Days to go
Discover the acclaimed artists and world-class teachers appearing at Cawsand Bay Guitarfest 2025.
Described by BBC Music Magazine as “A worthy successor to Julian Bream”, Australian born guitarist Craig Ogden is one of the most exciting artists of his generation. Craig Ogden has performed concertos with many of the world’s leading orchestras and is the most sought-after guitarist for chamber music in the UK. He regularly appears as soloist and chamber musician at major venues and collaborates with the UK’s top artists and ensembles.
Numerous composers have written works specially for him and he has recently given world première performances of guitar concertos by Andy Scott, David Gordon (double with accordionist Miloš Milivojević), David Knotts (with the BBC Concert Orchestra, recorded for BBC Radio 3, filmed for BBC4 TV) and William Lovelady with the English Chamber Orchestra for Music in Country Churches with HM the King in attendance. The work received its London première in November 2022 at Cadogan Hall. In January 2023, Craig gave the world première of a guitar concerto by Greg Caffrey with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, recorded by BBC3.
“This recording has confirmed your position among the greatest guitarists” Cecillia Rodrigo
One of the UK’s most recorded guitarists, Craig has accumulated an acclaimed discography for Chandos, Virgin/EMI, Nimbus, Hyperion, Sony and five chart-topping albums for Classic FM. Recent recordings include a solo recital disc for Chandos, Craig Ogden in Concert, a new arrangement of the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach with violinist David Juritz and cellist Tim Hugh for Nimbus, Environments II guitar concerto by Irish composer Greg Caffrey with the Ulster Orchestra and Dancing with Piazzolla with the London Tango Quintet, released in February 2024 and selected as album of the week by BBC Radio 3. He frequently records for film and has presented programmes for BBC Radio 3, BBC Northern Ireland, and ABC Classic FM in Australia.
Craig Ogden is Director of Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, Adjunct Fellow of the University of Western Australia, Associate Artist at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and Director of the Dean & Chadlington Summer Music Festival. Craig Ogden plays a 2011 Greg Smallman guitar and strings made by D’Addario.
Internationally renowned for their dynamism, innovation and breathtaking virtuosity the Eden Stell Guitar Duo have “breathed new life into the world of the classical guitar.” (Rotterdam Dagblad).
Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading guitar ensembles, the duo’s chameleon-like ability to communicate in a multitude of musical styles makes them a constantly evolving entity with a unique creative voice.
Likened to a “miraculous single guitarist blessed with an impossibly wonderful technique and an exceptionally delicate touch” (The Observer), the Eden Stell Guitar Duo have been invited to perform at venues and music festivals around the world; including Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Romania, Turkey, USA, China, Canada, Mexico, South and Central America and Australia, plus numerous radio and TV appearances on ITV, BBC and European and North American networks.
Mark Eden and Christopher Stell graduated from the Royal Academy of Music as recipients of the Principal’s Prize and the Julian Bream Prize, and continued their studies in Brussels with the Brazilian Guitar Duo, Sérgio and Odair Assad with the aid of a grant from the Worshipful Company of Musicians. Mark and Chris were elected Associates of the Royal Academy of Music in recognition of their outstanding musical achievements and they both currently hold teaching positions at the Royal College of Music, and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Mark and Chris are founder members of the celebrated VIDA Guitar Quartet. The duo are D’Addario Strings endorsed artists. www.edenstell.com
One of the UK’s most recorded guitarists, Craig has accumulated an acclaimed discography for Chandos, Virgin/EMI, Nimbus, Hyperion, Sony and five chart-topping albums for Classic FM. Recent recordings include a solo recital disc for Chandos, Craig Ogden in Concert, a new arrangement of the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach with violinist David Juritz and cellist Tim Hugh for Nimbus, Environments II guitar concerto by Irish composer Greg Caffrey with the Ulster Orchestra and Dancing with Piazzolla with the London Tango Quintet, released in February 2024 and selected as album of the week by BBC Radio 3. He frequently records for film and has presented programmes for BBC Radio 3, BBC Northern Ireland, and ABC Classic FM in Australia.
Craig Ogden is Director of Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, Adjunct Fellow of the University of Western Australia, Associate Artist at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and Director of the Dean & Chadlington Summer Music Festival. Craig Ogden plays a 2011 Greg Smallman guitar and strings made by D’Addario.
The highly acclaimed Plymouth born classical guitarist Alison Smith (director of the Cawsand Bay Guitarfest), has been described as one of the most exciting and lyrical guitarists to emerge in recent years. She delights audiences with her fluid technique and expressive playing, performing nationwide and in Europe at concert halls, festivals and has broadcast on national radio including BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio Scotland. She has played eight times at the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain, where her performance was described as “enthralling…..demonstrated sheer virtuosity….superb technique and sensitivity”.
After a concert in Germany, “the audience broke into tumultuous applause and gave another standing ovation to the young guitarist who had played her way into their hearts” Nortorfer Zeitung Germany, (Trans Fiona Bubbers) Her CD Albums titled Recuerdos and Incandescent have been highly successful. She has recently been engaged by Willowhayne Records, to become one of their artists and has recorded a new album titled Poético which was released in 2019. Alison’s CDs are distributed physically and digitally worldwide.
Alison graduated from Trinity College of Music, London (Trinity Laban) and was awarded the Grace Wylie Thesis Prize, a college scholarship and a scholarship from the Mary Datchelor Trust to enable her to pursue her Post-Graduate studies. She was awarded a Distinction in the Post-Graduate Performance Certificate. Alison taught guitar and coached chamber music at the The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland from 2002 – 2008 and lectured on Techniques of Teaching for the B Mus Course. She has given performances and talks as guest artist at Plymouth University and is currently the appointed University Classical Guitar tutor for the BA Hons music course.
Gerald Garcia has greatly enjoyed being a conductor and workshop leader of amateur and professional groups for over 40 years, being a regular visitor to summer schools and weekend courses in the UK, Europe and Asia. His teaching experience has included educational workshops with Kent Opera, English National Opera and the Academy of St.Martin-in-the- Fields and he has been musical director of the National Youth Guitar Ensemble from 2004-2022.
As a guitarist he has recorded more than 12 CDs which have sold more than 100,000 copies world-wide.He has performed with many other musicians and actors, notably guitarists Paco Pena, John Renbourn and John Williams, and performs in a duo with Alison Bendy and with Simon Mayor’s Mandolinquents.In October 1995 he toured China in a duo with guitarist John Williams playing to audiences of tens of thousands of Chinese guitarists and teaching at Beijing and Shanghai conservatoires. He continues to visit China as a guest professor at Sichuan Conservatoire and has held workshops in Beijing, Weifang and Changsha.
He has written many guitar works including concerti and large ensemble pieces. Gerald’s compositions have been played and recorded by David Russell, Craig Ogden, the Eden-Stell Duo, Xue Fei Yang and John Williams. Recent commissions include works for the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the Amadeus Duo, Kuang Junhong, Tim Beattie, Christian Fergo, Charivari Agréable and the MFO.
His orchestral and choral music has been performed at Festivals in Europe and his guitar Etudes and competition pieces have become staples of the repertoire. His music and arrangements are published worldwide by Mel Bay, Holley Music, ABG publications, Guitarissimo and Cramer.
In 2021, the celebrated guitarist and composer William Lovelady wrote a stunning new work for Alison smith titled Rame Head, inspired by the stunning local headland and sea, which she performed the world premiere of at her Guitarfest concert. We have been very honoured the last couple of years that Bill arranged some of his beautiful compositions specially for the course ensemble to play as part of the repertoire pieces at the weekend. We are thrilled that he is going to arrange another of his pieces for the Guitarfest 2025 course ensemble to play.
William Lovelady writes for some of the world’s leading guitarists including Slava and Leonard Grigoryan, Xuefei Yang, Craig Ogden and Amanda Cook. His guitar and choral music have been performed world-wide, as well as being frequently played on Radio 3 and Classic FM. He has written and worked with musicians as diverse as Julian Lloyd Webber, Art Garfunkel, Shankar, and Hugh Masekela. He has had two top-ten hits in the commercial industry.
Bill also writes for television. He has done several David Attenborough programmes and was nominated for an Emmy for the National Geographic Film, “Flying Devils”. His film music includes the Disney film, “African Lovestory” and the film “Here Lies” which won Best European Independent Film in 2015.
Among other commissions he has written a piece for solo guitar for the memorial of the Omagh bomb and a Cantata, to the words of Psalm 104, for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 75th birthday which is regularly performed at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. An arrangement, by James Vivian, for 4 voices was performed at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral on April 17th 2021. He has also written a Mass first performed at Westminster Cathedral as well as many chamber pieces. His “Concerto for Guitar, Violin and String Orchestra” was premièred in 2015 by Stratford-upon-Avon’s Orchestra of the Swan with soloists Craig Ogdon and Tamsin Waley-Cohen.
Bill recently composed a new solo guitar concerto for Craig which was world premiered with the English Chamber Orchestra in the presence of HM The King.