News: International Guitar Festival comes to Adelaide


Hon MIKE RANN MP, Premier
Premier
Minister for Economic Development
Minister for Social Inclusion
Minister for the Arts
Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change
Contact details



July 9, 2006


Adelaide has won a new prestigious annual international arts event – a guitar festival inspired and assisted by the New York Guitar Festival.



Premier and Arts Minister Mike Rann says securing this annual two-week event is as part of the Adelaide Festival Centre’s commitment to a bolder, more extensive program of festivals, events, performance and activities under the leadership of the Centre’s new CEO, Douglas Gautier.



The first Adelaide International Guitar Festival, expected to attract world-wide audience, will be held at the Adelaide Festival Centre in Adelaide in November 2007.



“The guitar is one of the world’s most recognised, accessible and identifiable instruments in the world,” Mr Rann said.



“This new annual event will feature performances by local, national and international artists across a variety of genres including rock n roll, classical, Spanish, blues, roots and jazz and experimental.



“It will expand the public appreciation for the guitar as well as foster young and emerging Australian talent. The program will also include artist forums, a visual arts component and an artist in residence throughout the festival.



“The Festival will feature the curatorial expertise of David Spelman, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the New York Guitar Festival, an event considered one of the most high calibre and respected specialist guitar festivals of its kind in the world.



“This year’s New York Guitar Festival featured Pepe Romero, Daniel Lanois, Jorma Kaukonen, Bill Frisell, Sonny Landreth, Cindy Cashdollar, Taj Mahal, and surprise guests Bruce Springsteen and Emmylou Harris.



“I met with Mr Spelman in New York in April to discuss plans to bring the festival to Adelaide,” Mr Rann said.



Mr Gautier said this new festival epitomises what the Adelaide Festival Centre is all about.



“This is about supporting innovative collaborations between outstanding international and local artists, facilitating new and exclusive works and artistic partnerships and developing new audiences,” said Mr Gautier.

Mr Spelman said he was thrilled that Adelaide would be holding this new international festival.
“There may be people who call New York City the centre of the cultural universe, but I believe Adelaide is one of the most intellectually dynamic and artistically sophisticated communities I've ever visited,” Mr Spelman said.



“The people of South Australia have a wonderful appetite and openness to art and new ideas. The success of Womadelaide and the Thinkers in Residence program are two great examples of what I think is possible in this community.



"It's my hope that this festival will tell the story of the guitar itself - where it originated, what countries it has visited, which genres it has impacted, and, to some degree, where it is heading.



“The story of the guitar is far too complex and interesting to tell in just 10 days, but this will be a wonderful start,” Mr Spelman said.





INFORMATION ABOUT GUITARIST SINGER/SONGWRITER JEFF LANG:



Singer-songwriter Jeff Lang, described by Rolling Stone as “Australia’s best roots-music artisan" will feature at the new Adelaide International Guitar Festival. Jeff has just returned from a two and a half month world tour including 24 dates with Jon Butler in the United States, as well as headlining shows in Arts Centres across the UK and showcases through Belgium, France and Ireland. He will be releasing a new album 'Dislocation Blues' through ABC in August.