Musical artists, students come together for festival

Tilley Dombroski photos

Guitar artists perform during the 13th annual Guitar Festival in the Lamar P. Higgins Ballrooms.

Troy University held its 13th annual Guitar Festival on February 14. Guitar players and students of all levels came from across the Southeast to participate in the festival.

The festival was an all-day event including master classes, ensemble performances, competitions and concerts. Competitions were broken down into elementary, middle and high school. College artists also provided a unique competition experience.

“This is the only event of its kind in our state, and we really try to make it something that students of all levels can participate in,” said Lecturer of Guitar Dr. Robert Gibson.

Each year, the winner of the college/artist competition is invited back as a guest performer the following year. Last year’s winner Teerut Nattakarn Kijrattanakarn was one of three performers this year.

The other performers featured at the festival were Fowler-Mrofchack Duo and Luther Enloe.

One of this year’s performers, Enloe, returned to the festival for the second time as a guest artist and shared his thoughts on the festival overall.

“I’ve previously brought students to [the festival] before, and Dr. Gibson does an excellent job creating a very welcoming kind of communal environment,” Enloe said.

Gibson agrees, hoping to bring people together through the art of classical guitar.

“[Our goal is] to provide an opportunity for everyone to experience classical guitar,” Gibson said. “Music is meant to be shared.”

One student shared his thoughts and emphasized the joy of seeing growth in students after participating in the festival for four years.

“Seeing the recurring students and also not seeing certain students and hearing that they’re off doing guitar somewhere else is probably my favorite part,” said Riley Shaffer, a senior music industry and performing arts double major from Andalusia, Alabama.

For many students, the festival provides a great outlet to not only show off their skills, but also to meet others with a common interest.

“It’s a nice way to meet and play for new people and have new experiences,” said Sam Wilson, a visiting student from Columbus State University. “You spend a lot of time in your life working on certain things, and it’s a great way to just share it.”

This year’s first place winner of the college competition was Cesar Herrera. Placing second and third were Daniel Potrocelli and Matthew Kuplack.