Baltimore International Guitar Competition

Baltimore International Guitar Competition
Manuel Barrueco, Artistic Director

Baltimore International Guitar Competition was envisioned and made possible with the support of music-loving visionaries who recognize the importance of Baltimore for the international classical guitar scene: Manuel Barrueco and Asgerdur Sigurdardottir, Nicholas Coutros, Luis Diuguid, Turner and Judy Smith, Dr. Solomon H. Snyder, M.D., and Dr. Chia Teng, M.D., as well as The Augustine Foundation and The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Foundation.

RESULTS in the 2022 BIGC Competition:
1st Prize $35,000*: Andrzej Grygier
2nd Prize $10,000: Marko Topchii
3rd Prize $5,000: Michael Butten
Audience Prize $2,500: Marko Topchii

*$20,000 Cash Award & $15,000 Augustine Career Award

These performers were selected to the Semifinal Round:
Pedro Aguiar (Brazil), Michael Butten (U.K.), Riccardo Calogiuri (Italy), Andrzej Grygier (Poland), YunZhe Lin (China), Erika Otani (Japan), Marko Topchii (Ukraine), Tengyue Zhang (China).

The Baltimore International Guitar Competition seeks to foster the development of, and appreciation for, the art of the classical guitar, encourage performances at the highest artistic level, and promote and support the careers of the world’s most outstanding young guitarists.

PRIZES: Performers will compete for over $60,000 in prizes:

1^st place: $35,000 ($20,000 in cash prize and $15,000 Augustine Career Award*)
2^nd place: $10,000
3^rd place: $5,000
4^th to 8^th place: $500
Audience Award: $2,500

*Augustine Career Award will be disbursed on behalf of the winner toward career development.

First-prize winner will be invited to perform in the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society’s 2028-2029 International Concert Series.

All competitors in the Semifinal and Final rounds will receive free hotel accommodations.

BLIND JUDGING:  To ensure maximum fairness in the adjudication process, the jury listens to the competitors blindly during the Preliminary Round, Semifinal Round, and the first two days of the 3-Day Final Round. Only on the last day of the 3-Day Final Round does the jury observe the competitors perform.