WELCOME Welcome to the Cheltenham Guitar Festival Concert Series Celebrating the diversity of the Guitar – the next 30 years!
The transition from the last stage of conservatoire or college to the professional concert platform is when young artists need most help. YAP offers concert opportunities on major UK concert platforms, as well as masterclasses, mentoring and training in a wide range of subjects that young professionals need to develop a successful career. YOUNG ARTIST PLATFORM
31 Years ago, the Bath Guitar Festival and Summer School was IGF’s (International Guitar Foundation and Festivals) very first event. It was the root of all our national and international work that was to come in the next 30 years. It is with great pleasure I welcome you to our 2026 Concert Series! This time held in the beautiful spa town of Cheltenham. As usual we have concerts in a wide variety of styles, as well as workshops, lectures and masterclasses as part of our famous summer school, new music commissions, young artists from IGF Young Artist Platform and a special celebration of women music creators.
IGF’S NEW MUSIC COMMISSIONS 2025-2026
A key objective of IGF is the creation and performance of high-quality new works for solo guitar and guitar in a variety of ensemble settings.
We are the leading organisation for new music for guitar in Europe having commissioned 136 new works for guitar from both emerging and established composers and promoted 292 premières of new music for guitar. This year’s new commissions include Basilem by Martha-Maria Mitu; Night Sky in a Stone by Freya Waley-Cohen; The Millipede is walking by Cheryl Frances-Hoad and River Reflects the Great Sky Above by Sarah Lianne Lewis.
LA LEONA CELEBRATING WOMEN MUSIC CREATORS
IGF celebrates women music creators!
We build on our long history of supporting women and the guitar starting with innovative projects like Girls Rock (2004), Venus and the guitar (2019), Women Flamenco Guitarists (2019) and La Leona which was started in 2021 during lockdown and is now receiving a new impetus. Over the next three years we will initiate a range of new work in a wide variety of styles, showcasing the versatility and diversity of the guitar and other plucked instruments like sitar, oud, kora, mandolin, banjo, domra and others. In Cheltenham this year we feature Holly Carter , guitarists Xuefei Yang, Eva Victoria Schockmel, Maryna Vosmirova, Zoë Meadowcroft and new work by women classical composers Martha-Maria Mitu, Freya Waley-Cohen , Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Sarah Lianne Lewis .
Xuefei Yang
Francisco Bernier
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