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The Great Guitar Getaway
7-9 March 2025. Charney Manor, Oxfordshire, UK
10% off if booked before 1st November 2024,
This retreat is aimed at all abilities (as long as they are able to read music) and will have a guitar ensemble focus. Improve your confidence in ensemble playing and meet other like-minded people! The course organisers aim to create a very relaxed and friendly environment for people who may have been apprehensive to go to something like this before. At the moment spaces are limited to 12 participants so there would be lots of opportunity for one-to-one help if needed. Equally, if there are a few people who are slightly more advanced, there’s the space and ability to work with smaller ensembles.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks will all be provided as part of the price. More detailed information regarding the schedule, tutors and accommodation at: https://www.thegreatguitargetaway.co.uk/ 

Purbeck Guitar Festival
17 June 2025 | Sandy Hill Arts, Corfe Castle, Dorset
A one-day celebration of modern, ancient and classical guitar repertoire, set in the beautiful Purbeck countryside. Expect a varied programme of solo recitals, ensemble workshops and instrument-makers’ displays, all hosted in the airy marquee at Sandy Hill Arts. Whether you’re interested in flamenco, lute or contemporary fingerstyle, there’s something to inspire every guitarist.
Purbeck Guitar Festival purbeckguitarfestival.co.ukPurbeck Events

Classical Guitar Retreat
8 – 13 July 2025 | University of St Andrews, Fife
A six-day immersion amid Scotland’s oldest university town: daily one-to-one lessons, technique classes, guitar orchestra and ensemble workshops, plus concerts, Q&A sessions with tutors and a luthier expo—all hosted in the state-of-the-art Laidlaw Music Centre and McPherson Recital Room.
Classical Guitar Retreat

Royal Greenwich Guitar Festival
9 – 11 July 2025 | Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London
Non-residential course for all levels (Grade 1 upwards) with individual lessons, chamber-music sessions and masterclasses, culminating each day in public performances by faculty and guests. Held in the heart of Greenwich, with easy access to museums, riverside parks and historic venues.
Royal Greenwich Guitar Festival

Classical Guitar Summer School (RCS)
14 – 18 July 2025 | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow
A week-long course for 10–18 year-olds, combining technical & repertoire classes, musicianship masterclasses and ensemble playing. Assessment on day one ensures tailored tuition with RCS’s renowned teaching staff, plus performance opportunities in the conservatoire’s concert spaces.
Classical Guitar (ages 10–18) – RCS Summer School

Yehudi Menuhin School Inaugural Summer School
28 July – 2 August 2025 | The Yehudi Menuhin School, Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham, Surrey
The school’s first-ever residential Summer School for 11–16 year-olds achieving Grade 5 (ABRSM or equivalent) on classical guitar (plus strings, harp or piano). Choose residential or daily attendance for six days of individual lessons, chamber-music coaching, musicianship classes and formal concerts—all delivered by YMS’s expert teaching staff in the school’s world-class facilities.
Yehudi Menuhin School Summer School

Guitar Summer School at Ammerdown Centre
04–10 August 2025 | Ammerdown Centre, Radstock, Somerset
A week-long residential course in the beautiful Ammerdown Park, offering morning guitar orchestra rehearsals, small-ensemble coaching and daily classes on technique, repertoire and musicianship. Suitable for all who can read music (minimum Grade 1), it culminates in evening concerts by guest tutors Chris Stell, Mark Eden, Debra Adamson-Brattland and Will Crawford. Full-board, single occupancy from £1,073; non-residential options available.
Ammerdown Guitar Summer School

Bath Guitar Festival and Summer School (IGF)
12–17 August 2025 | Bath, Somerset
The International Guitar Foundation’s flagship festival returns with a classical-guitar course (4 days), a NEW four-day flamenco course and five-day contemporary guitar workshops. Daily masterclasses, ensemble coaching and evening concerts take place across Bath’s heritage venues. Scholarship applications are open until 23 May.
IGF Bath Summer School 2025 igf.org.uk

West Dean International Classical Guitar Festival
16–21 August 2025 | West Dean College, West Sussex
Now in its 32nd year, this immersive festival under Andrew Gough features Pavel Steidl, Vincent Lindsey-Clark, Jan Depreter, the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet and others. Enjoy repertoire classes, guitar orchestra, individual lessons and an Open Day (17 Aug) showcasing makers, exhibitions and recital.
International Classical Guitar Festival 2025

Craig Ogden Classical Guitar Masterclass
29–31 August 2025 | Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking, Gloucestershire
Spend a long weekend with Craig Ogden in the Cotswolds for intensive individual tutorials, ensemble workshops and a final student concert. Aimed at Grade 6+ players, the course blends technique sessions with performance opportunities in Hawkwood’s historic setting.
Craig Ogden Masterclass at Hawkwood

Cawsand Bay Guitarfest
05–07 September 2025 | Cawsand & Kingsand, Cornwall
A seaside weekend of recitals, masterclasses and workshops in historic churches and community halls. Highlights include performances by the Eden Stell Guitar Duo, Craig Ogden and Alison Smith, plus informal ensemble playing and a talk by Gerald Garcia.
Cawsand Bay Guitarfest 2025

Guitar Foundation of America

Date: 17 – 22 June 2024

Website: 2024 Convention & Competitions (guitarfoundation.org)

The Guitar Foundation of America is a course and a huge convention and will take place on 17 – 22 June 2024.  It is sited peripatetically around the USA (last year New York) and this year it is in Fullerton, LA.  If you really want a big event with 4 concerts a day, lectures and multiple performance competitions then this is the event for you.  Steve Goss will also be running an academic programme in parallel. 

Royal Greenwich Guitar Festival

Date: 8 – 10 July 2024

Website: ROYAL GREENWICH GUITAR FESTIVAL

This course runs at Greenwich (now the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance) London, on 8 – 10 July 2024.  You will be able to see the famous chapel and painted hall.  I had the privilege of living there for a while many years ago (when it was a Naval college), on the edge of the Thames and dining in the painted hall every day.  You will then also have London if you extend your stay.

Guitare en France

Date: 20-27 July – 2024

Website: Home | Guitare En France (guitarenfrance.org)

 ‘Guitare en France’ (formerly held in Ligoure) takes place in the Château de Celon (XVe siecle), near Argenton-sur-Creuse, a picturesque town named ‘la Venise du  Berry’. A gem of a venue in a peaceful environment surrounded by silence, make it an ideal place for an intensive yet convivial course.

Our mission is to provide an all-round guitar experience to a limited number of guitarists of all levels (Grade 5 and above) and to foster artistic  growth and creativity  in a non competitive environment.

Run by Eleftheria Kotzia www.eleftheria.info 

Ham Farm Festival

Date: 26-28 July

Website: HAM FARM FESTIVAL – Home

Not a course, but a festival of music, run and organised by Francisco and Emily in Bristol. Well worth attending and WAGO will be playing on one of the days.

Ammerdown

Date: 11-17 August 2024

Website:    Guitar Summer School – Guitar Summer School

This is the replacement venue for the Dillington Summer School which will now take place at Ammerdown Retreat Centre – Sanctuary of Peace in Somerset (near Bath).  Chris Stell, Mark Eden and Debbie Adamson-Brattland are the tutors.  Due to the change in venue this year, the dates of this course unfortunately clashes with the IGF Bath Summer School.

IGF Bath Summer School

Date: 13 – 17 August

Website: Bath Summer School 2024 Classical – International Guitar Foundation & Festivals (igf.org.uk)

This course runs at Bath Spa University Campus and is led by BCGS’s musical director, Francisco, so well worth attending.

This year’s tutors include Irina Kulikova, Judicaël Perroy, Laura Snowden, Sam Brown (Lute), Declan Zapala, Francisco Correa, Tom Kerstens and Stephen Goss.

There’s also a classical singing track, and the source runs the same time as the Popular styles (Blues, Rock, Folk etc.) so there’s opportunity to interact with musicians from other genres.

West Dean

Date: 17 – 22 August

Website: Classical Guitar Festival | West Dean

This course runs at West Dean College (near Chichester).  Our BCGS Patron Berta Rojas will be a tutor on the course together with Andrew Gough (Course director), Gerald Garcia, Alison Bendy and others.  This course has an open day on Sunday 18 Aug to which anyone can attend for a small fee. Why not run straight from Ammerdown or the IGF into a week at West Dean?

Classical Guitar Masterclass by Craig Ogden

Date: Fri 30th Aug – Sun 1st Sept

Website: For now, see the brochure at https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2024-Brochure-Web.pdf pp. 26-27

An opportunity to study with one of the best classical guitarists of our
generation. Craig Ogden will give expert insight on effective practice strategies. There will be ensemble work, concerts and tutorials.

Cawsand

Date: 6 – 8 September

Websiite: Cawsand Bay Guitarfest 2024

This course is run by Alison Smith and has Craig Ogden and the Vida Quartet as concerts and tutors. This will run 6 – 8 Sep 2024 in the beautiful Cornish coastal town of Cawsand and Kingsand.

Guitars by the Sea

Date: 18 – 20 October 2024

Website: https://www.brightonguitargroup.co.uk/gbts

Location: Brighton, UK

We are very pleased to announce that Mark Eden, well-known from the internationally recognised Eden-Stell guitar duo, will be leading the ensemble tutoring this year at GBTS 3.Young emerging artist Kia Robeson will give an evening recital this year, and also contribute to the ensemble tutoring during the course.

Ullapool Guitar Festival

Date: 4 – 6 October 2024

Website: ullapoolguitarfestival.com

Location: Ullapool, UK

Hillscourt Guitar Weekend Break

Date: 15 – 17 November 2024

Contact Raymond Burley at raymond3325@gmail.com

Location: Rednal, UK