“It reaches our guitar community and the music community as a whole,” Jankovic said.
The Jacobs School of Music will have the annual festival Oct. 24 and 25.
More than 45 competitors from around the world will compete.
The event also includes two guest recitals. Cuban guitarist René Izquierdo will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday in Auer Hall, and Peruvian guitarist Jorge Caballero will close the festival at 8 p.m. Sunday in Auer Hall.
The musicians will perform classical guitar in preliminary, semi-final and final rounds of the competition. They are divided into three categories.
The open division has musicians ages 19-35, the senior youth division has musicians ages 14-18 and the junior youth division has musicians ages 14 and younger.
A panel of five judges, who are faculty members in the music school, will judge the competition.
IU students are not allowed to compete in the festival because it would not be a fair competition with the panel of IU faculty judging the musicians, Jankovic said.
“Our students are here to experience a lot of different groups and players,” Jankovic said.
Izquierdo, an award-winning guitarist, teaches classical guitar at the Wisconsin State University in Milwaukee. He has performed throughout the U.S., Europe and Cuba. He studied at the Yale University of Music, Guillermo Tomás, Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and Superior Institute of Art in Havana, Cuba, according to the Jacobs School of Music website.
Caballero, who was born in Lima, Peru, is both the only guitarist and the youngest musician to win the Walter N. Naumburg Award, a prestigious award in classical music.
His performances have also received positive reviews in publications such as the New York Times.
Caballero has performed in several orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra.
Ernesto Bitetti, chair and founder of the guitar department, is the artistic director of the festival. Bitetti invited Izquierdo to perform at the event.
It will be his first time visiting IU, Izquierdo said.
“I think it will be a memorable weekend,” he said.
He will perform an eclectic program of music that combines classical repertoire and Cuban works, Izquierdo said,
Some of his own students are participating in the festival, Izquierdo said, and he is looking forward to seeing the result of their hard work. He said he is also excited to listen to guitarists from different parts of the world.
“I’m looking forward to seeing new players,” Izquierdo said. “It’s a good way to see where you are and where other people are.”
The festival and competition allows young players to develop as musicians, Izquierdo said.
Jankovic said the event will teach the participants many skills including competition, career development and public performance.
“I’m looking forward to a high quality guitar experience,” Jankovich said.
