The VIII National Classical Guitar Competition ‘Ciudad de Castalla’ will bring together students from all over the country

• The Casa de Cultura will host the programme with activities, concerts and a competition during three weekends in November and December

The VIII Certamen Nacional de Guitarra Clásica ‘Ciudad de Castalla’ will fill the town with music during three weekends. This event will bring together students from all over the country. The Town Council is collaborating in the organisation of the event, which has programmed activities, concerts and a competition for guitarists. The councillor for Culture, Saúl Mira, said that “this exhibition with the guitar as the protagonist gives the instrument and the city of Castalla the importance they deserve in our musical tradition”.

The kick-off will be on Saturday 27 November with the opening concert by Jonathan Esteve. The following day, Sunday 28th, the guitar and voice duo formed by Antonio Clavel and the soprano Cristina Sánchez will show their repertoire to the audience. The following weekend, on the 4th and 5th of December, it will be the turn of Francisco Albert and Juan Carlos López, respectively. All the concerts will take place in the auditorium of the Casa de Cultura in the capital of La Foia at 19:00 with free entrance for the public.

On the third weekend, the competition will be held for guitarists from all over Spain, who will be able to stay in the municipality. The first eliminatory phase will take place on Saturday 11 December and the final will be held on Sunday, with the closing ceremony and prize-giving ceremony. The participants will enjoy a master class and a training course with four individual and group classes. The musicians who will perform the concerts will also be the teachers of the classes.

Participants will be eligible for the first, second and third prizes, as well as the public prize, which will be awarded by a majority of those present. Specifically, the winner of the first prize ‘Ciudad de Castalla’ will win 1,000 euros in cash and the option of being a guest teacher and member of the jury for the next edition of the competition, plus six sets of RC Strings and a diploma. The second and third place winners will receive three sets of strings, a diploma and 500 and 250 euros, respectively.

For his part, the guitarist, creator and director of the competition, Jonathan Esteve, emphasised that “this is a consolidated event throughout the country and is attended every year by guitarists of international stature”. Esteve also pointed out that “we welcome young guitar students who come from all corners of our country, which has made the town of Castalla a reference point for classical guitar in Spain”.