JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition
The JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition was founded in 2004 by PBS member station WNED and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO). It was the world’s first concerto competition for classical guitarists with accompaniment by a full symphony orchestra.
Every two years, it brings international guitarists to Buffalo, New York for one week in June to perform publicly in competition for cash prizes, a recording contract, national and international broadcast exposure, and a return engagement with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. During the final round of the competition, the three finalists perform with the BPO, conducted by JoAnn Falletta.
"Guitar Days," in which competitors perform in free public concerts around Western New York, was added to the competition as a community outreach program in 2008, to allow more area residents the opportunity to enjoy classical guitar music at its finest level.
In the 2012 competition, for the first time the semifinals were aired live for viewers on WNED-TV public television, in addition to being broadcast live for radio listeners, and streamed online at WNED's website.
Through the competition, WNED and the BPO seek to bring prominent recognition to highly-skilled classical guitarists, and promote music appreciation and enhance the visibility of the cultural arts in Western New York. In Falletta's own words: "In this competition, we celebrate our finalists as superb visiting artists.... Their presence enriches our region, and we hope that the competition will ultimately increase the presence of the classical guitar on orchestral stages throughout the world."
Read more about this topic: Jo Ann Falletta
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