Featuring the world’s finest guitar players representing the very best in classical, blues, rock, jazz, flamenco, country and more, the Adelaide Festival Centre has revealed the program for the 2024 Adelaide Guitar Festival, which will take place in September.
Celebrating the world’s favourite instrument and a shared love of music and the guitar, Adelaide Guitar Festival hosts guitar fanatics and new fans alike in UNESCO City of Music, Adelaide. This year’s program welcomes guitarists from around the globe and across Australia in the ultimate celebration of guitar.
“This year is my 10th Adelaide Guitar Festival as Artistic Director. It’s a role that brings me great joy and each time I see a program come together it feels like a new beginning,” said Adelaide Guitar Festival Artistic Director, Slava Grigoryan.
“Along with the team, I am thrilled to present this program of events highlighting the very best guitarists from around the world, Australia and South Australia. I hope you enjoy discovering the program and get as much inspiration listening to these artists as I do.”
Highlights of the 2024 Adelaide Guitar Festival include:
In an Adelaide premiere, and only one of two shows in Australia, Adelaide Guitar Festival opens with the majestic Requiem for the Earth with legendary flamenco guitarist, Paco Peña at Her Majesty’s Theatre. A monumental musical odyssey of passion and redemption, Requiem for the Earth celebrates our glorious planet while reflecting on humanity’s impact on nature.
This hopeful call to action features world-class musicians from Spain alongside the choral power of Adelaide’s own Rising Voices and Young Adelaide Voices, merging the solemnity of a traditional Requiem with the vibrant energy of flamenco in an unmatched auditory experience.
Opening with Brisbane’s inspiring Aurora Guitar Ensemble of 26 young players, this concert will be a festival highlight on a grand scale, with a critical message for our times.
Celebrating 60 years of The Rolling Stones, Adalita (Magic Dirt), Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus), Tex Perkins (The Cruel Sea, Tex, Don & Charlie) and Steve Kilbey (The Church) are bringing a full-blown rock n roll spectacle to the Her Majesty’s Theatre stage for one night only in the Rolling Stones Revue. An electrifying all-star homage, enjoy the seminal Sticky Fingers album in its entirety, backed up by all the greatest hits you know and love, on Saturday 14 September.
Experience the guitar in its purest form as outstanding artists from around the world bring their distinctive, virtuosic talents to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Travel Guide: A Global Gathering on Friday 13 September. Featuring China’s pioneering maestra Xuefei Yang, Brazil’s innovative Chrystian Dozza and Australia’s ever-original Grigoryan Brothers, go on a glorious journey with the exquisite, unalloyed guitar as your guide.
“I am delighted to welcome so many exceptional South Australian guitarists to Adelaide Guitar Festival this year,” said Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director, Douglas Gautier AM.
“We have such a wealth of musical talent in this State and I am thrilled to see them take to our stages joining a world class line-up of musicians from around Australia and the globe who come to Adelaide – our UNESCO City of Music – for this special event.”
At Adelaide Festival Centre’s Dunstan Playhouse, Blak Country is a celebration of the profound resonance that First Nations people have found in country music through its themes of connection to Country, heartbreak and solace.
Curated by Barkindji songwoman Nancy Bates and featuring Glenn Skuthorpe, Aunty Penny Bonney and Scott Rathman Jr, Blak Country gathers powerful First Nations voices from across generations, backed by a full band and imagery of the land which breathes life into the songs.
This year’s festival will feature two album launches – from the ARIA award-winning festival favourite, Jeff Lang who is joined by some very special friends featuring material from his forthcoming album More Life to the debut solo project of acclaimed local producer, singer-songwriter and guitarist Dusty Lee Stephensen. Join Dusty, Ross Irwin (The Cat Empire, The Bamboos) and a 10-piece band as they share songs from DUSTYN live for the first time.
Dunstan Playhouse welcomes two exquisite solo recitals showcasing the splendour of the classical guitar with South Korea’s Deion Cho who took top honours in 2023’s Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition and Xuefei Yang.
Deion is a sought-after soloist on stages around the world and a passionate supporter of contemporary composition. Xuefei is known for her deft innovation, improvisation and ability to combine genres, she has expanded the vocabulary of the classical guitar.
On Saturday 14 September Dunstan Playhouse hosts Antoine Boyer and Yeore Kim as they return to captivate Adelaide audiences with their intimate, inimitable musical chemistry. Their stunning versatility and virtuosity are spellbinding as they glide across jazz manouche, familiar standards and their own enchanting tunes.
This year, Sydney’s Josh Meader Trio performs in Adelaide for the first time. Firmly based in modern jazz, with nods to pop, funk, hip-hop, bebop and rock, this jaw-droppingly skilful team are rising stars on the global scene.
Antoine Boyer and Josh Meader have collaborated online, garnering tens of thousands of views – this will be the second time ever that they share the stage and perform together live.
Space Theatre hosts an exceptional array of guitarists over Adelaide Guitar Festival. Settle in for a blazing double bill featuring the foot-drumming phenomenon Lucas Day who is known for his soulful tunes and magnetic performances. His well-earned loyal fan base plus a slew of accolades, and a brand-new single Déjà Vu, Lucas Day shines on stage with the support of his high-energy four-piece band.
Joining Lucas on the bill, award-winning Melbourne-based trio Opelousas show off their swamp-soaked, psychedelic sound, a roux of Kerry Simpson’s whiskey vocals, Alison Ferrier’s guttural electric guitar and Anthony Shortte’s down and dirty grooves.
After decades in London and beyond, South Australian Music Hall of Famer Carl Orr returns to Adelaide for a special homecoming gig with Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan and revered jazz legend James Muller, backed by a brilliant South Australian band, in Carl Orr’s London Underground at Space Theatre.
In a special festival flamenco fiesta, guitarist Rafael Montilla is joined by dancers and musicians of South Australia’s acclaimed Compañia Alma Flamenca, and revered flamenco singer el Titi de Algeciras passionately perform at Space Theatre on 14 September.
On 28 & 29 September, The Princess Bride in Concert comes to Festival Theatre. The classic adventure-romance film will be shown on the big screen at the iconic Festival Theatre with a live symphonic orchestra with Slava Grigoryan performing the evocative Mark Knopfler score and hosted by Australian comedy legend Steven Gates from Tripod- it would be inconceivable to miss it.
With early on sale tickets selling fast, a third and final show has been added to the bill on 29 September. With sold out shows around the country it’s now Adelaide’s turn to dress up in their finest Princess Bride themed costumes, swoon over Mark Knopfler’s lush soundtrack and laugh out loud all over again with this iconic movie.
In addition to the ticketed events, Adelaide Guitar Festival will also see the return of the Guitar Expo, where participants can meet and talk with expert makers of beautifully crafted, bespoke instruments and gear and the popular Come and Try sessions are back, where festival goers can experiment with the latest guitars and equipment. Across the festival there will be free talks, activities and live music.
Adelaide Guitar Festival will reach beyond the walls of Adelaide Festival Centre with its live music association around Adelaide’s best music venues with Guitars in Bars and the festival will hit the road to perform in South Australian regional areas later in the year with On the Road.
“Congratulations to Slava Grigoryan and the Adelaide Festival Centre team for putting together an exceptional 2024 Adelaide Guitar Festival program. With performances brimming with wonderful South Australian artists and guitarists from across Australia and the world, this year’s program promises to delight,” said South Australian Minister for Arts, The Hon Andrea Michaels MP.
The 2024 Adelaide Guitar Festival runs 12 – 29 September. For more information and full program, visit: www.adelaideguitarfestival.com.au for details.
Images: Slava Grigoryan – photo by Nate Schilling | Paco Peña (supplied) | Jeff Lang (supplied) | Opelousas (supplied)