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September 10-13
A local festival, crafted in a local way.
Four Actioned Packed Evenings
David Browne Murray
Thursday 10th September - 7:30pm
Having studied music at the Belfast School of Music, Belfast fingerstyle guitarist David Browne Murray received a scholarship to attend the Berkelee School of Music in Boston.
In 2004 he won the Ards Guitar Festival Young Guitarist Competition and in 2011 he was the outright winner of Lee Ritenour’s Six String Theory Competition,
Songs in the key of Fleetwood Mac
Friday 11th September - 7:30pm
The harmonies. The guitar. The songs you never forgot.
Few bands have written themselves so deeply into people's lives as Fleetwood Mac. From the electric blues of the early years to the sun-drenched California sound that swept the world, theirs is a catalogue that has soundtracked first dances, long drives, and everything in between.
Jon Gomm
Saturday 12th September - 7:30pm
We are delighted to welcome one of the most extraordinary guitarists alive today to Belfast Guitar Festival
A singular artist whose music has reached millions of listeners across the globe, Jon's approach to the guitar defies easy description.
Moving on Music presents Marisa Anderson
Sunday 13th September - 7:30pm
Marisa Anderson is one of the most eminent guitarists working today. Her lucid, eloquent approach has established her as an unparalleled artist and a coveted collaborator.
Throughout her career, Anderson has channelled the history of the guitar and stretched the boundaries of tradition.
Fringe Programmes
Ossia Music School Rockschool
Saturday 12th September - 2pm
FREE EVENT
Cresent Arts Centre
2-4 University Rd, Belfast BT7 1NH
Every year, the Belfast Guitar Festival opens its stage to the students from Ossia Music School, who never fail to make everything worthwhile. This is that moment.
The Rockschool performances puts the next generation of Belfast guitarists in the spotlight. Young musicians who’ve spent the year building their chops, finding their voice, and learning what it means to play with other people. No backing tracks. No safety net. Just guitars, amplifiers, and the kind of nervous energy that turns into something electric the moment the first chord lands.
Workshop: Modes & Scales with Paul McMordie
FREE EVENT
5a Sandown Road, BT5 6RT
Saturday 12th September - 2pm
Modes and scales have a reputation for being the dry, theoretical end of guitar learning. Paul McMordie's workshop will change that.
Drawing on four decades of teaching experience at Ossia Music School, Paul cuts through the confusion and gets straight to what matters not just what modes and scales are, but where they live in real music and how to actually use them when you're playing.
Whether you've been avoiding this territory for years or just want to finally make sense of it, this is a workshop built around the way guitarists actually think and learn. Expect clarity, practicality, and more than a few moments where things that seemed complicated suddenly aren't.
Ossia Music School presents Sunday Service
Saturday 12th September - 2pm
FREE EVENT
Cresent Arts Centre
2-4 University Rd, Belfast BT7 1NH
Some congregations meet on Sunday mornings. This one meets on Sunday afternoons and it's louder.
Sunday Service is the adult student ensemble from Ossia Music School and they bring the kind of energy that reminds you why you picked up a guitar in the first place. Classic rock, played live, played loud, played with everything they've got.