Well, well - dare I say it, but our 21st Festival is rushing towards us in November and it only seems like yesterday that we were together celebrating the 20th – time flies when you’re having fun!!

Firstly, I apologise for the delay in updating the website – this has mainly been due to my involvement as Project Manager in the delivery of our fantastic new Floral Pavilion Theatre and Conference Centre in New Brighton, Wirral, which I am proud to say is up and running and proving to be a spectacular success with visitors, audiences and performers alike - please see www.floralpavilion.com to see what has distracted me.

We are shortly finalising the Festival programme, and the website will be updated with our Festival programme details asap and I promise you it will be well worth waiting for…

Our Festival programme will unfortunately have one particular omission in this year. Sadly I have to advise you of the passing, in the spring of this year, of Brendan McCormack, one of the International Guitar Festival founders. It was during a conversation that I had with Brendan in 1988 about events and festivals and how they contribute to the cultural identity of an area, that he suggested a guitar festival in Wirral. Brendan’s contribution to the Festival and its development over the year’s can not be underestimated, and at last year’s Festival he agreed to be an Honorary Ambassador for the Festival joining Woody Mann, John Williams, John Etheridge, Galina Vale, Lucky Ranku and Gary Murphy as our Global Ambassadors. Brendan will be sadly missed by all who knew him. He was a virtuoso performer, excellent teacher and mentor, genial raconteur and a great friend to many.

We will now head towards our next Festival in November when I hope to either welcome you, or welcome you back, to Wirral and the 21st International Guitar Festival of Great Britain.

With very best wishes,

Rob Smith
Festival Director