THE MONTREAL GUITAR GRAND PRIX:
A 4TH EDITION SHOWCASING A FRESH CROP OF TALENT AND PRIZE-WINNERS!
September 26 and 27, 2009 – The Savoy du Métropolis and
L'Astral saw dozens of guitarists of all ages grace their stages
as they showcased their technical talents and stage abilities during the 4th Montreal Guitar Grand Prix, presented by Godin Guitars
in collaboration with Steve's Music Store. Marked by high-calibre
performances, both days wound up with the appearance of Montrealer Jordan Officer,
who treated fans gathered at L'Astral for the grand finale to cuts from his
debut solo album, scheduled for imminent release.
Made of up guitar pros and aficionados–Jean-François Hamel,
Isabelle Héroux, Jean Millaire, Jason
Lang and Tim Brady for the preliminary auditions;
and Jean-François Hamel, Jérôme Ducharme,
Danny Ranallo, Antoine Dufour and Michel Cusson
for the finals–the judges' panel had the pleasant but difficult task of selecting,
after attending to almost 80 auditions, the best guitarists entered in the four
categories (classical, acoustic, blues/rock and jazz). The audience also had its
word to say when it was faced with choosing which of the 12 finalists would win
the People's Choice Award of the Festival International
de Jazz de Montréal, presented this year by La Presse
journalist Daniel Lemay. For the second consecutive year, the award was given to
the impressive and talented guitarist Jean-Philippe Guy.
The winners of this 4th edition of the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix are:
Blues / rock:
1st prize: Jean-Philippe Guy
2nd prize: Carl Bastien
3rd prize: Max Henri Clark
Classic:
1st prize: Miodrag Zerdoner
2nd prize: Arturo Parra
3rd prize: Shon Boublil
Jazz
(archtop or gypsy):
1st prize: Ivan Garzon
2nd prize: Jean-Philippe Guy
3rd prize: Dustin Good
Acoustic
(fingerstyle, fingerpicking and flatpicking):
1st prize: Ewan Dobson
2nd prize: Lucas Haneman
3rd prize: Leonid Nassyrov
These 12 winners took home thousands of dollars in prizes courtesy
of Godin Guitars and Steve's Music Store,
our official suppliers, Marshall amplifiers,
DigiTech guitar effects and Samson audio components,
as well as the Montreal Guitar Show and the Festival International
de Jazz de Montréal.
The Montreal Guitar Show, presented as part of the Festival International
de Jazz de Montréal, is proud to help promote musicianship through the Montreal
Guitar Grand Prix, and to offer our talented young up-and-coming musicians a platform
for developing and showcasing their art.
Thank you to all the participants. See you next year on September 25 and 26, 2010.