Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Local Arts

International Guitar Night returns to New West

Four top international guitarists are set to make a return to New Westminster in January. The International Guitar Night tour is returning to Massey Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 24 for a 7:30 p.m. concert.
Record Staff

Four top international guitarists are set to make a return to New Westminster in January.

The International Guitar Night tour is returning to Massey Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 24 for a 7:30 p.m. concert.

Each year, International Guitar Night founder Brian Gore invites a new cast of guitar luminaries from around the world for concert tours of North America that highlight the diversity of the acoustic guitar.

This year – the 19th year for the tour – features guest host Luca Stricagnoli, a contemporary showman from Italy, with two young prodigies from France, swing guitarist Antoine Boyer and flamenco guitarist Samuelito. Also in the spotlight will be Turkish guitarist Cenk Erdogan, known for his groundbreaking work in fretless guitar.

Cenk Erdogan
Turkish guitarist Cenk Erdogan is onstage with International Guitar Night. - contributed

Stricagnoli was signed by U.S. label Candyrat Records at age 22, and his debut videos for the label made him an Internet sensation, with 14 million views on Facebook and seven million on YouTube.

Boyer, too, made his name for himself young, becoming a gypsy jazz prodigy as a teenager. He was a disciple of such masters as Mandino Reinhardt and Francis-Alfred Moerman, with whom he recorded his first CD/DVD in 2009.

Samuelito (Samuel Rouesnel) started his classical guitar training at the age of seven at the Conservatoire de Caen in Normandy, France. He was soon fascinated by world music, and particularly flamenco, and he followed a dual classical and flamenco guitar path. His first concert took place on this 16th birthday on the national stage of Caen, broadest by France Televisions; that began an international career that continues to this day.

Erdogan, meanwhile, studied music composition at Istanbul Bilgi University and, in 2008, recorded his first album, WITH. That same year, he composed and arranged the soundtrack for the movie Issiz Adam, winning the Yesilçam Soundtrack of the Year prize in 2009. He works as a producer, composer and arranger for television and gives concerts as a solo artist and with the Cenk Erdogan Trio.

Tickets for International Guitar Night at the Massey are $35 regular, $25 for seniors and students, or $15 for children under 18 (plus service charges). They’re available now at www.ticketsnw.ca or 604-521-5050.