In 2003, Bermuda School of Music (BSM) guitar teacher Stephen Crawford saw his dream of launching a Bermuda Guitar Festival fulfilled. Eleven years later it continues to be a popular annual event which brings together international artists, BSM faculty and guitar students in a series of concerts and workshops.

This year’s festival runs from tomorrow to Sunday, with public concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The first concert, at 7.30pm on May 30, will feature Mr Crawford and award-winning American virtuoso classical guitarist Matt Palmer in solo performances.

Mr Crawford’s programme will include much-loved classical works by South American, Spanish and French composers, and conclude in a very different style with American jazz alto saxophonist and composer Paul Desmond’s famous Take Five.

Visiting artist Mr Palmer will open with French classical guitarist/arranger/teacher Roland Dyens’ Saudade No 3. He will also perform works by Spanish composer Vicente Asencio and Brazilian guitarist/composer/arranger Sergio Assad.

Of particular interest will be Professor Olga Amelkina-Vera’s sonata, The Heavens Hundred, which she recently wrote for Mr Palmer. Its title honours the Ukranian protesters who were killed in Kiev earlier this year by government snipers.

The second concert, on Saturday (May 31), will feature BSM classical guitar teacher Jerremiah Smith and visiting US jazz guitarist Jody Fisher in solo performances.

Mr Smith will open with Spanish composer Francisco Tarrega’s Gran Vals, and conclude with Czech classical guitarist and jazz composer Jiri Jirmal’s Baden Jazz Suite, written in homage to Baden Powell.

His programme will also include works by Spanish, Brazilian, and German composers.

American jazz master Jody Fisher will be making his third appearance as a Bermuda Guitar Festival guest artist, and will perform a mixture of jazz standards and his own compositions.

In addition to his solo concert performance, Mr Fisher will give three workshops for advanced guitar students, as well as information on some of the tools needed to become acquainted with the art of improvisation.

These workshops, which are already fully subscribed, will cover such topics as technique and fingerboard harmony, exploring chord melody and solo guitar, and concepts for improvisation.

The Festival will conclude on Sunday (June 1) with a gala BSM guitar students’ concert at 3pm. Admission is free but donations will be welcomed.

The venue for all guitar concerts and workshops is St Andrew’s Presbyterian church on Church Street (the pink church opposite the drive-in Bank of Bermuda). Performances on Friday and Saturday (May 30 and 31) begin at 7.30pm.

Tickets ($30) are available from The Music Box, the Bermuda School of Music (296-5100), and on line from Premier Tickets Bermuda (www.premierticketsglobal.com).

Clearly delighted that the Festival is now 11 years’ old, and going from strength to strength, host Mr Crawford said: “It gives us a chance to see world-class performers right here in Bermuda. It is hard to find artists like this in big cities. Hopefully, this year’s event will be another great success.”