Classical Guitar News & Updates

January 1, 2026

Join us for the twenty-sixth annual Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival® and seventh annual James Stroud National Classical Guitar Youth Competition June 4 through 7, 2026 hosted at the Cleveland Institute of Music: 6 concerts by internationally renowned guitarists and supporting musicians, 4 performance premieres, 6 lectures, 6 master classes, private lessons, a demonstration of fine handcrafted concert guitars, and the semi-final and final rounds of the Stroud Youth Competition. Learn More...

September 23, 2025

JUST ARRIVED: A wonderful Kolya Panhuyzen (Germany) concert guitar with an elevated fingerboard and 20th first string fret...

September 11, 2025

JUST ARRIVED: A magnificent new 2025 Gregory R. Miller (USA) classical guitar. We are delighted to offer Gregory Miller's beautiful concert guitars to our customers. Mentored by world-renowned guitar maker Jeffrey R. Elliott, Gregory Miller is an exceptional talent...

June 23, 2025

Check out the 25th annual, 48-page, Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival Program Book. Artists' biographies, concert programs, informative program notes, lecture synopses, and much more...

June 18, 2025

Check out this year's Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival^®Interviews and Concert Reviews...

June 1, 2025

JOIN US for the 25th annual CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR FESTIVAL^® Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8, 2025, at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio: 6 concerts by internationally renowned guitarists and supporting musicians, performance premieres, 6 lectures, 5 master classes, private lessons, a demonstration of fine concert guitars, and the 6th annual James Stroud National Classical Guitar Youth Competition. Learn more...

April 29, 2025

Apply Now To Perform In

CICGF MASTER CLASSES

All five classes take place Thursday, June 7

at the Cleveland Institute of Music

6th James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition Semi-Finalists

April 4, 2025

JOIN US for the 6th annual JAMES STROUD NATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR YOUTH COMPETITION at the CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR COMPETITION^® Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8, 2025, at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio.

Meet our sixteen Semi-Finalists. Learn more...

Stephen Eden (England)

December 4, 2024

JUST ARRIVED: A New 1980 Friederich Bench Copy by master luthier STEPHEN EDEN (England). When Eden encountered this original 1980 Friederich guitar, one of the most outstanding examples of this maker's work, and the owner afforded him the chance to produce a direct bench copy of it, Eden jumped at the opportunity..Stephen Efen's beautiful bench copies have proved to be highly successful concert guitars...

November 12. 2024

JUST ARRIVED: 2020 Joshia de Jonge (Canada) one of s kind 100th Anniversary
double top concert guitar. Joshia de Jonge's exceptional concert instruments are a magnificent example of refined musicality, materials, and craft - simply put, musical and physical masterpieces. Her guitars combine northern European traditional tonal beauty with the quick response and laser-like projection of the most successful, innovative contemporary guitars...

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October 25, 2024

JUST ARRIVED: A wonderful new 2024 Maxwell Sipe (USA) Custom Special concert guitar. European Spruce soundboard, Honduran Rosewood sides and back, elevated ebony fingerboard with 20th fret, Scheller tuning machines with dark mother of pearl oval buttons, French polish of shellac finish...

Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music

October 10, 2024

SIXTH ANNUAL JAMES STROUD NATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR YOUTH COMPETITION ANNOUNCED:

We will accept applications to the Sixth annual James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition from Wednesday, January 1, 2025 through midnight PST, Saturday, February 15. Learn more....

FINAL ROUND PRIZES:

1st Place: $10,000.00
2nd Place: $5,000.00
3rd Place: $2,500.00
4th Place: $1,250.00

September 6, 2024

JUST ARRIVED: Two new STEPHEN EDEN Cadenza Model entry level concert guitars - one cedar top, one spruce top. Individually handcrafted by acclaimed English luthier Stephen Eden, these lovely guitars represent the finest musical value we know of in a beautiful sounding, musically responsive, immaculately crafted classical guitar...

June 18, 2024

JUST ARRIVED: A very special new 2024 Daniele Chiesa classical guitar. Chiesa's remarkably responsive cedar top guitars are among the finest traditionally braced cedar guitars it has been our pleasure to play or hear. Their lovely sound is warm, deep, somewhat darker than a spruce top guitar, but retains the broad color palette normally associated with a fine spruce instrument; these guitars are also quick to respond to a wide variety of right hand attacks. Add to these qualities wonderful depth and balance of sound, and ..

May 10, 2024

JUST ARRIVED: An iconic 1981 José Romanillos classical guitar. Romanillos' guitars are revered both for their elegant sound and great physical beauty. In his lifelong pursuit of what he called the subtle "Spanish sound,” Romanillos strove to achieve a pure harmonically balanced deep singing voice, responsive to an artist's most subtle changes in tone, color, and attack...

Antonis Hatzinikolaou (Greece)

April 26, 2024

JUST ARRIVED: A new Antonis Hatzinikolaou concert guitar. Winner of the Royal Academy of Music's prestigious Julian Bream Prize, adjudicated by the great maestro himself, Antonis Hatzinikolaou, has, apart from his concertizing and conservatory teaching duties, spent a number of years researching and perfecting his luthiery skills by designing and constructing fine concert guitars. His work has been inspired by the Hermann Hauser I and Robert Bouchet traditions, and influenced by a number of great luthiers of our time such as Dominique Field and Jeffrey R. Elliott...

24th annual CICGF

April 20, 2024

Join Us: For the 24th annual CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR FESTIVAL June 6 through 9, 2024.

Concerts, master classes, lectures, and the James Stroud National Youth Competition.

Information and concert tickets HERE.

Gregory R. Miller (USA)

March 25, 2024

JUST ARRIVED: A new Gregory R. Miller Custom Concert Model. This magnificent sounding, visually stunning concert guitar has impressive reserves of power. It is also quick to project the quietest, most delicate pianissimos. Its smooth, creamy trebles and firm, deep basses are round, clear, and responsive to a wide range of color and attack...

Click on image or text to learn more.

February 11, 2024

LAST CALL: 2024 JAMES STROUD NATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR YOUTH COMPETITION ANNOUNCED:

Application information, entry fee, and YouTube video links for the fifth annual James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition will be accepted through Midnight PST, Saturday, February 17, 2024.

All 2024 Stroud Competition applicants must submit their completed application, entrance fee, and two Preliminary Round YouTube video links on this website's ENTRY FORM. Please see the Stroud Competition RULES for important requirements.

We encourage all applicants to submit their completed Entry Form, Two YouTube Video Links, and Entry Fee well before the entry deadline in case of any technical difficulty.

We will announce the 2024 Stroud Competition's Semi-Finalists by Friday, March 1, 2024. The 2024 required set piece will be sent to all qualified Semi-Finalists by Friday, March 15, 2024.

2024 FINAL ROUND PRIZES:

1st Place: $10,000.00
2nd Place: $5,000.00
3rd Place: $2,500.00
4th Place: $1,250.00

Michael Cadiz (Austria)

Desember 9, 2023

JUST ARRIVED: A new 2023 MICHAEL CADIZ (Austria) Torres/Romanillos Model concert guitar: Lovely, deep, rich, focused, traditional sound; quick responsive dynamic range; unusually wide pallet of color and attack; strong fundamental tones throughout all registers; excellent balance; eye popping materials, visual aesthetics, and workmanship. In short, a musical jewel...

24th Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival® announced

Decmber 8, 2023

Join Us June 6-9, 2024

For the Twenty-Fourth Annual

CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR FESTIVAL^®

[One of] two of the most important annual

American classical guitar events
(Classical Guitar Magazine)

Petra Polácková (Czech Republic)

November 14, 2023

Watch

PETRA POLACKOVA

Perform

Variations Sur "Folias de Espana" Et Fugue by Manuel Ponce
Guitar by Domingo Esteso, 1926 (Spain)

Presented by
Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival Performance On Line.

Maxwell Sipe (USA)

August 22, 2023

JUST ARRIVED: A new, musically resplendent, visually stunning 2023 Maxwell Sipe (USA) Custom Special concert classical guitar...

June 1, 2023

CHECK OUT: The 2023 Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival^® forty page program book...

Featuring: Grammy Award Winner Jason Vieaux (USA), classical guitar; Mari Sato (USA), violin; Petra Polácková (Czech Republic), classical guitar and CICGF Artist in Residence; SoloDuo (Italy), classical guitars; Patterson-Sutton Duo (USA), cello and classical guitar; Hao Yang (China), classical guitar. Jonathan Leathwood (England), classical guitarist and lecturer; and the 2023 James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition Semi-Finalists.

March, 30, 2023

Join us June 1-4, 2023 at the Cleveland Institute of Music for the
23RD ANNUAL CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL GUITAR FESTIVAL
featuring a roster of renowned artists from around the world

GUITARS INTERNATIONAL

Classical Guitar News & Updates