The University of Rhode Island will kick off its Guitar and Mandolin Festival on Sunday in Charlestown, Rhode Island, bridging genres and styles from around the globe in an all-day festival.
The almost week-long, ninth edition of the festival will feature performances on six different days, technique workshops and masterclasses, as well as “after-hours with the artists.”
According to the festival’s website , events are hosted in a variety of venues, including the URI Fine Arts Center, the Courthouse Center for the Performing Arts, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church and Edwards Auditorium.
The event allows internationally-recognized artists and students to come together and exchange musical ideas, according to the festival’s artistic director, URI professor Adam Levin.
“We wanted to create something that was durable and sustainable,” Levin said. “Something that removed barriers to access for students, community members and musicians so that they can hear and learn from the very best in the world.”
The inception of the event dates back to 2015, when Levin arrived in Kingston. It started as the “URI Guitar Symposium.” This consisted of a few masterclasses and a concert run by his guitar trio, which were squeezed into one day. Levin knew right away that he wanted to take the next step.
Levin recalled the trust that URI put into him. The university was on board with upping the ante of the event, however they expressed it would need to be sustainable and able to fund itself, according to Levin.
“It took a little bit of dreaming and a little bit of trust.” Levin said.
Levin mentioned that the festival has been crescendoing every year since its creation, the most recent change being the addition of the mandolin as a key component of the event.
The mandolin festival is still very fresh, according to Levin. In 2023, he and fellow Duo Mantar member Jacob Reuvin, a classical Israeli mandolin player, “put on their lab coats” and took a gamble. They added a course in mandolin excellence for the 2023 URI guitar festival. Levin was pleased with the results.
“It was such a booming success the first year that we rebranded the whole festival,” Levin said.
One of the performing artists present will be former URI graduate student and Costa Rican musician, Adrián Montero, ‘24. Montero obtained a master’s degree in classical guitar performance. He is currently attending the University of South Carolina working toward a doctorate in musical arts.
“It’s a dream come true,” Montero said. “I’m from Costa Rica originally…I come from a really small town in a small country.”
Montero performed at last year’s festival, as well as the 2021 rendition, and will perform Sunday, Oct. 20 at the Fine Arts Center. The opportunity to share the stage with “guitar legends” is something unimaginable, he said. He had the opportunity to meet some of his childhood heroes, and said they were outgoing, personable and helpful toward his career.
“Some of them I’ve met before as a student,” Montero said. “Now I can meet them as a colleague.”
Levin highlighted some of the artists, including Rhode Island native Duke Robillard, who will perform this Sunday, and Pasquale Grasso, a jazz guitarist who will perform on Wednesday.
The first day of the festival will take place at the General Stanton Inn in Charlestown. Students and community members can purchase tickets for the event and view the full schedule online at www.uriguitarfestival.org .