The Madrid International Guitar Festival is holding its eighth edition from 5 May to 14 June 2026 with a programme that brings together artists of international prestige, such as Duo Melis, Rafael Aguirre, Pablo Sainz Villegas, Xingye Li, Anaura Duo and David Russell. This edition is dedicated to the composer Federico Moreno Torroba on the 135th anniversary of his birth.
The eighth edition presents eight concerts, the Guitar Competition for Young Talents, master-classes and a conference devoted to Moreno Torroba on 14 June to mark the 135th anniversary of his birth. The figure behind zarzuelas like Luisa Fernanda and La Chulapona will be spread in recitals to be held at the Madrid Athenæum and, mainly at the National Music Auditorium, as well as other venues, such as the Petra Martínez and Juan Margallo Auditorium.
Some of the programmes by Duo Melis, Rafael Aguirre, Pablo Sainz Villegas, Anaura Duo and David Rusell will include pieces for guitar by Moreno Torroba. His grandson, Lucio Arrieta Moreno-Torroba, will talk about him in the tribute lecture at the Complutense University’s Santa María de Europa Hall of Residence.
Duo Melis, made up of the Spanish guitarist Susana Prieto and the Greek guitarist Alexis Muzurakis, will present The Brief Life programme in tribute to the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Spanish composer, Manuel de Falla. It will include excerpts from his most iconic orchestral pieces: The Brief Life, The Three-Cornered Hat and El Amor Brujo.
The internationally renowned guitarist, Rafael Aguirre will review four centuries of music in a bold synthesis of ten pieces. His programme for the festival kicks off with Bach’s Chaconne BWV 1004 and is followed by Giuliani, Mendelssohn, Barrios, Chopin, Lara, Bonfa, Elías Gutiérrez and Paco de Lucía.
Pablo Sainz Villegas, considered to be the successor to Andrés Segovia, will open his recital with five preludes by Heitor Villa-Lobos, followed by pieces by Francisco Coll, Joaquín Turina, Agustín Barrios-Mangoré and Isaac Albéniz.
The presence of the virtuoso performer Xingye Li can also be highlighted, who will be performing at the Amaniel Professional Conservatory of Music. He has won international guitar competitions in Korea, Poland and Germany, and is the first Asian artist working with Hannabach Strings, the prestigious German guitar string manufacturer.
The festival will also feature the world première of Anaura, a piece named after the duo and composed by David del Puerto, which will be performed by the Anaura Guitar Duo at the National Auditorium.
The Madrid International Guitar Festival was created in 2019 and is promoted and organised by the guitarist, Laura Verdugo del Rey, through the Pro Music and Guitar Association. The festival is established as one of the most important on the national scene through its commitment to promoting the Spanish instrument par excellence, performed by artists of national and international prestige, and its dedication to attracting new audiences and fostering talent and up-and-coming musical careers. It uniquely fosters a diverse, pluralistic and inclusive programme, in which women are prominent, not only as guitarists, but also as teachers, jury members, organisers and in other roles.
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