Spearheaded by a music professor with a vision, what was once a one-day symposium with a few guitars has blossomed into a multi-day multi-instrumental festival featuring artists from around the world.
Founded by University of Rhode Island professor Adam Levin in 2015, the URI Guitar and Mandolin Festival is opening its doors to individuals from across the country for its 10th anniversary, according to Rhody Today.
The event now stands among the top mixed classical festivals in the world, featuring some of the most respected artists across the field, according to Levin. Passion influenced the festival’s ability to grow.
“I love classical guitar more than anything on the planet,” Levin said. “With that vision in mind, nothing could stop me.”
This year’s festival will present a performance and education platform across eight days, according to Levin.
The festival faculty and team have incorporated a variety of experiences to fulfill its goal, according to Levin. Performances will feature internationally renowned artists such as guitarist and Grammy winner Tommy Emmanuel and virtuoso classical guitarist Meng Su. Alumni from URI musicians, including Celili Connors will also perform solo pieces and multiple lectures including a music therapy lecture will be held.
The festival will work with the Kithara Project and Sing Me a Story to share a musical portrait highlighting a young girl’s battle with cancer, according to Levin. A mega orchestra of 50 musicians will perform the world premiere of “Sofia’s trip to Disney World” on Oct. 26.
The premiere is a part of a larger festival motive to bring stories to life through music, according to Levin.
This relationship is built through collaborations with like-minded organizations.
“It’s a very heartening way of showcasing Sofia as a modern-day heroine who is fighting health adversity and who has big dreams,” Levin said. “[The showcase] is a way to bring her dreams to the
to the international stage.”
Another organization, the Rising Stars youth music program, will make a reappearance at the festival to rehearse and put together songs to perform as an ensemble, according to alum and faculty member Ceili Connors ‘16.
Students apart of Rising Stars will perform “Sofia’s trip to Disney World” live with the mega guitar orchestra, according to Connors.
In her fifth year involved with the festival faculty, Connors will perform a solo guitar piece on Oct. 20.
“For the kids who are able to make it, I think it’s always good for them to be able to see their teachers performing,” Connors said. “It kind of sets a nice example for them.”
As someone who was taught by Levin years ago, Connors said she continues coming back to the festival as a way to give back to the music community.
“I was a student at URI when Adam came to teach for [his] first year, and ever since then, he’s done a really great job building up the festival and subsequently building a really strong community for music,” Connors said. “It’s sort of my way of giving back to where I grew up.”
In addition to its vast array of musical performances, the festival involves a variety of lectures as well, according to Levin. While some lectures will focus solely on the techniques and tactics of music making, one will focus on the science behind music, connecting neuroscience and notes.
Music therapy professor Nicole O’Malley looks at music-informed neuroscience to decode how music can be used to help build an understanding of the brain. Her lecture, ‘Neural Pathways of Music: Insights from Therapy and Neuroscience’, will take place in Room A110 of the Fine Arts Center on Oct. 25 at noon.
“Part of my role at the festival is to give more information on different ways that music is used and can be used,” O’Malley said. “I’m hoping to talk a little bit about the benefits to participating, and even as an audience member, participating in the festival might have on your brain.”
Incorporating music therapy into the festival allows for a more interdisciplinary collaboration, O’Malley said. She was invited by Levin to give a lecture.
The URI music therapy program graduated its first cohort of students this year, according to O’Malley.
“[The lecture] might be interesting for people who are exploring music therapy as a career,” O’Malley said.
With the Fine Arts Center nearing completion, Levin said he holds a growing anticipation that the center will allow the music department to “spread [its] wings and meet [its] full potential.”
The finished building will in turn help the festival grow too, according to Levin.
“The beauty of the festival will be a reflection of the beauty of the building around us, and the beauty of the building will only allow us to flourish,” Levin said.
The beauty of music is multifaceted, spanning past borders, languages and disciplines, according to Levin.
“[Music] transcends any borders, any obstacles,” Levin said. “[Music] allows us to travel around the world without ever having to leave our seats.”
With each new year, URI aims to break ground with the festival to surface new stories in new ways, according to Levin.
“I’m over the moon that the heartbeat of this festival continues,” Levin said. “We’re catapulting ourselves in style into the next decade of existence.”
For more information on festival tickets, schedules and passes, visit urigmfest.org.
