizes to the winning guitarists and luthiers for the "Best Sounding Performances" of the Guitar Expo.

Groningen Guitar Festival - Montenegrin Guitar Duo

The Montenegrin Guitar Duo, featuring guitarists Goran Krivokapić and Danijel Cerović, is celebrated globally for its virtuosity and innovative programming. Frequently performing at prestigious international venues like the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Manuel de Falla Hall in Madrid, the duo is known for their large and diverse repertoire, spanning transcriptions of ancient music to contemporary works, often with a focus on broadening the two-guitar repertoire. Their critically acclaimed recordings for Naxos, including two volumes of their own unique transcriptions of J. S. Bach’s English Suites, have been praised by Gramophone Magazine for their "precision of ensemble, the clarity of articulation, the rhythmic vitality and the exuberant ornamentation." They regularly engage with major festivals and universities worldwide, and are currently preparing their next CD featuring works by Astor Piazzolla.

Groningen Guitar Festival - Grande Finale

Prepare your ears for the future of the guitar!

Closing off a week of enjoying multiple concerts, masterclasses, a guitarEXPO and much more will be the Grande Finale of the Groningen Guitar Competition. After the preliminary round and semifinal of the competition, a maximum of five finalists will be selected to each perform a completely free program of maximum 30 minutes.

After the Grande Finale, the winner of the Groningen Guitar Competition & Festival 2026 will be announced immediately in the award ceremony!

Gitaristenpodium Groningen - Campbell Diamond

Campbell Diamond, Guitar Professor at Anton Bruckner University and internationally acclaimed performer, brings his extraordinary artistry to Groningen. Don't miss this opportunity to experience an artist who has captivated audiences worldwide.