Welcome to the fourth edition of the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix!
This year again, the SIMM is launching a contest for Quebec and Canadian guitarists,
whether guitar students enrolled in CEGEP, university and music conservatory
programs or “Sunday guitarists”. A unique opportunity to take the stage
and show their prowess with the guitar!
Are you a guitar lover? Interested in having as many people as possible hear
your compositions or your interpretations of major hits? Do you have a desire
to show off your special talents once and for all? Then be sure to join the
candidates who will audition on stage before an audience and a panel of judges
made up of professionals!
Now, it is the opportunity for music students and self-taught musicians to
perform before an audience, to meet other musicians and artisans backstage
and to share their passion with other guitar lovers. All in all, a highly
formative experience which proves itself beneficial for those participating
in the contest.
The participants will choose the instrument of their choice in one of the
following categories:
- Classical
- Blues/Rock
- Jazz (archtop or gypsy)
- Acoustic (fingerstyle, fingerpicking or flatpicking)
In addition to gaining access to a rare showcase for young musicians and to
the sheer pleasure of participating in an event devoted solely to music making,
the participants stand a chance of winning valuable prizes.
From my own experience alongside the young musicians in this new generation,
whether at the Blues Camp or among the tens of thousands of aficionados who
have visited the SIMM and the Montreal Guitar Show this year, I can assure
you that Quebec’s musical future lies in good hands! It therefore gives
me great pleasure to invite you to join me in discovering the most promising
talents around, at this rare opportunity to see and hear our Quebec musicians
on stage, free of charge. Be among the first to discover them by attending
their auditions on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27,
2009 at the Savoy (Metropolis), as well as the finals at L'Astral during
the free show featuring a big-name guitarist, on Sunday, September 27
beginning at 8 p.m.
In closing, I wish to thank our partners Godin Guitars and Steve's Music Store, the event’s
official presenters, to our official suppliers, Marshall Amplification, Hartke, DigiTech Guitar Effects, Samson, Planète Jazz, our official promotional partner and to
the SIMM, the
Montreal Guitar
Show and the Festival International de Jazz de
Montréal.
Jacques-André Dupont
Founder and General Manager