12 November @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm UTC+0

Composition Competition

Own arrangement or composition

Following the success of last year’s competition, this month we have a special composition/arrangement competition.

Judges to be announced.

• From 2026, there is an Open section (accepting compositions from the general UK-based public). You may play your own composition for classical guitar / ensemble or ask a different performer to perform it.
• There is still a Members-only section (active BCGS members only), judged separately.

Terms and conditions apply!

• It must be your own composition or arrangement, written or finished in 2026
• From 2026, AI-assisted compositions must be declared as such and accompanied with a declaration of how AI was used in the composition and your role in the creative process. Fully AI-generated compositions with no human role beyond prompting are not permitted. Compositions which are AI assisted, but which do not declare this, will be disqualified.
• You must not have used this composition as an entry for any previous competition (including outside BCGS)
• You consent to a video or recording of your composition going on the BCGS website
• If it’s an arrangement, it should be fairly novel, rather than just slight tweaks on a common arrangement (e.g. just a different key)
• For BCGS member entrants section, first prize £100, and £50 and a set of D’Addario strings as a prize for the runner-up!
• For the Open section, prizes to be announced (check back soon!)
• If you can’t confidently play your composition, you may ask someone else to perform it for you
• The first prize winner of the previous year’s competition is excluded from winning again, but is welcome to participate again this year and receive an Honourable Mention award.

Programme

8 October @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm UTC+0

Theme

Moonlit Strings

Gentle night music. Rocking, dreaming, catabile.

Programme

19:15	SHOWCASE Member Performances
19:45	MEMBER’S SHORT CONCERT Cari Aplin will give a short recital of her Grade 8 programme
20:10	GUEST ARTIST IGF Young Artists Platform: Artist to be announced
21:10	ENSEMBLE Rehearsal

10 September @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm UTC+0

Theme

“I may be easy, but at least I’m not cheap”

Perform a piece of MAXIMUM Grade 4 difficulty to the very best of your ability

Programme

19:15	SHOWCASE Member Performances
20:10	GUEST ARTIST IGF Young Artists Platform presents: Eva Schockmel
21:10	ENSEMBLE Rehearsal

14 May @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm UTC+0

Theme

Study in Style (Etudes)

Studies that also make convincing concert pieces.

Programme

19:15	SHOWCASE Member Performances
19:45	MEMBER TALK John Powell: Why 12 Frets to the Octave?
20:10	GUEST TALK Gerald Garcia: Anatomy of an Etude
21:10	ENSEMBLE Rehearsal

9 April @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm UTC+0

Theme

Hidden Treasures

Overlooked gems and modern miniatures that sing.

Programme

19:15	SHOWCASE Member Performances
20:10	GUEST ARTIST IGF Young Artists Platform presents Gonçalo Caetano
21:10	ENSEMBLE Rehearsal

12 March @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm UTC+0

Theme

Faces and Places

Musical portraits. Pieces inspired by people and specific places and scenes.

Programme

19:15	SHOWCASE Member Performances Tony Mulholland — Ave Maria — Franz Schubert Martin Allsop — Shakespeare Music — Martin Allsop Robert Gough — Ancient Stones — Jeremy Soule Steve Watson — Julia Florida — Agustín Barrios Mangoré Tony Eastwood — Small Dancing Pigs — Tony Eastwood Lewis Tredinnick — Alba Nera — Roland Dyens Paul Bradshaw — Recuerdos de la Alhambra — Francisco Tárrega
19:45	MEMBER TALK Peter Smith: Neuroscience of Practicing
20:10	GUEST ARTIST Johan Löfving: ‘God Save the Queen!‘ Join celebrated guitarist and researcher Johan Löfving on a musical journey across Victorian London. Enjoy the dazzling and intimate sounds of Regondi, Pratten and their contemporaries on an original 19th century instrument!
21:10	ENSEMBLE Rehearsal

12 February @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm UTC+0

Theme

Numbers and Patterns

Groove, symmetry, polymetre, variations

Programme

8 January @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm GMT

Programme

Theme

The programme reflected the depth and diversity of our society’s talent:

• Cari and Thorben performed 5 short South American pieces arranged by Yvon Rivoall, and Carolan’s Concert by Turlough Carolan (Arr. Gerald Garcia).
• Tim and Tony L gave a lively set: Scherzo Sobre la Sonrise de un Niño (Arr. Barbosa/Rojas), Fantasia for 2 Lutes (Thomas Robinson), and Tango No.2/Suite España (Albeniz).
• Katherine D played Canarios by Gaspar Sanz
• Paul H brought us Ernest Shand’s Il Pensieroso.
• Andy W closed the first half with Philippe Drogoz’s Prélude à la Mise à Mort – a hugely entertaining and theatrical percussion piece that, remarkably, calls for the use of 12 knitting needles!
• Lewis T played Antonio Lauro’s El Niño
• Vince and Tony M delivered Milan Tesar’s Suita Karrusel.
• Steve W presented Recitativo from Mompou’s Suite Compostelana.
• Tony E played his own evocative composition, Bu Farw Cathod.
• The BCGS Ensemble, under the direction of Francisco, delighted the audience with Valenciana (Arr. Helen James) and Ostinato from St Paul’s Suite by Gustav Holst (arr. Alan Rinehart).

Here are some photos from the night:

Here’s the programme and quiz from the night:

Each performance brought its own character, from Renaissance lute duets to contemporary compositions, from vibrant ensemble playing to intimate solo pieces. The range of styles – classical, romantic, folk-inspired, and modern – showcased just how much richness there is within the guitar repertoire.

A special thank you goes to Francisco for directing the ensemble with such energy and skill, and to all our members who contributed their music to the evening. The concert was not only a celebration of classical guitar but also of community – proof again of how much joy shared music-making can bring.

We wish everyone a wonderful summer, and we look forward to seeing you all again at our autumn meetings and events.

NOTE: Our next meeting will be September.

13 November, 2025 @ 7:15 pm – 10:00 pm GMT

Theme:Something Old or Something New.

Old repertoire you learnt long ago, or something you just learnt!

19:15-19:45 Solos and chamber ensembles

19:45-20:00 Members’ Short Talk TBD

20:00-22:00 BCGS Ensemble Rehearsal

Double session to prepare for next month’s concert!