with the Jascho Stephan Trio feat. Joscho Stephan (guitar)

Sven Jungbeck (guitar)

Volker Kamp (double bass)

Koblenz Guitar Festival & Academy first time at Sayner Hütte

The Koblenz Guitar Festival & Academy is not changing its strings this year, but its pages – specifically, the pages of the Rhine: The concerts of the 33rd edition of the renowned music festival will take place for the first time this year at Sayner Hütte, which, according to festival director Georg Schmitz, offers concert venues predestined for this music: “The Krupp Hall is particularly acoustically suited for solo recitals, while the Gießhalle is ideal for orchestral concerts.” Until now, the concerts were held in the Rhein-Mosel-Halle; the master classes previously held in the Koblenz Castle are now moving to the State Music Academy at Schloss Engers.
As an “absolute fan of Sayner Hütte,” Schmitz, who teaches as a professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Mainz, has long had his eye on the Bendorf industrial monument with its fascinating architecture and found a sympathetic ear with managing director Dr. Björn Rodday. He emphasizes: “Sayner Hütte combines history and present and provides the ideal framework for the Koblenz Guitar Festival as a vibrant resonance space for artistic questions. In the midst of the historic industrial backdrop, music can open up new perspectives, promote dialogue between tradition and innovation, and intensify cultural experiences.” The nearby State Music Academy in Engers also offers excellent opportunities for instruction as well as the catering and accommodation of participants and instructors, Schmitz is pleased to note: “One is now very close to the pulse.”
And that pulse is likely to beat faster among friends of guitar music between June 1 and 9, as everything that has rank and name in the international scene will gather at Sayner Hütte. Artists from Germany, numerous European countries, and overseas will be featured. They will perform solo and in various chamber music formations. The festival also welcomes, among others, the orchestra and choir of the Hochschule für Musik Mainz, the Oxalis Quartet, the Joscho Stephan Trio, the Koblenz Guitar Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the French flutist Patrick Gallois.
The program includes exciting seminars, workshops, and master classes alongside the concert offerings, as well as the annual competition at Schloss Engers, conversation concerts, and the awarding of the festival prize for lifetime achievement to guitarist David Russell. During the festival, instrument makers will present their portfolio of string instruments and invite attendees to try them out. Additional attractions include sound art installations by students from the sound art composition department of Hochschule für Musik Mainz throughout the entire monument area of Sayner Hütte, as well as daily concerts in the chapel of Heinrich-Haus in Engers. The move of the series and the new venues have already caused great enthusiasm worldwide: “There are already registrations from Japan and Australia.”
The audience can already purchase tickets for all events at www.koblenzguitarfestival.de and find detailed information about the individual concert programs. All performing artists are also introduced there.