Saigon International Guitar Festival 2026 marks 10th edition with global virtuosos
VOV.VN -The Saigon International Guitar Festival 2026 (SIGF 2026) is set to bring together world-class classical guitarists, master educators, and prominent luthiers from Asia and Europe at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music from August 5 to 9.
Marking its 10th edition since its 2014 inception, the festival also commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music and its classical guitar department.
This year's event features international artists and faculty from Argentina, Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Notable figures include Kozo Tate (Japan), Leonardo Bravo and Federico Nuñez (Argentina), Leon Koudelak (Czech Republic), Ji Won Choi (RoK), and Kasia Smolarek (Poland).
In addition to performing, these artists will lead masterclasses and workshops on technique and contemporary interpretation.
Over five days, audiences can attend six themed concerts. The opening performance, "Heart, Soul and Passion" on August 5, will feature the Festival Guitar Ensemble, the Saigon Guitar Quartet, The Winners Duo, and woodwind soloists. The evening highlights the Vietnam premiere of a piece composed by Canadian musician Patrick Roux. Subsequent nights span Renaissance to modern works, concluding with the "Dances of the Festival" finale on August 9.
A special free-admission concert on the afternoon of August 9, titled "The Winners," will present past competition champions Vuong Quoc Anh (Vietnam) and Ricky O. Hermansyah (Indonesia).
For the first time, SIGF 2026 introduces an international handcrafted guitar exhibition. Regional luthiers, including Kim Sang Gil (RoK), Mo Guofang (China), Wiroon Guitar and Rachata Guitars (Thailand), Bulbul Guitars, alongside Vietnamese artisans Vu Tran and Nguyen Ho, will share their instrument-making process, from acoustic wood selection to final assembly.
An expanded regional classical guitar competition will run alongside the concerts, comprising professional, amateur, youth, and ensemble divisions with contestants from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
According to Nguyen Thanh Huy, Head of the Guitar Department at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, the milestone event reinforces the institution's role as a regional center for classical guitar training, performance, and international exchange.
Saigon International Guitar Festival to return this August with fresh features
VOV.VN - The Saigon International Guitar Festival (SIGF) 2025 will take place from August 14 to 17 at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) in Ho Chi Minh City.
