Guitar Circus » Artists & Pathways 2019

It’s all go here at WYGF headquarters booking in our all-star guest artists ready for a spectacular ‘new look’ festival edition in August 2019.

WYGF is launching a brand new format which will give our students a chance to explore even more of the world of the guitar. Your favourite highlights from WYGF such as the guitar orchestras, concerts and workshops will still be there, but for the first time we are offering afternoon PATHWAYS for Acoustic Guitar, Flamenco, Composition, Ukulele and the Artist Springboard.

Which PATHWAY will you choose?

There will be a pathway for every level of player, why not try something new or deepen your knowledge of one of your musical passions. You will be able select your preferred PATHWAY* in the early summer when we send out our attendance forms to be completed before you join us at Dean Close School in Cheltenham.

Take a look at our guest artists below to give you a flavour of what you might like to experience at this year’s festival.

(*Pathways will be allocated based on preference and then by playing level, we will endeavour to ensure everyone gets their first choice where possible.)

Clive Carroll

Come and join Clive who is leading our Acoustic Pathway at WYGF 2019! Budding young acoustic guitarists can expect him to shake it up with some new six string picking and percussive techniques.

Guitar phenomenon Clive Carroll’s unparalleled technical virtuosity and ground-breaking compositions combine to create “…sensational instrumental music that knows no boundaries” (Acoustic Magazine). His sublime performances feature music from his solo albums, Jazz standards, Blues, and Irish reels and lauded guitarist Tommy Emmanuel cites Clive’s “the Red Guitar” album as one of his Desert Island discs!

Rafael

Rafael is leading our Flamenco Pathway at WYGF 2019! Come and join Rafael and whip up a flamenco storm learning new techniques, fingerstyles and rythmic bases.

Spanish-born flamenco guitarist, Rafael “plays with the soul of a gypsy” (El Pais) He launched his career with innovative flamenco group Salpicao and stories of his life living with Spanish gypsies was the inspiration for Jason Webster’s best-selling book ‘Duende’. Artistic collaborations have included working with Radiohead and composing for film and television.

Nick Powlesland

Ever wondered where to begin when you sit down to write music yourself? Are you working towards GCSE and A level compositions and want to be inspired? Well here’s your chance to explore composition and improvisation techniques with an expert. Join Nick on our Composition Pathway at WYGF 2019.

Nick regularly composes especially for WYGF, and is well-known for his pieces and exercises for the Classical, Plectrum Guitar and Rock and Pop syllabuses for Trinity College exam board. He also has a lifelong love of Musical Theatre that finds him frequently playing guitar or bass in theatres across the North West.

Ukulele – Dan Cook

Shooting up in popularity in recent years is our old friend the Ukelele. It’s a real ‘people pleaser’ as you can either enjoy playing in huge orchestras, with your friends or just strumming along at home to your favourite music.

This year our Ukulele Pathway at WYGF 2019 will be lead by Dan Cook, Head of Music at Deer Park School, Cirencester who actively encourages players of all levels to get stuck in to learn chord sequences, strumming styles and right hand techniques. He believes playing with others also enables us to explore melodic skills as part of a larger group. Instruments will be provided, but feel free to bring your own if you have one.

Zoran Dukić

For all our aspiring career guitarists, come and join Zoran at WYGF 2019 and take our Artist Springboard Pathway. If you are thinking about taking that next step and applying to a conservatoire to study classical guitar, this is your chance to learn what to expect and how to make the most of that audition from a world-class teacher and virtuoso.

Zoran Dukić is a Croatian born classical guitarist. Between 1990-1997 he won more competitions than any other guitarist! He currently perform recitals all over the world, both as a soloist or with an orchestra, in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Tchaikovsky Hall, Palau de la Musica, and the Concertgebouw, among others. He has educated generations of young classical guitarists and has one of the most successful classes in Europe at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.