The Texas Guitar Competition and Festival

03/08/2026

Winners from the 24th Texas Guitar Competition and Festival
Youth Division 1
1st – Ryals Thompson (tie)
1st – Vikranth Chilamakuri (tie)
3rd – John Henry Bostick

Youth Division 2
1st – Adrian Ordonez
2nd – Ishaan Jha
3rd (tie) Gokul Hari & Akshar Vivek

Adult Division
1st- Jiujiu Wu
2nd – David Manzanares-Salguero
3rd – Eduardo Lopez
4th – Mario Pino
Martha and John Nye Audience Favorite – David Manzanares-Salguero

Congratulations to all our winners! We will see you next year for the 25th anniversary!

02/25/2026

Our 24th Texas Guitar Competition and Festival is right around the corner! March 5-7, 2026 on the UTD Campus.
utd.link/guitarfest
All concerts are free and open to the public - we look forward to seeing you soon.

02/13/2026

Youth Competitors and Orchestra players: you have less than a week to sign up for the March 7th event on UTD campus. Application deadline is Feb 19th at 11:59pm (central) We hope to see you soon - Youth Director Eddie Healy will premiere a new piece for the orchestra to play Saturday evening. utd.link/guitarfest

02/02/2026

Hello new and returning Texas Festival and Competition participants! Make sure you get your adult category application in by this Friday at 11:59pm (US Central time)
We look forward to seeing you in early March. Concerts, Vendors, and more - over $8k in prize money!

01/22/2026

The application deadline is approaching for the Texas Guitar Festival and Competition. Please submit your application before Feb 6th for the adult category, and Feb 19th for the youth category. We look forward to welcoming you back to our campus. Be sure to attend our lectures, vendor booths, and evening concerts! Utd.edu/guitar utd.link/guitarfest

12/11/2025

Applications are now open for the 24th annual Texas Guitar Competition and Festival. We look forward to seeing you March 5-7, 2026.
https://bass.utdallas.edu/events/guitar-festival/

06/08/2025

Thank you Eddie Healy for a wonderful composition and thank you Youth Orchestra players for making the first event such a special one! I look forward to seeing you at our next event. Please see our incoming videos on the UTDArts Youtube page
https://youtu.be/14Fmdad6SsA?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/wcsyGOtz1ps?feature=shared

The competitors of the Spring 2025 guitar competition and festival rehearse and perform the world premiere of "El Corazón del Mundo" from composer Eddie Heal...

03/03/2025

🎸✨ Calling all music lovers!

Join us for an exclusive Meet & Greet with Sohta Nakabayashi, the 2024 Texas Guitar Competition Laureate!

📅 Wednesday, March 5 | 4-5 PM
📍 JO 4.122 [Endeavor Room], UT Dallas

🎶 From Japan to Spain to the USA—dive into the world of classical guitar, enjoy live musical selections, and engage in a conversation with Sohta himself to gain valuable insights into his journey, techniques, and inspirations!

Stick around for the reception afterward! 🍷

🔗 Mark your interest here: https://calendar.utdallas.edu/event/meet-2024-texas-guitar-competition-laureate-sohta-nakabayashi

02/08/2025

🔥 Guitarists, this is your shot! 🔥

Dreaming of performing on an international stage? Winning $3,000 cash? Flying to Spain for free? 🌍🎸

This isn’t just a competition—it’s your ticket to something bigger. The Texas Festival’s First Prize Winner gets an expenses-paid trip to the Alhambra Festival in Spain, where you'll perform among the best. ✈️🏆

Don’t let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away. Your moment is now!

🚀 Register today: https://bass.utdallas.edu/events/guitar-festival/schedule/

11/21/2024

🎸 Throwback to the Texas Guitar Competition 2024! 🎶 The talent, the energy, the unforgettable performances—it was all magical.

If you missed it last year, no problem! Registrations for March 2025 are now open and filling fast—don’t miss your chance to shine this time.

👉 Click here to register now: https://bass.utdallas.edu/events/guitar-festival/schedule/

Let’s make this year even more spectacular. Who’s excited to rock the stage? 🙌