This August 16-18, the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts will welcome guitar players and guitar fans from all over the world to take part in the sixth annual Wilson Center Guitar Festival. The 2018 event will celebrate all things guitar with an international competition, a special headliner performance, and the new-for-2018 Backyard Block Party, sponsored by your pals at Milwaukee Record!
The Festival will kick off on Thursday afternoon with a chance to meet the 2018 competitors at a complimentary welcome reception and a jam session featuring some of the 2018 judges. Competition performances in classical, fingerstyle, jazz, and rock & blues will be free and open to the public on Friday and Saturday. Master classes, guitar yoga, vendor displays, film screenings, and more will be free and open, as well. On August 17, classic rock and blues legend Elvin Bishop and his Big Fun Trio will perform a headlining show in The Harris Theater at the Wilson Center. Tickets for that show are on sale now.
During the afternoon on August 18, the fun will move outside! Milwaukee Record has helped the Wilson Center to schedule some great local acts to perform in their Gerlach/Haack Outdoor Theater—again, free and open to the public. Milwaukee’s dork-rock superstar Brett Newski will kick off the local show at 3 p.m., followed by the Quinten Farr-led For The Culture, a new rock & soul band you absolutely need in your life, at 4:30 p.m. The Festival will culminate with a 6:30 p.m. performance featuring all of the 2018 first-place competition winners. (Artists, dates, and times are subject to change.)
3 p.m.
Brett Newski
4:30 p.m.
For The Culture
6:30 p.m.
1st place winners in the four competition categories
See you at the Festival!