URI Guitar & Mandolin Festival Returns for 11th Year with World-Class Lineup

​South County will once again fill with the sounds of classical guitar and mandolin as the University of Rhode Island's Guitar & Mandolin Festival returns October 18-25 for its 11th year, bringing internationally acclaimed musicians, workshops, and competitions to venues across the region.
What began as a single-day event has grown into a week-long celebration featuring three distinct programs: a full guitar festival, an expanding mandolin festival, and a youth-focused Rising Stars program.
"It's just been getting progressively longer and filled with more activities," said Raffi Donoian, a classical guitarist and URI alum who now teaches in the festival's Rising Stars program.
The festival kicks off with a day-long outdoor concert at the General Stanton Inn, headlined by Duke Robillard alongside classical guitar soloists, the Atlantic Mandolin Quartet, and blues-rock group Friendly Fowl. From there, performances continue nightly at venues throughout URI and the surrounding area.
Headliners include Boston-based classical guitar titan Eliot Fisk and internationally renowned Jorge Caballero, along with jazz guitar legends Eleonora Strino and Antoine Boyer, who will perform alongside his wife and duo partner, harmonica player Yeore Kim. Mandolin fans can look forward to performances from Vincent Beer-Demander, Fabio Gallucci, and Ian Coury.
A string quartet drawing faculty from URI, the New England Conservatory, and Brown University will also take the stage, alongside the festival's own artistic and mandolin directors, Adam Levin and Jacob Reuven. The week will also showcase this year's competition winners, Sotiris Athanasiou and Suzuna Takahashi.
Serving as composer-in-residence is João Luis, a Brazilian composer, guitarist, and teacher based at Yale University. Luis will lecture and lead workshops on composition, Brazilian music, and guitar technique in addition to premiering new work at the festival.
Beyond the concert stage, the festival offers a full slate of workshops and lectures covering everything from Bach to Barcelona-style guitar, along with sessions on luthiery, hand health, and self-recording. A luthier expo will also draw instrument makers from around the world, giving attendees a rare chance to test drive dozens of guitars in one place.
"When it comes to playing an instrument and getting an instrument, people ask which one they should buy, and it's sort of personal," Donoian said. "You ultimately have to play an instrument. You can listen online and review specs, but you just have to play a lot of instruments. It's really, really valuable in that sense."
For younger musicians, the festival's Rising Stars program offers ensemble experience for students ages 6 to 16, complete with specialized lectures, workshops, and rehearsals. Donoian, who helps lead the program, said participants will perform Sunday afternoon, with some students also joining the festival's now-signature "mega orchestra," a massed ensemble of guitarists and, this year for the first time, mandolinists as well.
"You learn your stuff, and then you work with us, and we talk about maybe how to fix some mistakes and how to make everybody sort of play both as an ensemble," Donoian said.
New this year is an in-person guitar competition, which selected 12 international semifinalists from video submissions to compete in person for a grand prize exceeding $10,000, including a concert slot at next year's festival.
For Donoian, the festival's value extends well beyond performance. He credits his own turning point as a musician to attending a similar festival in Boston years ago, where he met Levin for the first time.
"When you see that there are other people doing what you do and you're able to connect with them, and you're not just watching videos or listening to music, you're actually talking to people and hanging out with them, it's so important," he said. "You're able to make connections and build friendships and become a part of a community."
Among this year's performers, Donoian said he's especially looking forward to hearing Antoine Boyer. "He's an amazing player, like a really unique style. That's one of the big ones on my list for sure."
Festival organizers emphasize that attendees don't need to commit to the full week to participate. À la carte tickets are available for individual concerts and workshops, making it possible to drop in for a single evening or spend the whole week immersed in the festival.
Full schedule and ticket information is available at urigmfest.org.