International Guitar Festival Hersbruck

A World Festival in a Franconian Small Town

When the first sounds of classical guitars, flamenco chords, and jazz improvisations echo through the GERU Hall in August, the tranquil town of Hersbruck transforms into a focal point of the international guitar world for a week. The International Guitar Festival Hersbruck was founded in 2001 and is now one of the most renowned festivals of its kind in Europe. Hersbruck itself is a small Franconian town at the foot of the Pegnitz meadows, picturesquely located in the Nürnberger Land district – about 30 kilometers east of Nuremberg.

The GERU Hall as a Stage for World Stars

The main venue is the GERU Hall on Happurger Straße. The greatest names in guitar music have played on this acoustically carefully tuned stage in recent decades: Pepe Romero, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Al Di Meola, Tommy Emmanuel, David Russell, Ana Vidović, Manuel Barrueco, Roland Dyens, Paco Peña, and many others. The artistic director for years has been Johannes Tonio Kreusch, himself an internationally acclaimed guitarist and composer.

Seven Days, Seven Styles

The program reflects the entire spectrum of guitar music: classical guitar at the highest level, flamenco puro from Andalusia, Brazilian choro and bossa nova sounds, Argentine tango, blues and fingerstyle, gypsy swing in the tradition of Django Reinhardt, jazz improvisation, world music, and occasionally electrified crossover projects. For seven days, concert follows concert, supplemented by matinees, film screenings, and readings on the history of the guitar.

Hersbruck Music Academy: Learn from the Masters

Parallel to the concert program, the Hersbruck Music Academy runs as an intensive summer academy with individual and group lessons, as well as masterclasses by the performing artists. Beginners, advanced students, and professional guitarists from all over the world travel to learn for a week under the guidance of the world stars. In addition, there are workshops, lectures, discussion forums, and an instrument exhibition where guitar makers present their instruments.

Hersbruck – A Classical Town in the Nürnberger Land

Hersbruck has around 13,000 inhabitants and, without its guitar festival, would be a quiet Franconian town on the Pegnitz with a pretty old town, the Shepherd Museum, and the Streuobstwiesen (orchards) of the Hersbrucker Alb. However, with the festival, the town has gained a reputation far beyond Germany's borders. The festival is supported by the Förderverein Gitarrenfestival Hersbruck (Friends of the Hersbruck Guitar Festival Association), which cultivates tradition and internationality equally.