2nd edition of the Montreal Guitar Show
More than 50 free miniconcerts added to the program!
Montreal, Thursday, May 29, 2008 - It’s seventh heaven for fans of the six-string, now that more than 50 free miniconcerts featuring guitar masters have been added to the already exciting program of this 2nd edition of the Montreal Guitar Show! Along with the Guitarmania concert series, conferences, workshops and meetings with prestigious artists, and over 100 guitar luthiers, we’ve added over 50 more reasons to celebrate your love for the guitar during the first weekend of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, June 27 to 29, 2008.
The destination for guitar greatness!
Already the largest guitar show in Canada, the MGS expands and improves this year with a new large exhibition hall in the Hyatt Regency Montréal, more luthiers (100 of them, including a 17-strong delegation from France!), a new concert series featuring guitar heroes, free workshops with the same musicians, and workshops with major luthiers and luminaries…
Dozens of free miniconcerts!
True guitar lovers won’t want to miss out on 50 free miniconcerts presented by major players in the Salon Auteuil in the Hyatt Regency Montréal. Names? How about Peter Janson, Brady Cohan, Kinloch Nelson, Larry Pattis, Christine Tassan, Sylvain Provost, Emmanuel Rossfelder, John Cheech, Jr., Jacques Desfosses for starters… Better yet, their music will ring forth from gorgeous guitars created by Michael Bashkin, Paul Woolson, Stefan Hahl, Michihiro Matsuda, Sheldon Schwartz… It’s the ultimate combination of guitar talent!
Guitarmania!
And don’t forget the exciting Guitarmania series, 11 concerts presented in Cinquième Salle, Place des Arts, from June 26 to 29, starring such exceptional guitarists as Antoine Dufour, Érik Mongrain, Gareth Pearson, John Jorgenson, Andy McKee, Jordan Officer, Jake Shimabukuro, Don Ross, Michel Haumont / Jean‑Félix Lalanne, Martin Taylor and Pierre Bensusan.
Workshops, meetings and conferences
The MGS truly presents the guitar in all its glory! The three-day show is utterly packed with must-see activities and events, whether playful, educational or quite simply devoted to expressing our collective passion for the guitar. For instance, all artists in the Guitarmania series-as well as others, including renowned bassist Alain Caron-will gather in the intimate Salon Jeanne‑Mance in the Hyatt to present additional workshops offering insights into their lives and careers, their instruments and technique-in addition to personally meeting with fans in the Hyatt Grand Salon!
Workshops and encounters with musicians? Of course: but don’t forget the artisans who fire our sense of musical possibility with their exquisite creations. Think of such notable luthiers as Rick Davis, William “Grit” Laskin, Tom Ribbecke, Jeff Traugott and Ervin Somogyi, who will open our eyes and ears with expert information on the history and evolution of the instrument, the criteria for selecting a good guitar, improving your playing technique, and the stages involved in hand-making one of their masterpieces.
Other major specialists will also be on hand, from various guitar-related disciplines, including Tim Brookes, author of the best-seller Guitar: An American Life, Jeff Doctorow, a major collector of luthier guitars, and Georges Gruhn, writer, collector and authority on the vintage guitar.
Guitar nirvana
Along with the myriad surprises and discoveries awaiting us, the MGS remains first and foremost the ideal place and opportunity to admire, try out and purchase the most exquisite hand-made guitars created by some of the world’s finest luthiers. Enter the exhibition hall, browse and experience the wonder of hundreds of guitars created by our wizards of luthiery-including the members of our consulting committee, Mario Beauregard, Bill Comins, Rick Davis, Sergei de Jonge, Oskar Graf, Michael Greenfield, Peter Hopkins, Michael Lewis, Linda Manzer, Tom Ribbecke, Ervin Somogyi and Jeff Traugott-and who knows: the six-stringed love of your life may be waiting here for you!
For the complete schedule and other information on the shows, workshops and meetings, please visit www.montrealguitarshow.com.
The Montreal Guitar Show, presented in conjunction with the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, would like to acknowledge the support of its partners: the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, Tourisme Montréal, the magazines Acoustic Guitar, Fingerstyle and Guitarist Acoustic, as well as laguitare.com, le Ministère Délégué au Commerce Extérieur de la France, La Bella Strings, Official Luthiers Forum (OLF), Acoustic Voice (AV) et guitarscanada.com.
Tickets for the Guitarmania series already on sale
Tickets are available at the Metropolis ticket office (59 Ste-Catherine Street East), Place des Arts (175 Ste-Catherine Street West - 514 842-2112 or pda.qc.ca), and at Admission (admission.com or 514 790‑1245). Diehard guitar fans will want to treat themselves to one of the attractive packages offered (information at montrealguitarshow.com):
Subscribe to the Spectra Newsletter to get the early scoop on all the latest information concerning the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the SIMM and the Montreal Guitar Show. For more information, please contact the Info‑Jazz Bell line at 514 871‑1881 or toll free at 1 888 515‑0515, or visit montrealjazzfest.com.
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