Musicians from far, wide prepare for URI Guitar Festival

‘Instrument ecosystem’ on full display

URI’s annual Guitar festival is back to bring together a community of guitar enthusiasts. PHOTO CREDIT: uri.edu

Featuring classical and acoustic instrumentalists from around the world, the University of Rhode Island is set to hold the seventh annual Guitar Festival this October

Founded by Adam Levin, an artist and teacher in classical guitar at URI, this “musical feast” was created with the intent to bring people together to appreciate the guitar.

“I think the motor force behind all of this is that I love the guitar so dearly and I want to spread the message of how majestic and interesting and how culturally fluent this instrument is,” Levin said.

Initially, the Guitar Festival was a single-day event, but this year, Levin coordinated what he described as a four-day immersive experience about the beauty of music and community.

He said that the progression and growth of this event have been “humbling,” as the festival has continued to gain traction over the past seven years.

Now, Levin has coordinated 15 to 20 artists to perform at this year’s festival as multiple concerts will be commencing simultaneously in different places. He said this has only been possible with the help of sponsors and patrons, whose donations ensure the event’s happenings and caliber.

Levin is no longer the only person coordinating these events though. According to him,  a team has grown around him to help with everything from promoting to setting up for the festival.

“I think one thing that has also come out of all this is a Guitar Festival team that’s composed of about eight or nine team members who are in charge of logistics, contracts, artist relations and marketing,” Levin said. “And then, of course, the production staff at the University of Rhode Island. So it’s a multi prong and multifaceted festival now that is integrated into not only the URI music department but the University.”

Levin said his goal for this year’s event is to attract more students from majors other than music to the festival. He hopes this will not only make the festival more popular but also help students from disciplines outside of music learn about the arts – a subject that, according to Levin, is important for all to study.

“I call on the science majors, all English majors, I call on all of Greek Life, I call on all faculty members to come on out and enjoy this brilliant weekend,” Levin said. “This is for the University of Rhode Island, first and foremost, and for the whole community here. This was done with the student body and faculty and staff and the surrounding community in mind, and I want them to enjoy every moment.”

Andy McKee, a fingerstyle guitar player, has performed at the festival multiple times before and will perform again this year. He has been touring internationally for the last 20 years, along with curating six studio albums and releasing some viral videos on YouTube. 

With collaborations projects alongside Prince, Josh Rubin, Don Ross, Callum Graham and Trevor Gordon Hall, McKee has become immersed in the realm of live performance. He said that event attendees could expect some collaborations at this year’s festival.

McKee said he focuses on elements such as guitar tuning and curating an intriguing setlist in preparation for his shows.

“I guess my program is a little bit catered towards the tunings that I use,” he said. “I use a lot of different tunings on the guitars. So, at the same time, I try to build my setlist around the tuning, even if it’s too much. I don’t have to change between songs to keep the show flowing a bit.”

In addition to McKee, other local artists will be performing at the Guitar Festival, including Andrea Gonzåles Caballero, Victor Main and Simon Shaheen.   The Guitar Festival will take place Oct. 20-23rd on multiple stages in South County, including the Pump House, URI’s Fine Arts Center, St. Augustine’s church and more. Tickets can be found at the Guitar Festival website, https://www.uriguitarfestival.org/registration.