String theory: URI Guitar Festival connects world-class musicians to vibrant local music scene | Arts & Living - The Independent

Musicians from around the world and guitar lovers from all over New England will gather this weekend at the University of Rhode Island for the fourth URI Guitar Festival, says Helena Touhey, Special to the Independent

Beginning tomorrow evening, the fourth annual URI guitar festival is a three-day event featuring performances by world class musicians in a variety of genres. In this photo, mandolinist Jacob Reuven performs with URI’s Adam Levin, the artistic director of the festival, during last year’s event.
Photo: Courtesy The University of Rhode Island

The guitar is a world class instrument and a global phenomenon that resonates with people, said Adam Levin, the organizer of the event who aims to make the instrument and its music accessible to everyone.

“There’s a thirst for this kind of artistic expression,” he said by phone earlier this week. Levin is a music instructor at the university and a classical guitarist who performs regionally and internationally. He’s excited to host another festival, which he said has expanded even more since last spring.

The festival brings together musicians and guitar enthusiasts for three days of concerts, classes and camaraderie. This year’s event will begin Friday, April 5 and conclude the evening of Sunday, April 7, and highlight a range of music, from electric guitar to jazz guitar, classical music to electronica, and even a Greek guitarist paired with a Spanish Flamenco guitarist from Russia.

Among the artists featured are Gaelle Solal of France, Dimitris Kotranakis of Greece, Maarten Stragier of Belgium, Scott Borg of Australia, Grisha Goryachev of Russia, Robert Bekkers of the Netherlands, Clarice Assad of Brazil, and Matthew Rohde, Eric Zillmer, Regina Campbell, Mark Davis, Josh Bell, David Veslocki, all from the United States...

Two lectures are also part of the weekend program. On Saturday, Regina Campbell, a physical therapist, will present on “Making Music and Avoiding Injury,” and on Sunday Dr. Eric Zillmer, a sports psychologist, will present on “Music, Psychology, and Maximizing Performance.”

Levin said these topics are intended to shed light on the mental and physical well-being of musicians, elements often ignored amidst long hours of practicing, performing and traveling.
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Source: The Independent