Return of International Guitar Night Brings World-Renowned Acoustic Guitarists to the Bankhead Theater in February

International Guitar Night 2016

LVPAC Presents welcomes the return of International Guitar Night to the Bankhead Theater on Friday evening, February 12, 2016.  The annual tour highlights the remarkable range of talent and musical diversity in the acoustic guitar world as four internationally-acclaimed guitarists perform both individually and in collaboration over the course of a single evening. Credited as “one of the most important showcases for the contemporary guitar” by The San Francisco Chronicle, International Guitar Night (IGN) is a long-standing Bay Area tradition known for its friendly and informal ambiance, as well as its exceptional guitar performances. This is the fourth time IGN has made the Bankhead Theater a stop on its annual concert tour across the United States and Canada. Tickets for the single performance at 8:00 p.m. on February 12^th are $25 or $39 for adults and $16 for students or military personnel.

Now sponsored by Acoustic Guitar Magazine, International Guitar Night’s grassroots origins are unusual among productions of its kind. Originally founded almost 20 years ago as a series of small concerts featuring local acoustic guitar masters in a small San Francisco Bay Area club, it quickly grew in size and stature, eventually going on tour across North America. IGN’s success is attributed largely to founder and guitarist Brian Gore’s ability to elicit a warm spirit of collaboration between diverse guitar virtuosos who typically tour solo and often hail from different musical genres. The event fosters a level of camaraderie which one guitarist described as “a wonderful opportunity for cultural exchange between peers,” and creates a rich musical experience for audiences to enjoy as well.

Brian Gore has been acclaimed as a guitar poet, one of the most interesting and influential guitar stylists today with a unique blend of classical and percussive techniques and a strikingly beautiful tone. Gore’s guests for IGN are acclaimed for their collaborations with numerous artists of different genres, making them the ideal performers for an event of this kind. Of his three guests this year, two are making a welcome return to the IGN tour: Lulo Reinhardt appeared in 2012 and Mike Dawes in 2014. They will be joined for 2016 by Andre Krengel. German guitarist Lulo Reinhardt has carried on his great-uncle Django’s Gypsy Swing legacy, making it his own by adding a creative and elegant flair that explores musical influences from Spanish flamenco to South American jazz. Mike Dawes from England is hailed as one of the world’s finest young fingerstyle guitarists. Since his debut single in 2012, he has toured every continent, his energy and charisma combining with a virtuoso style acclaimed for its subtle nuances.  Considered one of Germany’s foremost guitarists, Andre Krengel is known throughout Europe for his broad, versatile style. Largely self-taught, his guitar creates a unique sound and mood inspired by Latin jazz, flamenco, swing, R&B and rock and roll.

The Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center provides wide-ranging programs that provide access to the arts for the Tri-Valley community and beyond. The Bankhead Theater and the Bothwell Arts Center are home to nine resident performing arts companies and over 40 studio artists and cultural arts instructors. The Bankhead Theater ticket office is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On performance days the ticket office is open from two hours before to 30 minutes after the scheduled start of each show. Tickets for all shows in the 2015-2016 LVPAC Presents season, as well as resident company performances and events at the Bothwell Arts Center are available now through the Bankhead Theater ticket office at (925) 373-6800, on www.lvpac.org or via the new LVPAC mobile app.