Fifteen competitors will vie for the largest prize purse among guitar competitions between May 26-30 at the Parkening International Guitar Competition at Pepperdine University’s Smothers Theatre.
Guitarists representing 11 countries will compete in public performances throughout the weekend for more than $65,000 in prizes. The winner of the competition will receive a gold medal and the Jack Marshall Prize of $30,000.
The world’s preeminent classical guitar competition began earlier this week with the Parkening Young Guitarist Competition on May 26-27. Ten young musicians between the ages of 13-17 competed on the opening day, with five guitarists moving on to the final round on Wednesday, May 27.
“Renowned guitar virtuoso Christopher Parkening, the competition’s namesake and artistic director, is Distinguished Professor of Music at Pepperdine’s Seaver College,” according to a release from Pepperdine. “The competition honors his lifetime commitment to fostering musical excellence in young artists as demonstrated by his mentor, Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia.”
The competition is made possible through a grant from Howard and Roberta Ahmanson.