A highly versatile musician, Jean-François Hamel earned his master’s degree at the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec in 1996. He has performed in more than 1,500 shows— classical, pop, jazz and blues—and accompanied renowned Quebec artists from the four corners of the province on tour in no fewer than 10 Asian countries. A dedicated teacher and arranger, he has taught a large number of guitarists and judged several competitions, most notably the Concours de musique Clermont-Pépin semi-finals in 2005 and 2007. Since 2006, he has been the chair of the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix judges’ panel.

Jérôme Ducharme has won multiple awards, including first prize at the Guitar Foundation of America International Competition—one of the most prestigious in the world—making him the only Canadian to have earned this honour. He has performed in concerts and taken part in master classes throughout North America and Europe. His professional experience also includes an acclaimed debut album and participation in an Opéra de Montréal production, as well as contemporary and chamber music compositions and concerto performances with orchestra. Ducharme just obtained his doctorate in performance studies at Université de Montréal.

David Laflèche began with an audition for a new TV quiz show, Les mordus, hosted by André Robitaille: a totally unique adaptation of the Danse des canards that opened the doorway to show biz. Since then, this very busy guitarist (composing themes for TV shows, touring with numerous artists, producing an album for Julie Bélanger, providing musical accompaniment for televised events such as the Excellence La Presse and ADISQ galas) has earned star status among TV musicians. He directs the musical portion of such popular music shows as Bons baisers de France and currently, the Pénélope McQuade talk show, and is also the man behind the soundtrack for the Ken Scott film Starbuck.

After launching Fates with Serge Fiori in 2006 and Equilibrium in 2008, lap tapping master and true Montreal success story Erik Mongrain opened the new season of Guitarissimo at the Montreal Guitar Show last summer. Erik is a musician who is constantly researching and exploring the world of music. Having resumed standard guitar posture, he is frenetically writing songs in which the harmonies and melodies are ever more profoundly inspired.

The approach taken by self-taught improvisational guitarist Michael Gauthier follows Aaron Copland’s philosophy: “music should be as simple as possible, but no simpler.” His performing prowess has placed him alongside numerous internationally renowned musicians. His playing style evokes the human voice, and is influenced by guitarists Kenny Burrell, Grant Green and Robert Johnson and singing greats Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix. A blend of dancing rhythms, lyrical conversations and a hint of blues, his compositions rank him as a Festival and club favourite and are regular radio fare. Michael teaches at McGill and Bishop’s universities, and at the Université de Sherbrooke and Université de Montréal.