“The 2026 festival will feature guitarists: include guitarists Jason Vieaux, Rene Izquierdo, Gohar Vardanyan, Jack Hancher, Harris Becker, James Erickson, Laura Lessard, singers Christina Montalto, & Emily Klonowski, cellist Maureen Hynes, a world premiere by Canadian composer Michael Spiroff and Ellis Chow, winner of the 2025 LIGF High School Classical Guitar Competition.
Ensembles scheduled to perform include the NJMEA HS Honors Guitar Orchestra, New Jersey Guitar Orchestra, New York City Classical Guitar Orchestra and the James Madison High School Guitar Ensemble.
Festival 2026 will include a workshop; “How to Make the Bach Cello Suites Dance with Cellist Maureen Hynes” and master classes with guitarists Jason Vieaux and Rene Izquierdo.
The National High School Classical Guitar Competition is open to residents of all 50 states who are attending a public or private high school through the date of the competition finals.Applicants may not be represented by professional management. The competition will be limited to the first 30 applicants who submit all required materials to the Long Island Guitar Festival by April 15, 2026.Competition rules and guidelines as well as a full list of performers and concert schedules are available at www.ligfest.net