From 12-19 September '24, Adelaide Festival Centre will be buzzing with the world's finest guitarists across genres – classical, blues, rock, jazz, flamenco and more, for the 2024 Adelaide Guitar Festival.
Celebrating the world’s favourite instrument and a shared love of music and the guitar, Adelaide Guitar Festival hosts guitar fanatics and new fans alike in UNESCO City of Music, Adelaide. This year’s program welcomes guitarists from around the globe and across Australia in the ultimate celebration of guitar.
This year is my 10th Adelaide Guitar Festival as Artistic Director. It’s a role that brings me great joy and each time I see a program come together it feels like a new beginning. Along with the team, I am thrilled to present this program of events highlighting the very best guitarists from around the world, Australia and South Australia. I hope you enjoy discovering the program and get as much inspiration listening to these artists as I do.
Guitarheads can get around some of this year’s program highlights including:
Paco Peña Requiem for the Earth
In an Adelaide premiere, and only one of two shows in Australia, Adelaide Guitar Festival opens with the majestic Requiem for the Earth with legendary flamenco guitarist, Paco Peña at Her Majesty’s Theatre. A monumental musical odyssey of passion and redemption, Requiem for the Earth celebrates our glorious planet while reflecting on humanity’s impact on nature.
This hopeful call to action features world-class musicians from Spain alongside the choral power of Adelaide's own Rising Voices and Young Adelaide Voices, merging the solemnity of a traditional Requiem with the vibrant energy of flamenco in an unmatched auditory experience. Opening with Brisbane’s inspiring Aurora Guitar Ensemble of 26 young players, this concert will be a festival highlight on a grand scale, with a critical message for our times.
Rolling Stones Revue
Celebrating 60 years of The Rolling Stones, Adalita (Magic Dirt), Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus), Tex Perkins (The Cruel Sea, Tex, Don & Charlie) and Steve Kilbey (The Church) are bringing a full-blown rock n roll spectacle to Her Majesty’s Theatre stage for one night only in the Rolling Stones Revue. An electrifying all-star homage, enjoy the seminal Sticky Fingers album in its entirety, backed up by all the greatest hits you know and love, on Saturday 14 September.
Travel Guide: A Global Gathering
Experience the guitar in its purest form as outstanding artists from around the world bring their distinctive, virtuosic talents to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Travel Guide: A Global Gathering on Friday 13 September. Featuring China’s pioneering maestra Xuefei Yang, Brazil’s innovative Chrystian Dozza and Australia’s ever-original Grigoryan Brothers, go on a glorious journey with the exquisite, unalloyed guitar as your guide.
The Princess Bride in Concert
On 28 & 29 September, The Princess Bride in Concert comes to Festival Theatre. The classic adventure-romance film will be shown on the big screen at the iconic Festival Theatre with a live symphonic orchestra with Slava Grigoryan performing the evocative Mark Knopfler score and hosted by Australian comedy legend Steven Gates from Tripod- it would be inconceivable to miss it. With early on sale tickets selling fast, a third and final show has been added to the bill on September 29. With sold out shows around the country it’s now Adelaide’s turn to dress up in their finest Princess Bride themed costumes, swoon over Mark Knopfler’s lush soundtrack and laugh out loud all over again with this iconic movie.
Blak Country
In Dunstan Playhouse, Blak Country is a celebration of the profound resonance that First Nations people have found in country music through its themes of connection to Country, heartbreak and solace. Curated by Barkindji songwoman Nancy Bates and featuring Glenn Skuthorpe, Aunty Penny Bonney and Scott Rathman Jr, Blak Country gathers powerful First Nations voices from across generations, backed by a full band and imagery of the land which breathes life into the songs.
Adelaide Guitar Festival
In addition to the ticketed events, Adelaide Guitar Festival will also see the return of the Guitar Expo, where participants can meet and talk with expert makers of beautifully crafted, bespoke instruments and gear and the popular Come and Try sessions are back, where festival goers can experiment with the latest guitars and equipment. Across the festival there will be free talks, activities and live music.
Adelaide Guitar Festival will reach beyond the walls of Adelaide Festival Centre with its live music association around Adelaide’s best music venues with Guitars in Bars and the festival will hit the road to perform in South Australian regional areas later in the year with On the Road.
Produced and presented by Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide Guitar Festival, led by Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan, is the most significant festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Tickets are on sale now.
Adelaide Guitar Festival, 12-29 September '24
Experience world-class guitarists taking the stage for an exciting program of events.
