Veria International Guitar Festival

28/03/2026

I had the immense pleasure of attending a truly exceptional recital by the remarkable Angels Guitar Duo, first prize winners of the Veria International Guitar Festival 2024 Guitar Duo Competition.

Aleksander Aniol and Kamil Aniol delivered a demanding and artistically refined program featuring works by Bach, Andia, Dyens, Chopin, Gangi, Tárrega, and Assad. From the very first note, they captivated the audience, shaping a deeply engaging and memorable musical journey in a packed hall at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory.

Their breathtaking musicianship and outstanding technical command were rewarded with two encores, featuring works by Ginastera and Machado—an inspiring conclusion to an already unforgettable evening.

I am proud that VIGF had the opportunity to support such outstanding emerging artists. Congratulations to both, and heartfelt thanks to our longstanding sponsor, the Philippos Nakas Conservatory, for their continued generosity and support.

Dimitris Kourzakis-VIGF Artistic Director

23/03/2026

Looking forward to welcoming the Angels Guitar Duo ( Aniol and Aniol) 1st prize winners of our 2024 guitar duo competition! As part of their prize they are expected to give a memorable recital in Ωδείο Φίλιππος Νάκας / Philippos Nakas Conservatory Concert Hall on Saturday, March 28 at 19:00.
Not to be missed!

Συναυλία του Angels Guitar Duo | Kamil and Aleksander Anioł (1ο Βραβείο - Διεθνές Φεστιβάλ Βέροιας) < Συναυλίες | NakasEdu

21/12/2025

YOUNG GUITARISTS COMPETITION
2024 1st Prize Winners Short Recitals at VIGF 2025

We proudly presented the Short Recitals of the 2024 winners of our Young Guitarists Competition, introduced for the first time at the festival last year.
Vida Pujevic and Petar Nikolic, who shared the 1st Prize, offered two truly exquisite performances, marked by profound musicianship, insightful interpretations, and outstanding technical mastery. Their recitals were met with enthusiastic and well-deserved applause!
We now look forward to welcoming, in the same spirit, the winners of the 2025 Young Guitarists Competition, Yiannis Troulos and Dimitris Tsakalos, at next year’s festival.

20/12/2025

VIGF 2025 GUITAR CONCERTO COMPETITION
Final Round

One of the principal artistic components of the festival is the Guitar Concerto Competition, in which the finalists performed with the ΑΣΟΝ - Αθηναϊκή Συμφωνική Ορχήστρα Νέων (Athens Youth Symphony Orchestra) conducted by Pavlos Sergiou at the state-of-the-art Concert Hall "Arts Center Thanos Mikroutsikos" - Χώρος Τεχνών Δήμου Βέροιας. Konstantina Malapani and Gergely Barta performed Guitar Concerto No. 1 by Mario Castelnuovo‑Tedesco, while Lee Jehee performed the Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo. The orchestra’s contribution ensured a high standard of ensemble and interpretative coherence, effectively supporting the finalists and highlighting the guitar concerto repertoire. The prizes were awarded as follows: First Prize Konstantina Malapani, Second Prize Gergely Barta, and Third Prize Lee Jehee.

18/12/2025

VIGF 2025 — And the WINNERS are:

GUITAR CONCERTO COMPETITION
1st Prize: Konstantina Malapani
2nd Prize: Gergely Barta
3rd Prize: Lee Jehee

SOLO GUITAR COMPETITION
1st Prize: Vuk Vukajilovic
2nd Prize: Ayaka Mukaiyama
3rd Prize: Sungyeon Park
Distinction: Gergely Barta
Distinction: Konstantina Malapani

YOUTH GUITAR COMPETITION
1st Prize: Yiannis Troulos
1st Prize: Dimitris Tsakalos
2nd Prize: Dimitris Chytas

COMPOSITION COMPETITION
1st Prize: Music for the Dark Hours — Michael Knopf (Nyx)
2nd Prize: Searching — Christopher Everest (Theodore Zeta)
3rd Prize: 3 Lies and 1 Truth — Pardy Minassian (PM57)

Warm Congratulations
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all prize winners and participants for their artistic dedication, outstanding level of musicianship, and for making the 2025 edition truly unforgettable. Your commitment to musical excellence lies at the very heart of our festival.

Special Thanks
Our sincere thanks go to the Athens Youth Symphony Orchestra ΑΣΟΝ - Αθηναϊκή Συμφωνική Ορχήστρα Νέων and its conductor Pavlos Sergiou for delivering an exceptional performance at the Guitar Concerto Competition, providing invaluable artistic support to the three finalists.

Jury – VIGF 2025
We express our deepest appreciation to the distinguished jury members, whose expertise, integrity, and dedication ensured the highest artistic and professional standards throughout this year’s competitions and ensured thoughtful and fair evaluations:

Pavel Steidl — Chairman, Guitar Concerto Competition
Stephen Goss - Composer — Chairman, Composition Competition
Alexis Mouzourakis — Chairman, Solo Guitar Competition
Susana Prieto — Chairwoman, Youth Guitar Competition
Jury Members: Adriano Del Sal · Nikos Drelas · Botsis Angelos · Michalis Brouzos - Μιχάλης Μπρούζος · Orestis Kalampalikis · Christos Sarkatzis · Petros Ristas · Vasilis Valavanis

With Gratitude to Our Sponsors
A special mention and sincere thanks to our generous sponsors, whose support continues to make our artistic vision possible:
ΑΣΟΝ - Αθηναϊκή Συμφωνική Ορχήστρα Νέων (Athens Youth Symphony Orchestra)
Les Productions d’OZ
Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts
Ωδείο Φίλιππος Νάκας / Philippos Nakas Conservatory

We already look forward with great excitement to the next edition of the festival, and to welcoming once again outstanding artists, composers, and audiences from around the world!

"VIGF - Committed to promoting the art and artistry of the classical guitar"

16/12/2025

COMPOSITION COMPETITION FOR TWO GUITARS 2025
WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
We are proud to present the winners of our 2025 Composition Competition for Two Guitars.
The jury—chaired by renowned composer and guitarist Stephen Goss - Composer and consisting of Alexis Mouzourakis, Susana Prieto, Nikos Drelas, and Angelos Botsis—reached the following decision:

🥇 1st Prize
Music for the Dark Hours
Michael Knopf (Australia)
🥈 2nd Prize
Searching
Christopher Everest (New Zealand)
🥉 3rd Prize
3 Lies and 1 Truth
Pardy Minassian (Armenia / Syria)

📘 Publication & Recordings
The winning work Music for the Dark Hours by Michael Knopf will be published by our long-standing sponsor Les Productions d’OZ.
All awarded works will be professionally video-recorded by VIGF and uploaded to the YouTube channel of our generous sponsor Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts based in San Francisco.
🙏 Acknowledgements
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our current and past sponsors and supporters:
Les Productions d’OZ
Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts
Siccas Guitars
We are also deeply grateful to the artists Duo Melis, Duo Kontaxakis—Ivanovich and D&A GuitarDuo for their invaluable support of our mission to enrich the contemporary guitar duo repertoire.

Congratulations to all the composers, and thank you for helping shape the future of music for two guitars!

Please find details on editions and recording of our previous composition competitions at:
https://veriaguitarfestival.gr/archives/

14/12/2025

RECITALS_Day 2
Multi-award-winning guitarist Adriano del Sal delivered a recital of breathtaking artistry and profound musicianship! The evening opened with works by Barrios and Torroba, and concluded with a highly polished, controlled, and deeply expressive rendition of Bach’s Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro, along with charming transcriptions of pieces by his compatriot and renowned film composer Ennio Morricone. The audience’s prolonged applause demanded his return for an encore!

The second half of the evening featured classical guitar legend Pavel Steidl performing on a Stauffer copy. What can one say? Pavel is a rare personality who has earned the right to transform the stage into his personal realm, demonstrating complete freedom of expression grounded in universal mastery. Works by Mertz, Carulli, and Paganini-Legnani seemed to exist solely in Pavel’s hands. A humorous and exciting improvisatory piece, featuring overtones and humming, elicited one of the warmest ovations of the Veria concert series.

13/12/2025

A glimpse from the guitar exhibition by master luthier Anastasios Koukourigos Guitars.
Enjoy a short excerpt with Lerttham Thanapot — last year’s 1st Prize winner and this year’s Opening Concert artist — exploring the sound world of this sweet, yet powerful instrument.

13/12/2025

Yet another sound check at VIGF!
The multi-awarded Adriano Del Sal and the legendary Pavel Steidl—what more could one wish for?
Less than an hour to go, right here in Veria, at the Veria International Guitar Festival!

13/12/2025

Meet the Finalists!

The three finalists of the Guitar Concerto Competition are Berta Gergely, Lee Jehee, and Malapani Konstantina!
They’re already rehearsing with the orchestra ahead of the Final Round on Sunday at 20:00.

We’re expecting a full house—come and give them the warm applause they deserve!

13/12/2025

ΑΣΟΝ - Αθηναϊκή Συμφωνική Ορχήστρα Νέων tuning up as the first rehearsal approaches!