Koblenz Guitar Festival & Academy First Time at the Sayner Hütte

The Koblenz Guitar Festival & Academy is not changing its strings this year, but its pages – specifically, those of the Rhine: The concerts of the 33rd edition of the renowned music festival will, for the first time, take place at the Sayner Hütte, which according to festival director Georg Schmitz offers concert venues that are predestined for this music: “The Krupp Hall is particularly suitable acoustically for solo recitals, and the Foundry Hall for orchestral concerts.” Until now, they were held at the Rhein-Mosel-Halle; the masterclasses previously hosted in the Koblenz Castle are now relocating to the State Music Academy at Engers Castle.
As an “absolute fan of the Sayner Hütte,” Schmitz, who teaches as a professor at the University of Music in Mainz, has long had his eye on the Bendorf industrial monument with its fascinating architecture and found a ready ally in managing director Dr. Björn Rodday. He emphasizes: “The Sayner Hütte unites history and modernity and offers, as a living resonance space for artistic questions, the ideal setting for the Koblenz Guitar Festival. Amidst the historic industrial backdrop, the music can open new perspectives, promote dialogue between tradition and innovation, and intensify cultural experiences.” The nearby State Music Academy in Engers also offers excellent opportunities for teaching as well as for the catering and accommodation of participants and instructors, Schmitz is pleased to note: “You’re right there at the pulse.”
And that pulse is likely to quicken among guitar music enthusiasts between June 1 and 9, as everything that is reputable in the international scene will gather at the Sayner Hütte. Audiences will experience artists from Germany and numerous European countries as well as from overseas. They will perform solo and in various chamber music settings. The festival will also welcome, among others, the orchestra and choir of the University of Music Mainz, the Oxalis Quartet, the Joscho Stephan Trio, the Koblenz Guitar Festival Chamber Orchestra, and the French flutist Patrick Gallois.
The program includes not only concert offerings but also exciting seminars, workshops, and masterclasses, as well as the annual competition at Engers Castle, conversation concerts, and the presentation of the festival award for lifetime achievement to guitarist David Russell. During the festival, instrument makers will showcase their range 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 the University of Music Mainz throughout the entire monument area of the Sayner Hütte, as well as daily concerts in the chapel of the Heinrich House in Engers. The move of the series and the new venues have already generated great enthusiasm worldwide: “We have already received 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 participating artists are also featured there.

Orchestra of the University of Music Mainz,

Musical Direction: Wolfram Koloseus (Austria)