WYGF 2009 has just finished! The CD recording of Corinium Players and Gitarenstadt is in-the-can and the school feels ghostly quiet after four days of hearing the sound of over 200 participants! We now have a chance to get back to reporting on the festival, so we thought we’d kick-off with a bit of an overview and then get round to the specifics later on once we’ve looked through all the photos, comments, and video footage which has been accumulated during WYGF.

WYGF 2009 had an increase of 25% more students since our last festival in 2007. All our WYGF tutors and guest artists were kept extremely busy while they worked with their guitar orchestras on a vast variety of pieces, mixed in with workshops on topics such as warm-up routine and stretches before a punishing practice session with Mark Ashford, an introduction to the new Trinity Guildhall syllabus with Gary Ryan assisted by Mark Eden, guitar percussion with Gordon Dunn, and a technical work-out with Martha Masters. More on these session coming soon.

Between the workshops and orchestra coaching sessions the WYGF students had an opportunity to take part in swimming, football, basketball, or creating some artwork. These sessions allowed students a moment to do something completely different.

There was also the all important chance for everyone to take their seats in the Bacon Theatre for the showcase concerts which featured Holme Valley Guitar Quartet, Dorchester Guitar Ensemble, Guitar Project, Chichester Guitar Ensemble, Haringey Guitar Ensemble, Junior Guildhall Guitar Ensemble, Corinium Players Guitar Ensemble, Gitarenstadt, and NYGE. A full report will be posted soon on these amazing ensembles.

The WYGF09 concert series was also one of the main festival features with performances by Graham Devine, VIDA Guitar Quartet, Martha Masters, and Brad Richter. Students were given the opportunity to get up and also perform in our open-mic sessions which included some guitar playing, singing, poetry reading and even a monologue.

The Trinity Guildhall YouTube Competition had its final on Wednesday night with a huge screening of the chosen finalists with by the composers awarding prizes – full report to follow.

Other entertainment included the WYGF panto where out guest artists and tutors dressed-up and got into character to perform a specially written version of Cinderella renamed Strumerella! The Panto also included our wonderful WYGF mentors Matthew, Gareth, Graham, Aimee, Tom Anderson, Tom (Picasso) Abela, Gordon, Rachel, Paul, and Adam. This was followed by the WYGF Guitar Oscars for the student with the most … well there were too many categories to mention here!

This year vendors Kent Guitar Classics and the London Guitar Studio were here at WYGF showing their wares and allowing students that all important chance to get strings, tuners, music, and even a top-notch guitar if they were prepared to dig into their pockets a little deeper, all with a warm friendly advice and service from Miles Roberts (KGC) and Stef (pic-LGS) who were on-hand to help!

The final student concert was a monster performance of all our seven WYGF student orchestras. This was the moment where all the hard work which had been put into the orchestral sessions came together, and family and friends attending the final concert got a chance to hear the results – and what fantastic results! The high standard of all the performances was an inspiring moment and a testament to the hard work everyone had put in to all the rehearsals.

This leaves me an opportunity to thank everyone who helped during the festival, and our WYGF Sponsors, without whom we would not be able to make this event so special.

National Youth Guitar Ensemble (UK)

‘Roundelay’ for cello and guitar ensemble (solo: Victoria Walker) by Stephen Dodgson / ‘Llanura’ by Alfonso Montes / ‘Lorca Concerto’ (Eden Stell) by Gerald Garcia.

Download audio file (WYGF_NYGE_promo2.mp3)

Guitarstrophe! (Aus)

‘Rhapsody’ (Eden Stell) by Richard Charlton / ‘Trouble in the Ribcage’ by Timothy Hansen / ‘Festive Fizz’ by Richard Lenz.

Download audio file (WYGF_Guitarstrophe!_promo2.mp3)

Buy Festive Fizz

If you are interested in buying ‘Festive Fizz’ please contact NYGE’s co-ordinator Liz Larner or Guitarstrophe! directly.

WYGF is committed to supporting youth guitar ensembles and all money raised from the sale of this CD goes directly to each ensemble to help them to continue to grow and fund future projects and developments.

Future WYGF CD series

Although this project began life as a one-off event, WYGF were so impressed by the success of the venture that we intend to offer two ensembles the chance to have the experience of making a professionally recorded CD at every WYGF. Would your ensemble like to apply to become WYGF09’s recording artists? If so, drop us a line, via our contact page, telling us a little more about your group.

One of the ensembles coming back for more are the rather wonderful National Youth Guitar Ensemble. Led by artistic director, Gerald Garcia they joined forces with the Australian super-ensemble Guitarstrophe! to record a CD directly after the main festival last year. The CD Festive Fizz was launched earlier this year at the Winchester Guitar Festival (WGF) and we shall be featuring the CD on this site soon.

Playing in NYGE is a fabulous experience for young guitarists and their new coordinator, Liz Larner, recently got in touch to tell us more about the group.

Liz writes, “Last year the National Youth Guitar Ensemble attended an inspirational and entertaining summer course at WYGF ‘07.  After the success of the festival including the NYGE concert and their recording session for the ‘Festive Fizz’ CD, the ensemble is pleased to announce their welcomed return to WYGF ’09.

NYGE offers the highest standard of ensemble training in the U.K for young aspiring guitarists and is currently looking for enthusiastic and talented musicians to join them for their two annual courses. Applicants should be between the ages of 13 – 18 and the equivalent standard of Grade 5 distinction and above (the ensemble averages at Grade 7/8).  Successful applicants will be asked to attend two residential courses in 2009 which will be at Quorn on 9^th – 14^th April ’09 and at WYGF on 11^th – 14^th April ‘09.

Applications are now being accepted and the NYGE 2009 auditions will be held on the 11^th January ’09 at Chethams School of Music and 18^th January ’09 at The Royal Academy of Music.

If you are a young aspiring guitarist who enjoys interacting and performing with others and has a thirst for fun then NYGE is the ensemble for you! Interested guitarists are invited to send in an application form along with the audition fee of £15 (cheque payable to EGTA, UK) to the NYGE Coordinator by the 23d December ’08. Application forms can be downloaded from the European Guitar Teachers’ Association website.

For more information on NYGE please visit the EGTA site or contact NYGE coordinator Liz Larner. Information on course fees and bursaries will be available on the EGTA website soon.”