The highly anticipated Adelaide Guitar Festival returns this weekend, offering a thrilling program packed with top-tier performances. Running until September 29, this nearly three-week-long event will showcase some of the world’s most gifted guitarists from genres like rock, jazz, blues, classical, country, and flamenco, performing at renowned venues across South Australia.
The festival is a key event on South Australia’s musical calendar, reinforcing Adelaide’s status as a UNESCO City of Music.
Slava Grigoryan, the festival’s Artistic Director, expressed his excitement: “It’s such a thrill to be on the verge of this year’s Adelaide Guitar Festival. I’m incredibly eager to witness so many extraordinary artists converging in Adelaide, many of them for the first time.”
He added, “I know the concerts will be presented with great pride, and I’m personally excited to be performing in a few of them. Let the guitar festivities commence.”
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM shared Grigoryan’s enthusiasm: “We’re delighted to welcome performers and audiences to Adelaide, our UNESCO City of Music, to celebrate an outstanding program of both ticketed and free events during the three weeks of the Adelaide Guitar Festival. Artists from around the world will join forces with the best Australian and South Australian musicians to present the finest guitar music in all its forms.”
This year’s program caters to a wide range of tastes, starting with the Rolling Stones Revue at Her Majesty’s Theatre this weekend. The show features Australian talents Adalita (Magic Dirt), Sarah McLeod (The Superjesus), Tex Perkins (The Cruel Sea, Tex, Don & Charlie), and Steve Kilbey (The Church) performing the entire classic Stones album Sticky Fingers.
Other highlights over the weekend include performances by China’s renowned classical guitarist Xuefei Yang, Brazil’s dynamic Chrystian Dozza, Australia’s Grigoryan Brothers, and the 80-member Adelaide Guitar Festival Orchestra as part of Travel Guide: A Global Gathering. This concert will spotlight guitar virtuosos from around the world, hosted by Megan Burslem from ABC Classic Breakfast.
Blak Country is another must-see event, celebrating First Nations artists at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Dunstan Playhouse. The line-up features award-winning Barkindji songwoman Nancy Bates, singer-songwriter Glenn Skuthorpe, Melbourne-based star Jess Hitchcock, and more.
Additional standout performances include solo recitals by South Korea’s classical virtuoso Deion Cho and Xuefei Yang, as well as a debut Adelaide performance from modern jazz trio Josh Meader Trio. The event will also showcase collaborative rising stars Antoine Boyer and Yeore Kim, and South Australian Music Hall of Famer Carl Orr will return for his performance in Carl Orr’s London Underground at the Space Theatre, alongside Artistic Director Slava Grigoryan and legendary guitarist James Muller.
Local acts include Dusty Lee Stephensen of Wanderers debuting his new project Dustyn with Ross Irwin and a 10-piece band, blues guitarist Jeff Lang performing tracks from his upcoming album More Life, and rising star Lucas Day at the Space Theatre.
A special screening of The Princess Bride at the Festival Theatre is also on the agenda. The beloved film will be projected on a large screen while a live symphony orchestra plays Mark Knopfler’s iconic score.
The Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition is another highlight, drawing guitarists from around the globe to this free event at the Dunstan Playhouse.
In addition to the array of performances, the Guitar Expo and Come and Try sessions are back, providing attendees the chance to explore guitars and uncover their musical talents.
Free talks will be available throughout the festival, and Guitars in Bars also returns, offering live music lovers a chance to enjoy intimate performances by skilled musicians at venues across South Australia.
