Parkening International Guitar Competition

The Parkening International Guitar Competition takes place in Malibu, CA from May 29 to June 2 this year, and it is one of the more important guitar competitions in the world, not least because it has the largest purse of any guitar competition in the world – $65,000. The fifteen competitors range in age from 16 to 29, and are from all over the world – see the full list of competitors here. There is also a Young Guitarists competition for guitarists ages 17 and younger. They will be judged by a panel that includes Dave Grusin, film composer and jazz artist; Costa Pilavachi, Senior Vice President of Universal Music Group; David Russell, guitar virtuoso; Julie Smith, Classical Project Manager for The Recording Academy (presenter of the Grammy Awards); and Jim Svejda, Classical KUSC radio host and producer. Guitar Salon is proud to be the official media sponsor of the Parkening competition, and you can get updates on the competition’s progress by following us on Facebook.