Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Cantuária and New York guitarist Marc Ribot perform together in a rare duo format.  Cantuária has worked with everyone from Laurie Anderson to Bill Frisell, and is at the forefront of the Neo-Brazilian music scene.  Marc Ribot, a leading light of New York City's downtown scene, initially made a name for himself through indelible road and studio work with Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithfull and Tom Waits. Ribot formed Los Cubanos Postizos and is currently working on a new, sonically dense rock band called the Marc Ribot Mystery Trio.

The extraordinary singer, guitarist, and percussionist Badi Assad showcases her exhilaratingly adventurous style. The sister of Sergio and Odair, the famous classical guitarists "Duo Assad", Badi followed in her brothers' footsteps on the instrument, while exploring her own creative vision, winning Guitar Player magazine's 1995 Readers' Poll for Best Classical Album of the Year. As a singer, Badi is vibrant and electric, responding to her inner passions with deft creativity. www.badiassad.com.br

Marco Cappelli commissioned 10 musicians to compose “extreme” guitar pieces for him to play, wielding both the unusual possibilities of his own guitar style and the composers’ rigorous written structures.  The composers include: Elliott Sharp, Otomo Yoshihide, Ikue Mori, Marc Ribot, David Shea, Anthony Coleman, Nick Didkovsky, Mark Stewart, Erik Friedlander and Annie Gosfield.

Marco Cappelli commissioned 10 musicians to compose “extreme” guitar pieces for him to play, wielding both the unusual possibilities of his own guitar style and the composers’ rigorous written structures.  The composers include: Elliott Sharp, Otomo Yoshihide, Ikue Mori, Marc Ribot, David Shea, Anthony Coleman, Nick Didkovsky, Mark Stewart, Erik Friedlander and Annie Gosfield.

Choro Ensemble captures the authentic, swinging sounds of Choro music with dazzling instrumental virtuosity. New York's only group dedicated exclusively to the preservation and perpetuation of this once-endangered musical form best identified with the celebrated composer Pixinguinha. www.choroensemble.com

One of the most original and creative artists of today, David Torn is a texturalist/guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, writer and occasional singer. Torn has released many acclaimed records as a leader and has recently collaborated with a diverse array of artists, such as Annie Lennox, Jeff Beck, David Bowie and Tori Amos. Mojo magazine cited LaFosse as “an astonishing guitarist of a very different ilk... Fripp and Zappa, step aside” and 20th Century Guitar magazine described his music as “A spectacular collision of manifold musical thoughts and patterns.”

Paying tribute the genius of this American original, are veteran bluesman, John Hammond, singer-songwriter Eleni Mandell (referred to by the New Yorker as "perhaps the best unsigned artist in the business.") and Tin Hat Trio, the freewheeling chamber music ensemble  described by Acoustic Guitar magazine as “the poster band of a new folk-jazz fusion.” Presented in association with WFUV Radio and broadcast on 90.7 FM.

Our 2nd biannual Guitar Marathon at the 92nd Street Y's Kaufman Auditorium will run from 2 - 10pm, with one break at 5pm. “An epic event" is how the The Wall Street Journal classified our last Marathon, and Jazz Times called it “a veritable guitar orgy.” Half- and full-day tickets are available now.

Performning works by Sanz, Brouwer, Piazzolla, Rodrigo, Tórroba, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Albéniz, Gustavino, de la Torre, Scheer, Copland, Geoghegan, Myers & Domeniconi.

Renowned for his technique, innovation and compelling compositions during his two-decade recording career, Alex De Grassi is considered one of the world’s top fingerstyle, steel-string acoustic guitarists.His album The Water Garden was a nominated for a Grammy Award and he is the subject of a PBS concert/interview television show, “Alex de Grassi: The Artist’s Profile.”

Reverend Gary Davis (1896-1972) was a giant in the field of acoustic blues and gospel music. A powerful singer and a masterful guitar player, many rock and roll legends of the 60s learned his songs and playing style, some from him personally. His works have been recorded by David Van Ronk, Taj Mahal, Jorma Kaukonen, The Grateful Dead and Stefan Grossman.  Four distinctive artists will honor his musical legacy in this special tribute concert. Presented in association with WFUV Radio and broadcast on 90.7 FM.

The world premiere of new Bill Frisell film scores commissioned by the New York Guitar Festival®. The scores will accompany five early films by Georges Méliès, including "A Trip to the Moon" (1902) and "The Impossible Voyage" (1904).

The world premiere of new Bill Frisell film scores commissioned by the New York Guitar Festival®. The scores will accompany five early films by Georges Méliès, including "A Trip to the Moon" (1902) and "The Impossible Voyage" (1904).

Featured in the acclaimed “Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony”, VusiMahlasela is South Africa's leading political songwriter. At a young ageVusi was exposed to the music of local legends Miriam Makeba and HughMasekela. Vusi participated in ANC rallies where he would recite poetry,sing and perform with the guitar South African writer and Nobel-prize winnerNadine Gordimer gave him. In late 2000, Vusi was invited to perform on DaveMatthews Band's multi-platinum album Everyday. In 2003, Matthews signedMahlasela to his own New York-based label, ATO Records.

John Fahey (1939-2001), was one of acoustic music's influential innovators and eccentrics, and as host John Schaefer notes, Fahey "was an icon to many American guitarists--he put the sound of roots-based American music on the map 25 years before the 'O Brother Where Art Thou' soundtrack became a surprise hit."

featuring Andy Summers, Victor Biglione and Benjamin Verdery.

The Long Strange Wide World of Jerry Garcia:Though he was quite possibly the brightest and most philosophically articulate interviewee of his era in popular music, Jerry Garcia was not the guru that the media canonized in his name. While charismatic and charming, he refused to be a leader -- not of the counterculture that flowered in his hometown neighborhood, the Haight-Ashbury of San Francisco in the '60s, nor even of the band, the Grateful Dead, for whom he played lead guitar for 30 years -- "You can call me the boss, man, just don't expect me to make any decisions."

A tribute to the man who almost single-handedly defined the classical guitar in the 20th Century, Andres Segovia.  The California Guitar Trio extend the role and the repertoire of the acoustic guitar by mixing Bach and Beethoven with the Ventures and their own original music. Tim Sparks is a country and gospel-inspired guitarist whose classical studies and passion for the traditions of other cultures has resulted in his being equally at home with Portuguese fado and The Nutcracker Suite.  And Virginia Luque, a pupil of Segovia, brings classical music and flamenco thrillingly to life.

Hardly a guitarist alive is not indebted in some way to Robert Johnson, the most important and influential Delta blues guitarist in history. Three eclectic talents will each illuminate a different facet of Johnson's legacy: guitarist John Renbourn, who weds the blues to his native British folk traditions, singer-songwriter Toshi Reagon, harnesses Johnson's visionary fervor and updates it for today; and guitarist Gary Lucas, who extends Johnson's ideas via his own decidedly post-modern avant-garde take on jazz, the blues, rock and folk styles.