New York, NY (Top40 Charts / Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts) Guitar players of all ages have a chance to win their share of $32,000 in prize money as part of the fifth annual international Wilson Center Guitar Festival taking place August 17-19, 2017, at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts (Wilson Center) in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The increase of $10,000 in cash awards has been made possible by a generous competition prize money sponsorship from Milwaukee philanthropists and guitar enthusiasts Mark and Sharon Cameli in memory of John Cameli.
Committed to celebrating the greatest guitarists of today and tomorrow, the Wilson Center Guitar Festival is the only guitar festival in the world to feature four different genres—Classical, Fingerstyle, Jazz, and Rock & Blues—with competitions, master classes, guitar industry exhibits, free live music, and ticketed headliner concerts, which this year will feature renowned classical ensemble Beijing Guitar Duo; fingerstyle legends Antoine Dufour, Gareth Pearson, and Mike Dawes; and former band leader of The
Tonight Show
Kevin Eubanks.
All semi-final and final competition rounds are live and open to the public to attend, with winners announced on the Saturday afternoon of the festival. First-place winners in each genre will receive $5,000; second-place winners in each genre will receive $2,000; and third-place winners in each genre will receive $1,000. In addition to the cash prize money, all four first-place winners will have the opportunity to open for Eubanks on Saturday, Aug 19.
"We are tremendously grateful to the Cameli family for their generous gift, and the increased prize money is an opportunity for us to provide our competitors with a life-changing experience," said Wilson Center Guitar Festival Manager Don Sipe. "The Festival is a true celebration of all things guitar, with competitors coming from around the world. It is our goal to make sure that the weekend is a tremendous stepping stone in each of their careers."
The competitor application is now open; all competitor applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. (CDT) on May 31. The application fee is $50 and competitors may apply online at www.wcguitarfest.com for a maximum of two categories.
The 2017 Wilson Center Guitar Festival is sponsored by Cascio Interstate Music, CandyRat Records, Competition Prize Money Sponsor Mark and Sharon Cameli in memory of John Cameli, and Krause Funeral Homes and Cremation Services. To learn more, visit www.wcguitarfest.com.
ABOUT THE WILSON CENTER GUITAR FESTIVAL
Established in 2013, it is the goal of the Wilson Center Guitar Festival to celebrate the greatest guitarists of today and tomorrow. As the only guitar festival in the world to feature four different genres—Classical, Fingerstyle, Jazz, and Rock & Blues—the three-day weekend is filled with activities for music lovers of all ages. In addition to ticketed headliner evening concerts, all daytime activities are free and open to the public, including: semi-final and final competition rounds, master classes, leading industry vendors, and live music from local artists. To learn more, visit www.wcguitarfest.com.
