12th Annual Guitar Festival and Competition
Save the Date!
The Latino Arts Strings Program 12th Annual Guitar Festival and Youth Competition will take place on February 8, 2025!
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YOuth COMPETITION followed by an evening concert
Join us for the 12th Annual Guitar Festival and Youth Competition presented by the Latino Arts Strings Program.
The Festival will include:
- Youth Competition
- Master Classes with world-renowned classical guitarists
- Workshops on Classical Guitar careers and other styles
- Evening Concert featuring the Festival Orchestra performance, the 1st place winners of the Youth Competition along with featured soloist Iliana Matos
Read our Guitar Festival Letter of Invitation here
Read our Competition Guidelines here
Registration opens soon!
Meet our featured Soloists:
Iliana Matos
Iliana Matos graduated from the National School of Art in Havana where she studied with José Angel Pérez Puente. She earned a Bachelor of Music (Classical Guitar Performance) from the Superior Institute of Havana, and received a Special Diploma given to the most outstanding graduate for her artistic creative work. She continued her studies with Gabriel Estarellas at the Royal Music Conservatory of Madrid and graduated with a Master of Music Degree from de Extremadura University under Ricardo Gallén.
Matos made history as the first woman to win the prestigious S.A.R. La Infanta Doña Cristina International Guitar Competition, and as the only person to win the special prize for Best Interpretation of Spanish Music in two consecutive years, 1995 and 1996. She was a prize-winner at eleven major international competitions, including first prizes at the Andrés Segovia, Luys Milán, and Manuel Ponce international guitar competitions.
Currently, Matos serves on the faculty at the University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Fine Arts in Canada, where she is Head of Guitar Studies.
Alberto Quintanilla
Born in 1998 in Guanajuato, Mexico, Alberto Daniel Quintanilla is considered one of his generation's most outstanding Mexican guitarists.
He has won over 40 prizes in national and international competitions, including 1st prize
awards in the Culiacan International Competition, International Competition in Paracho,
Silvestre Revueltas Guitar Competition, an the National Guitar Competition of Mexico, to name a few.
He has been invited to perform at prestigious venues in Mexico, including the National Art
Museum of Mexico, Conjunto Santander in Guadalajara, and CIDEG’s concert hall in
Paracho.
In addition to his soloist career, Alberto has collaborated with different orchestras in Mexico, working with important conductors such as Gordon Campbell and Román Revueltas. He is also part of Cuarteto Curicaueri, a guitar quartet founded in 2017, performing a vast Mexican and Latin American music repertoire.
Currently, he is pursuing his master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee,
studying with Professor Rene Izquierdo.
Competition Registration Information
Testimonials
"We have really felt welcomed and enjoyed participating in the guitar festival for the past two years. It has also been a privilege to experience what you are doing for your community and the arts. Your love and dedication to both are evident. It was easy to see an atmosphere of mentoring, teaching, support, and caring by all the staff we encountered. It is not hard for us to imagine the impact on the community at large."
- Family of previous festival participant
"The Latino Arts Strings Program mission is at the core of what any community needs to build a strong foundation. Children are the future and we must provide the opportunities for them to grow and experience life in a way that was not perhaps possible with any of us. The LASP Guitar Festival brings joy and pride to them and the city of Milwaukee!"
- Rene Izquierdo, Classical Guitar Professor, Area Head, Guitar, Peck School of the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee