Mexico City. The 20th anniversary edition of the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival in Guerrero concludes tonight with a gala concert, after eight days of activities.
Inaugurated a week ago, it featured 18 concerts with the participation of 28 performers, including soloists and duos, from different geographies (Brazil, Spain, India, and Mexico) and various musical genres.
This diversity and breadth of repertoires is one of the main hallmarks of this event, organized autonomously by a group of residents, business owners, and volunteers from this port in Guerrero.
“Everything fits in this festival; there are no barriers of genres, schools, styles, eras, or repertoires; it is conceived as a tribute to the guitar,” said Heidi Nygård, a member of the organizing committee.
Behind this 20th anniversary, there was no greater pretension than “being able to keep it alive” and as a showcase of the various expressions and possibilities offered by this instrument, explained the Norwegian cultural promoter.
“Our purpose is to celebrate the guitar, to pay homage to it through all its genres and performers from all continents. It is a very broad festival; musicians have told us that there is no other like it in the world. Here there is both acoustic and electric guitar; flamenco, bossa nova, and traditional as well as jazz, blues, rock, and classical.”
The origin of this meeting dates back to 2004 when local and foreign cultural promoters, as well as merchants and residents, considered that the music in the place was limited mainly to tropical, traditional, folklore, and trova, besides that the tourist season was very short.
Thus, they devised a musical celebration that would have the guitar as its main protagonist, and initially invited foreign rock and blues performers, with the aim of offering other artistic and cultural alternatives to residents and tourists.
Over the years, the festival has grown, not only with representatives from Mexico and other parts of the world but also in the number and dimensions of forums, highlighted Heidi Nygård in a telephone interview. This time, the venues included the Casa de la Cultura and the main Pier of Zihuatanejo, as well as the most important hotels, restaurants, and beaches in the area.
“Our mission is to ensure that the festival remains, to invite musicians from all over the world and to fill the stages. We have a very low budget; we pay for the air transfers, lodging, and food for the guitarists, who donate their performances to us,” pointed out the promoter.
Source: La Jornada
