MONROE, La. — The popular University of Louisiana Monroe Guitar Festival will take place Feb. 16-19 on the ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ campus. The community is encouraged to attend and all events are free and open to the public.
Events are as follows:
The Louisiana Community Guitar Orchestra event will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16 in Brown Auditorium. Participants are asked to bring their guitars and join in with dozens of guitar players of all ages and ability levels as they make music together in celebration of the opening of the 2016 ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ Guitar Festival.Â
All are welcome and no experience on the guitar is necessary. Guitars will be available for those who do not have one.
On Wednesday, Feb. 17, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall, Cain Budds, Jeff George, Luke Brouillette and Dan Sumner will perform in a joint concert. The first half of the concert will feature Ruston-based musician Cain Budds and Lafayette-based Jeff George on classical guitar. Natchitoches-based Luke Brouillette will join ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ guitar teacher Dan Sumner for the second half of the concert.
On Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall, the ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ guitar majors and the ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ Guitar Ensemble will join guitar students from across the region for a special concert.
On Friday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall, Steve Howell and the Mighty Men will perform. Based in Marshall, TX Steve Howell and his Little Rock-based band, the Mighty Men, will perform a concert of American Blues. Although very interested in many other music styles (bebop, rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, and others), the heart of Howell’s playing and singing is very much rooted in the rural acoustic blues and traditional jazz genres born in the American South.
For more information about the ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ Guitar Festival, please contact Daniel Sumner at 318-342-1577 or sumner@ulm.edu. Â