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The 2024 Adelaide International Guitar Competition announces its winners

Part of the Adelaide International Guitar Festival and the World Federation’s youngest member, Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition Final was held on Sunday 15 September 2024 with Korean guitarist Young Taek Jo taking out first prize, followed by Sotiris Athanasiou from Paris, and Nene Yokomura of Tokyo.

This highly esteemed annual event has served as a springboard for numerous up-and-coming artists globally, including South Korean virtuoso Deion Cho, who earned the top prize in 2023. The Adelaide International Classical Guitar Competition has provided career-launching opportunities for ten incredible young guitarists.

Young Taek Jo, 1st prize winner with Slava Grigorian, Artistic Director ©️ Kyahm Ross

Young Taek Jo, 1st prize winner ©️ Kyahm Ross

Sarah Bleby, Executive Producer of the competition as well as the Adelaide international Guitar Festival, says "I’m delighted to announce that Adelaide Guitar Festival is shifting into new territory for 2024. Adelaide Guitar Festival hosts the world’s guitarhead community in our UNESCO City of Music. We invite lovers, learners and luthiers, soloists and shredders, to bond over our shared passion for music and the guitar. This one extraordinary instrument can somehow express all that we feel, from country’s stories of sorrow and solace to the deep soul of the blues, the fervour of flamenco and rock ‘n’ roll. And yes, we like it. Our festival is a celebration of connection — spanning genres, generations and cultures. Its players possess a unique power, evoking this majestic spectrum of human experience using just a set of strings, creating the most significant gathering of guitarheads in the Southern Hemisphere.

Prizes:
1st Prize: Young Taek Jo
2nd Prize: Sotiris Athanasiou, Paris
3rd prize: Nene Yokomura

Jury:
Anna Goldsworthy, Carl Crossin, Oliver Fartach-Naini, Anne Cawrse, NN

Artistic Director:
Slava Grigorian

©️ WFIMC / FR 2024

Sotiris Athanasiou, 2nd prize winner

Nene Yokomura, 3rd prize winner