Southeastern will be hosting the 12th annual Guitar Festival spanning from March 30 to April 14. The festival includes five different events split between March and April, from performances to a master class. This festival was started in 1999 by Patrick Kerber, instructor of guitar and coordinator of guitar activities, who is still the coordinator over the event.

“In the beginning I was putting it all within one week and then very quickly realized that people can’t take a whole week off, five nights in a row to do all the events,” said Kerber. “We noticed that when we spread it out we had more in attendance.”

This festival is free to everyone, with the help of the Student Government Association, the Southeastern Guitar Club and Dr. Ted’s Musician’s Center.

“SGA funds the guest artist for us, but everything else is the guitar club and Dr. Ted’s Musician’s Center,” said Kerber. “They supply the PA system and the lights for the All Styles Night.”

The first event is a faculty recital on Mar 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pottle Music Building Auditorium. According to a March 21 Public Info press release, the recital will feature a repertoire from traditional classical guitar music from the English Renaissance to Spanish Contemporary.

On April 6 at 7:30 p.m. the second event will be “All Styles Night on the Circle” in the outdoor Pottle Performance Circle. The participants range from local musicians, music majors and also students and faculty outside of the department of fine and performing arts.

Guests will be able to enjoy a wide variety of genres from the different participants.

The Southeastern Guitar Ensemble will take the spotlight at the third event featured on April 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.

The performance will include 17 guitar performers with music from the German Renaissance, Classical Spanish repertoire Argentine tangos, Chilean folk music and French Impressionists.

The fourth festivity will be held on April 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pottle Music Building Auditorium, featuring guest artist Nick Ciraldo of the University of Texas in Austin. Ciraldo is an internationally acclaimed guitarist who will be performing works from Villa-Lobos, Torroba and J.S. Bach. Ciraldo’s wife teaches flute at Southeastern as an adjunct professor.

“The guest artist, that is always very important because this brings to the campus a professional from outside of campus,” said Kerber. “Typically it is somebody who has a lot of success nationally and in this case internationally. That provides inspiration for the students, to say ‘Hey, this is possible and it can be done’ to have a career as a guitarist.”

The festival will come to an end with a master class led by Ciraldo on April 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Pottle Music Building, Room 124.

“The performers are specifically music majors, but it is open for anyone to attend as sort of a performance class. They can come and watch it happen,” said Kerber. “A master class is, typically, where performers get up and play, then the teacher teaches them in front of other people. It is half way performance, half way teach.”

For more information about the festival, contact Kerber at 985-549-2886 or by e-mail at [email protected].