The next Rosario festival date is yet to be determined. Please check back at a later date for the newest information!

The 2011 Rosario Guitar Festival and Competition was held in Columbia, SC at the University of South Carolina   School of Music, May 12-15.                           

The festival is  offically sanctioned and sponsored by University of South Carolina School of Music. 

Thankyou for your interest in the Rosario Guitar Festival and Competition! 

Please browse the appropriate pages to find the information regarding the festival that you are looking for.

In an effort to encourage artistic development in classical guitarists the 2011 Rosario competiton rules have been modified from previous years.  The most significant changes are the Divisions of the competition,  who may participate, the number of finalists, and the prizes.  Please see the Competition page of the website for complete details.

The Rosario Guitar Festival’s goals are to: 

- help build an environment in which the arts and arts education thrive and contribute to making Columbia a more vibrant and creative community.

- be a resource for the arts and arts education that builds individual awareness and appreciation of the value of the arts and arts education.

A major focus of the Rosario Guitar Festival is on music education for children, teenagers, and college students.  The educational elements of the festival are the guitar orchestra, master-classes, Youth Achievement Day, lectures/workshops, and competition for college students.  The evening concerts also serve as an educational tool as the students learn from observing the master artists at work.

An essential part of the festival, the Rosario Entrepreneurship Lectures/Workshop Series provides an arena for learning how to approach the business aspects of being a classical guitarist.  The aim of the lecture presentations is to educate young professionals about the fundamentals of arts entrepreneurship by providing detailed action plans to become an effective and successful entrepreneur and impresario. 

The Rosario Guitar Festival provides to the Columbia community  four days of concerts by world-class concert artists, a competition for college guitarists that are open to the public, and a guitar orchestra that anyone who plays guitar can participate in, thus an opportunity for all to share in the love of music and the guitar.  Rosario  Achievement Day is for youth who don’t compete, and  provides them with constructive feedback on their musical and instrumental development, and ultimately their personal development.  In addition, the lecture/workshops and Masterclasses are all open to the public to observe free of charge, enabling them to take advantage of music education events.