Tickets: Adult $25; Concession $10
Contra Guitar Duo perform as part of the 2023 Guitar Festival at the Melbourne Conservatorium.
Australian guitarists Hamish Strathdee and Emma-Shay Gallenti-Guilfoyle formed the Contra Guitar Duo to showcase the varied and rich expressive capabilities of the guitar duo as an ensemble. The concert will also feature newly composed works by Australian composers Holly Harrison and Helen Svoboda. Also on the program are pieces by Brazilian composer Clarice Assad and Australian legends Phillip Houghton, Ross Edwards and Maria Grenfell.
ABOUT THE 2023 GUITAR FESTIVAL
The 2023 Guitar Festival at the Conservatorium will be an action-packed weekend of concerts and masterclasses featuring icons of the guitar world and outstanding guitar teachers and students from the Conservatorium.
Special guests include classical guitarist René Izquierdo (Cuba), who will be visiting Australia for the first time. Also featured are the Contra Guitar Duo (QLD), contemporary guitar maestro Doug de Vries, alongside Conservatorium staff and post-graduates Sophie Marcheff, Rose Gonzalez, Nathan Sinclair and more! This event showcases the richness and diversity of the guitar in the 21st century.
Opportunities will be provided for secondary school guitarists to take part in a masterclass and guitar ensemble concert. A musicology event on Friday 28 July will launch the festival with a special Louise Hanson Dyer Lecture given by leading scholars Walter Aaron Clark and Javier Suárez Pajares to mark the launch of their ground-breaking new book on Joaquín Rodrigo. Conservatorium postgraduate researcher Nathan Sinclair will perform music by Rodrigo to accompany the event. A festival not to be missed!
FESTIVAL INFORMATION
This exciting program includes two days of masterclasses, technique sessions, rehearsals and workshops suitable for secondary school and tertiary guitarists, as well as concerts over three days featuring our staff and special guests.
There is something for everyone, whether you’re a student wanting to come along to one or all days of activities and experience learning at the Conservatorium, a teacher looking for new ideas or a guitar lover catching a concert or workshop. In between the main festival events, a variety of student performances will be presented around the building, and the trades display will be open on Level 7.
Parent/Guardian passes are available for those who wish to attend the festival alongside a participant 17 years and younger. Attendees aged 14 and under are required to have a parent/guardian attend with them.
Attendees wishing to attend all the festival events will need to book tickets for each of the concerts and day events they would like to attend.
Book your tickets for other festival activities here.
ACCESSIBILITY
All venues at the Southbank campus are wheelchair accessible. To read more about access services available at our venues, please visit: https://finearts-music.unimelb.edu.au/access-our-events
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Due to current COVID-19 restrictions and University guidelines, there are a number of conditions currently in place for our in-person events. To read more about the University's COVID-19 response, please visit: https://www.unimelb.edu.au/coronavirus.
The University continues to strongly encourage individuals to remain up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, but no longer requires evidence of vaccination in order to access campus.
Wearing a mask remains recommended when you cannot physically distance.
Please stay at home if you feel unwell or have been ordered to isolate.
Walk-ups and latecomers will be admitted at the discretion of front of house staff.