Rhine Guitar International Festival & Academy

Festival and Academy in One

Rhine Guitar is more than just a concert festival: its hallmark is the combination of public concerts and an intensive educational academy. During the day, young guitarists work in masterclasses with internationally recognized teachers, and in the evenings, these same teachers – along with special guest soloists – share the concert stage with the audience. This creates a continuous pedagogical-artistic dialogue that distinguishes the festival.

Schloss Engers — Setting and Acoustics

Schloss Engers, a late baroque building on the banks of the Rhine, is home to the Landesmusikakademie Rheinland-Pfalz and offers ideal concert venues with its historic halls, the Schlosskapelle, and the representative Diana Hall. The park directly on the Rhine invites visitors to linger between concerts.

Solo, Chamber Music, Orchestra

The 2026 program showcases the full stylistic breadth of the guitar world: solo concerts with icons like David Russell or Manuel Barrueco; the orchestral concert on Friday with the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, which places a classical guitar concerto within a grand symphonic framework; chamber music evenings; and the 'Hubert Käppel International Guitar Competition', a renowned competition dedicated to the German guitar pedagogue and concert guitarist.

Academy and Competition

The academy attracts students from conservatories and music academies worldwide every year. The 'Hubert Käppel International Guitar Competition' is open to young professional guitarists and offers attractive prizes as well as concert engagements. Competition participants and the audience form an international community during the festival week.