The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, whose mission is to promote music making among all publics, is pleased to announce the 5th edition of the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix.

This competition, which will be staged before the general public, was created to offer an ideal showcase for talented guitarists. It will provide spotlight on the talent of musicians of all styles, from blues/rock to classical and world music. The event will feature several thousand dollars’ worth of prizes in four categories: blues/rock, classical, jazz (archtop and gypsy) and acoustic (fingerstyle, fingerpicking and flatpicking).

The preliminary auditions will take place Saturday, September 25 and Sunday, September 26 at Savoy of Metropolis in front of a public audience. The participants will be distributed over the two days of auditions, and will have to perform a piece of their choice (either a composition of their own or an interpretation of another piece) before a Judges’ Panel.

The final auditions will be held before an audience at L’Astral (Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan) on Sunday, September 26, beginning at 8:00 p.m. The three finalists selected for each category during the preliminary auditions will compete in the final auditions.
The candidates chosen for the finals will have to play a piece of their choice (either a composition of their own or an interpretation of another piece) in front of the Judges’ Panel. The participants will be informed of the order in which they are to appear on the day of the final auditions. The candidates selected for the final auditions will be notified by phone between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 26.

Categories and audition times:

• Classical — Saturday, September 25 at 9:30 a.m.
• Blues/Rock — Saturday, September 25 at 1:00 p.m.
• Jazz (archtop or gypsy) — Sunday, September 27 at 9:30 a.m.
• Acoustic (fingerstyle, fingerpicking or flatpicking) — Sunday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m.

Only one piece may be presented in each category (a candidate may enroll in a maximum of two categories).

The public is invited to attend to the auditions, the final auditions and to the gala evening.
It is free!