Next month we will be holding a festival in Badalona to pay tribute to the figure of the guitar maker and teacher José Luis Romanillos, one of the most outstanding artisan guitar makers of recent decades, who passed away in 2022.
The Festival will bring together for three days in Badalona 10 prestigious luthiers from all over the world, former students of Romanillos, around a unique and unrepeatable exhibition of concert guitars, built by themselves and inspired by the work of their master. The exhibition will be held at the El Carme Cultural Centre and access will be free.
CHALLENGE, GATHERING AND TRIBUTE
At the concert dedicated to Romanillos held in Badalona last year, one of his disciples proposed a challenge to the rest of the luthiers: to build a guitar inspired by those of their master and to come to Badalona a year later to organise an exhibition in his honour with the built instruments. The idea was a bit crazy, but ten luthiers loved it and accepted the challenge. It's time to see the result.
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
The Badalona Guitar Association, organiser of the festival, is working to offer an event of interest to professionals and amateurs of the classical guitar, but also aimed at all people who love music, arts and culture in general. For this reason, along with the guitar exhibition, three classical guitar concerts by great performers have been programmed. As with the exhibition, admission will be free (until full capacity is reached).
The exhibition also includes two Romanillos original guitars, a bibliographical display of his books and other related authors, a documentary about Medio Siglo Project, a recently published record containing his favourite musical pieces for guitar, played with the latest guitars he built.
COLLABORATION AND SPONSORSHIP
The Badalona City Council collaborates with our festival by providing the Centre Cultural El Carme de Badalona as a hall for the exhibition and the Teatre Margarida Xirgu and the Museum of Badalona as venues for the concerts. We also thank the institutions and private companies that, with their collaboration or financial support, are helping to make this idea a reality.