Professional musicians diversify the world of acoustic guitar at Farquhar Theatre
Illustration by Sage Blackwell.
On Jan. 29, the North American tour of Brian Gore’s “International Guitar Night” (IGN) will showcase talent from around the world at UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium.
Rising stars in guitar from Britain, Germany, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will perform from 7 p.m. onwards. Watch Lulo Reinhardt — an IGN favourite — and three other skilled guitarists demonstrate innovative ways to play in a variety of genres, pushing the boundaries of guitar technique and style.
The event is organized by American musician Brian Gore, who was an instrumental guitar player for many years before founding the International Guitar Night event in 1995. While running this event, he’s made a distinct transition from instrumental guitar to singer-songwriter music, and just released his first self-written album called Seek the Love You’re Yearning under the artist name Brian Gore Guitar Poet in 2024.
Gore emphasizes the importance of sharing music with his community in a Youtube video from International Guitar Night 2014, where he performs on stage himself. In the video, he says:
“Music-making was important to me starting as a teenager. It’s something that I used to help me get in touch with how I thought and felt about the world, and it’s important for me now, because it’s a way to reach out to other people.”
Today, IGN tours feature solos, duets, and quartets from a small group of talented guitar players hand-selected from across the world, with the intention of highlighting diversity and boundary-pushing talent in the world of acoustic guitar.
Meet some of the performers from the 2025 North American Tour:
Lulo Reinhardt
Lulo Reinhardt is the grand-nephew of Django Reinhardt, the legendary European Sinti jazz musician. Lulo plays Latin Swing music, which he describes as “Gypsy Swing” music with Latin rhythms. A consistent and well-loved performer at IGN, Lulo Reinhardt’s goal is to make Sinti and Roma culture accessible to a wider audience.
Alexandra Whittingham
Alexandra Whittingham is a classical guitarist from Britain with extensive training and experience. She has played at the Cayman Islands Arts Festival, Texas’ South by Southwest Festival, and the Rome Guitar Expo, and has an upcoming tour across Ireland with trumpeter Matilda Lloyd in April 2025.
Niwel Tsumbu
Niwel Tsumbu’s music has been described as a “global fusion,” combining components of classical, jazz, rock, folk, rumba, and Congolese percussive style. He lives in Ireland, and has previously performed with Sinéad O’Connor, but he’s also collaborated with Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club, as well as with Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, with whom he created the Grammy-winning record You’re the One.
Sönke Meinen
Sönke Meinen is a contemporary fingerstyle guitarist from Germany who claims to create a unique concert experience with only a guitar and a barstool. His new “duo album” with guitar artist Reentko Dirks, Tales of Winter, was released in November, and features reimaginings of childhood winter songs.
General admission is $47 if bought at the door, but note that there are also “student rush” tickets available for ten dollars. These tickets are first come, first served.
