Upcoming Events - 2026

Make Music Madison

Sunday, June 21st

This recurring solstice celebration sees live music happening all over the city, and in cities across the country. Madison alone has over 500 artists playing at over 160 venues throughout the day. We're currently signed up for two locations, and still have a couple of days to add more, so stay tuned. Check the link above in the title to see our MMM artist page.

If you're interested in playing a little at one of these, please let me know. Otherwise, get out into the city and see what's going on! Hopefully the weather forecast mellows between now and then.

• 10-11 at Willy Street Park
• 12-2 at St John's Lutheran Church

Muso - MCGS Guitar Showcase

Saturday, June 27th from 5-8pm

2040 Winnebago St

Muso is another local nonprofit organization whose mission is promoting acoustic performances. They've got a small, but fantastic venue for listening and performing with a stage and great mic/PA situation. We've wanted to do more with them for a while and happy it's finally starting to come together. We'll be using the same open mic formula we've employed for years at Lakeside.
Performers sign up here

Casual Club

Sunday, June 28th at 7pm

The Neighborhood House, 29 South Mills Street

On the last Sunday of each month, Steve Waugh hosts a gathering where you can share what you're working on and talk shop in a supportive environment without the pressure of a public stage performance. Bring a guitar and a few bucks toward the rental of the space, if you can spare it.

Lakeside Street Coffee House - MCGS Guitar Showcase

August 21 and October 23 at 7pm

Lakeside Street Coffee House, 402 W Lakeside St

These evenings are always amazing and precious. We've got two dates set for the 2nd half of 2026, so please mark your calendars.

Performer digital sign-ups will be opened later as the dates get closer. I'll send a reminder.

Leonela Alejandro at Overture on April 28th

 

MCGS is proud to present a concert Leonela Alejandro at the Overture Center's Promenade Hall!  This will be a ticketed event through Overture, so please visit the link below to reserve yours.

Experience the finesse and expressive power of award-winning classical guitarist Leonela Alejandro. Hailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Alejandro has emerged as one of the most compelling young voices in classical guitar, captivating audiences with performances that are both technically brilliant and deeply expressive.


A winner of more than a dozen national and international competitions, including top prizes from the Guitar Foundation of America and major festivals across the U.S. and Europe, Alejandro brings world-class credentials and unmistakable musical presence to the stage. Her career spans solo recitals, orchestral concerto performances and premieres of new works, all delivered with striking energy and emotional depth.


Don’t miss this chance to hear a rising star whose playing is as powerful as it is precise—an unforgettable evening of classical guitar artistry.

Tickets through Overture box office here.

More about Leonela on her website.

Lakeside Street Guitar Showcase and Cargo Coffee Concerts

 

Lakeside Street Showcase:

Our Classical Guitar Showcase at Lakeside Street Coffee House has a few more dates lined up on select Fridays in 2025.  Music starts around 7:00.  Please mark your calendars and we hope to see you there!

August 1st

September 12th

November 7th

Cargo Coffee:

We've also teamed up with Cargo Coffee on East Washington to do a series of "Second Saturdays" concerts for the next several months.  These are a little different in that they're longer performances with featured performers scheduled in advance.  Come see some of your favorites in the spotlight. Music for these events goes from 6:30-8:30.

August 9th

September 13th

October 11th

Make Music Day at Farmer's Market

 

MCGS will be participating in Make Music day on Saturday, June 21st.  We'll be on the King St. corner of the Capitol Square and will be there most of the morning with a break for the UW Marching Band to take over.  Well be playing from 8:00-10:00 and again from 11:00-12:00.  It's a Farmer's Market day, so come on out and say hi!

If you're new here, WELCOME!

Most of our official MCGS-sponsored concerts, both past and upcoming, are posted here.  However, our members and teachers have several other performances around town that you might like to check out!  Please follow us on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/MadisonCGS

For information on donations and memberships, please visit our "join" page:
https://www.madisoncgs.org/p/join.html

To join our mailing list and get periodic updates about our upcoming events, please drop us a line at:

info@madisoncgs.org

Marko Topchii at Christ Presbyterian on February 18th

 

MCGS is excited to host a rising star in the guitar world for a special concert at Christ Presbyterian Church on E Gorham on Tuesday, February 18th.  

Marko Topchii, a renowned classical guitarist born into a musical family in Ukraine in 1991, has garnered widespread acclaim for his exceptional talent and numerous competition victories. With over 100 awards in international classical guitar competitions, including First Prizes in prestigious events such as the International Guitar Competition Francisco Tarrega and the Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artist Competition in New York, Marko has established himself as a one of a kind musician in the classical guitar world.

Marko’s performances have graced some of the most esteemed venues worldwide including Carnegie Hall (New York), the Salle Cortot (Paris) and Yamaha Ginza Hall (Tokyo). His collaborations with orchestras, spanning more than 15 concertos for guitar and orchestra, showcase his depth and flexibility as a guitarist.

Marko Topchii's discography includes several solo albums recorded under legendary classical music labels, Naxos and Contrastes. His most recent Naxos recording was released in Spring 2024 as part of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America’s Laureate Series.

Beginning his guitar studies at the age of four under Volodymyr Homenyuk, Marko went on to graduate from the Kharkiv Conservatory and pursue advanced studies under notable mentors like Volodymyr Dotsenko and Yuri Aleksik. In 2018, he joined the professional studies programme of the San Francisco Conservatory in the class of Judicaёl Perroy, with whom he continued his studies at Haute Ecole de Musique de Geneve as part of the Master Soloiste programme.

Lovro Peretic - In Concert

 

MCGS is thrilled to welcome Croation guitarist Lovro Peretic to Madison as our first guest artist concert for 2024!  

Last year, he won the International Concert Artist competition of the Guitar Foundation of America (USA). As the winner, he will depart on an extensive concert tour, playing around 50 concerts throughout USA and Canada in 2023/2024 concert season, and performing at the GFA 50th Anniversary Convention at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City this June.
Also, he recorded his debut album for the Naxos Records, the world’s leading classical music label, which was released in June 2023. In 2020, Lovro won the 3rd Eurostrings competition, arguably the biggest competition for guitar in Europe, which brought him an opportunity to give numerous concerts and master classes in 18 European countries.

Lovro will also be holding a masterclass at the Monroe Street Arts Center the day before (April 24th) at 7:30p.  For details on participation in the masterclass, please contact Christopher Allen at crallen1@madisoncollege.edu.

Adam Cicchillitti & Steve Cowan Guitar Duo at St. Andrew's Episcopal, Sunday April 16th

PLEASE NOTE THE START TIME IS AT 6pm FOR THIS SHOW.  

Adam Cicchillitti and Steve Cowan have set a benchmark in the world of classical guitar with their award-winning recordings, commissions of major orchestral works, and competition performances. On their debut release, FOCUS, Tracy Anne Smith (American Record Guide) states that “with sensitive, authoritative, au courant playing, Adam Cicchillitti and Steve Cowan retain their individuality while communicating like old friends.” FOCUS was awarded Classical Recording of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards in 2021. Also in 2021, the duo released it’s third album with Analekta Records, INTIMATE IMPRESSIONS, featuring original arrangements of piano, harp, and guitar music written in 20th century Paris. The album has been streamed over 1.5 million times worldwide. Cowan and Cicchillitti toured Canada under the auspices of Prairie Debut in 2020-2022 and with Debut Atlantic in 2018. They were awarded third prize at the 2021 international ensemble competition of the Guitar Foundation of America, arguably the most prestigious guitar ensemble competition in the world.

The duo has established its identity at the forefront of new music for guitar. At the inaugural 21st Century Guitar Conference in Ottawa, Steve and Adam commissioned and premiered nine new electroacoustic works by the New York-based composer collective, ICEBERG New Music. In 2022/23, the duo undertook their most ambitious project with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts: to premiere and record six new commissions for two guitars and orchestra with Ottawa-based chamber ensemble 13 Strings. Cicchillitti and Cowan are sponsored by Augustine Strings and play guitars by Sergei de Jonge and Bruno Boutin.

Raphaël Feuillâtre at First Unitarian Atrium on April 7th

Admired by audiences for his world class virtuosity, Raphaël Feuillâtre brings fresh, inspired interpretations to the classical guitar. Born in 1996, Raphaël Feuillâtre began classical guitar lessons at the age of nine with Hacène Addadi at Cholet Conservatory. In 2012, he entered Michel Grizard’s class at the Conservatory of Nantes and, three years later, he was accepted to Paris National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance (CNSMDP) into the class of Roland Dyens where he obtained his Bachelor of Performing Arts degree in 2017 with highest honors. Raphaël completed his Master’s in Classical Guitar Performance with Tristan Manoukian in 2019, again with highest honors. Raphaël is also mentored by internationally renowned guitarist and pedagogue Judicaël Perroy, who played a very important role in his artistic development.

As a result of his 2018 win of classical guitar’s most prestigious competition, Guitar Foundation of America (GFA), Raphaël completed the recording of his second opus for the Naxos Label in 2019 (Barrios, Granados, Llobet, Rachmaninoff, Rameau, Ramirez, Scriabin, Villa-Lobos). He was a featured soloist at the 2019 GFA conference in Miami, and embarked on his North American tour.

Prior to winning the 2018 GFA, Raphaël Feuillâtre participated in various other international guitar competitions, obtaining several major awards. In 2017, he won 1st prize in the International Guitar Competition Jose Tomas – Villa Petrer (Spain), which awarded him the opportunity to record his first album with JSM Guitar Records in 2018 (Bach, Granados, Tansman, Assad, Dyens). In 2015, Raphaël won 1st prize in the Concours & Festival de guitare de Fontenay sous Bois (France). He is also a laureate of the Festival International de Guitarra Ciudad de Coria in Coria (Spain) (2nd prize, 2014); Festival Internacional de Musica da Primavera de Viseu in Viseu (Portugal) (3rd prize, 2016); and the International Guitar Festival of Kutna Hora (Czech Republic) (3rd prize, 2017).

Raphaël Feuillâtre has appeared at several other classical guitar festivals and venues across the world, including the International Guitar Festival, Budapest ( Hungary) ; Festival of Guitar, Ciutat d’Elx (Spain) ; Guitar Art Festival, Subotica (Serbia) ; Guitarras del Mundo Festival (Argentina) where he toured across the country performing concerts; Changsha International Guitar Festival, Changsha (China) ; a seven-concert tour across Brazil (Brazil) as well as festivals and venues in Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Holland, and Montenegro. In France, he has been invited to perform chamber music at the Folle Journée de Nantes Festival, and the concerto d’Aranjuez on a five concert tour with the Orchestral Ensemble of Pau (France) . He has held residencies at 6 Cordes au Fil de l’Allier Festival and Guitare en France, and, as a soloist, he performed in the Paris International Guitar Festival, Sul Tasto Festival, Festival de Baume-les-Messieurs and Guitars in Picardy Festival.

Raphael is an endorsee of Savarez guitar strings, one of the world’s leading string manufacturers (founded in 1770).


Raphaël divides his time between performing and teaching. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses during his numerous engagements and holds a permanent teaching position at the Music School of Villeneuve-la-Garenne in Paris region.

Bokyung Byun at St John's Lutheran on March 9th

 

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Praised by Classical Guitar Magazine as “confident and quite extraordinary,” Korean guitarist, Bokyung Byun? enjoys a reputation as one of the most sought-after guitarists of her generation. Notably, she is the first female winner of the prestigious JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition. This win is among many wherein Ms. Byun excelled in the competitive circuit, including first-prize finishes at the Frances Walton Competition, the Montreal International Classical Guitar Competition, and the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Competition. A bevy of orchestras, festivals, workshops, and guitar societies look to Ms. Byun for solo performances and masterclasses. In recent seasons, Ms. Byun has performed as a soloist with orchestras, including the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Utah Symphony, West Los Angeles Symphony, among others. Ms. Byun’s debut recording has been praised as “a very beautiful disc. From the first notes of the “Gallarda” from Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Escarraman, we are treated to extraordinary musicianship, technical assurance, and beauty of sound” (Soundboard Magazine). Ms. Byun holds Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California.

Moacyr Teixeira Neto at Cafe Coda September 29th

Madison Classical Guitar Society is happy to sponsor a special guest for Cafe Coda's monthly classical guitar concerts.

One of the best Brazilian guitar talents, Moacyr Teixeira Neto accumulates prizes of better interpreter in the Villa-Lobos and Souza Lima Competitions (Brazil), besides finalist at Augustin Barrios International Competition (Paraguay) and awarder a lot of cultural projects in Brazil and other countries. Master in Music for the Superior High School of Rio de Janeiro State, with classical guitar specialization, the guitarist has performed in several Brazilian cities, as well as Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, USA and Italy.

Teacher invited for important events as the International Festival of Domingos Martins, Souza Lima Festival, Fred Schneiter Competition, Vital Medeiros Seminary (Brazil), Eduardo Fabini Festival (Uruguay), SIU Guitar Festival (USA), Festival Música de las Américas (México) and International Festival of Contemporary Music of Lima (Peru). He’s idealizer of the FIVES – Festival Internacional de Violão do Espírito Santo and Concurso Latino-Americano de Violão Maurício de Oliveira (Brazil) and already it was performed with diverse orchestras, playing concerts as the “2nd Concert for Guitar Op. 160” by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, “From Yesterday to Penny Lane” of the cuban composer Leo Brouwer, “Trio Op. 9” by Ferdinando Carulli and “Claude Bolling Guitar and Piano Jazz Trio Concert”.

For him, many composers had dedicated pieces like Carlos Cruz, Maurício de Oliveira, Ricardo Tacuchian, Marcos Vinícius, Luis Carlos Barbieri and others. He has 4 Cds recorded by the universe of brazilian guitar music and more 4 CDs about guitar music in general. The first solo CD “Gravuras do Violão” (Engravings of Guitar) got enormous success being awarded with a tour Concert in Brazil. He also has several publications on the guitar repertoire and in 2022 he is releasing “Evolving in The Instrumental Guitar”, his first technique book.members/students showcase!

These free events are in collaboration with MCGS and supported by Dane County Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. This project is also funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board." This event is sponsored by the Madison Classical Guitar Society. Special thanks to Wisconsin Public Radio for promotion as a Media Sponsor for this event!

https://www.madisoncgs.org/

Free event. Donations are appreciated!

Sondre Hoymer in Concert

MCGS welcomes another dynamic performer to Madison as part of our summer series. Sondre is a world-class performer. You should check out some of his videos on YouTube if you need proof. We'll be hosting him at St. John's Lutheran on East Washington - an intimate chapel with some of the best acoustics for solo guitar.

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Sondre Hoymer is a Norwegian classical guitarist. He obtained his education at the Norwegian Academy of Music and Akademia Muzcyzna w Katowicach under Prof. Marcin Dylla. Graham Devine writes about Sondre ''...it was wonderful to hear you play with such compelling musical vision, beautiful sound and domination of your instrument. (...) easely amongst the very best players of the younger generation I have heard recently, and I have heard and worked with a lot.''

Sondre has appeared in several major international competitions, being ranked as a finalist in Guitar Masters 2016 in Wroclaw, semifinalist in the GFA International Concert Artist Competition both in 2017 and 2018, where he also was included in the five top performances of the day by the Paris Guitar Foundation (preliminary round 2017). He was also awarded 2. prize in the Sierra Nevada International Guitar Competition 2014.

The autumn 2017 Sondre made his official debut in the University Aula in Oslo, one of Norway's most prestigious concert halls. Half a year later he was a soloist playing Concierto de Aranjuez with conductor Eivind Aadland, one of Norway's most respected conductors. January 2018 Vea/Hoymer Guitar Duo published the recording Neuralgia were Sondre plays terz-guitar. Memoirs Classical Guitar Magazine writes: ''This young guitar duo is offering a truly passionate and brilliant recording for the music, and the classical guitar world (...) every pluck and legato create the sense of a musical dream.''

As an international concert artist Sondre regularly gives concerts and performances in several countries world wide. Amongst them Spain, United States of America, Finland and of course Norway. He continues to perform internationally after finishing his Artist Diploma at the Norwegian Academy of Music.

''Sondre has a strong determination to increase his knowledge and understanding of interpretation complexety. His way of playing could be described as very elegant, smooth and colorful’’

Miles McConnell back in Madison at St. John's

Miles McConnell returns for a visit to Madison from his new home in Nashville for a program featuring music of Beethoven, Bach, Lauro, Tarrega, and Turina, plus Miles' arrangements of film music and popular songs for classical guitar.

Suggested donation: $20 for non-MCGS members, $10 for MCGS members.

Brandon Acker - Lecture Recital August 20th at 2:00

MCGS is very excited to be able to bring Brandon to Madison in our first collaboration with Madison Youth Arts Center (MYArts) in their beautiful new facility on East Mifflin! This building boasts several performance spaces and we're looking forward to more collaborations with them, and Brandon, in the future.

Brandon Acker is a classical guitarist and specialist on early plucked instruments such as the theorbo, baroque guitar, and lute. His latest passion has been running his successful Youtube channel which now has over 380,000 subscribers and 26 million views. His channel provides educational content about early plucked instruments as well as guitar tips and artistic performance videos. In 2020, he and his wife started an online school for "all things that go pluck!" called Arpeggiato. The school offers lessons from professional musicians from around the world on lute, baroque guitar, vihuela, mandolin, oud, classical guitar, and more. Within the first year of opening, this online school has taught over 2000 lessons to students in over 20 countries.

Brandon’s performance career has varied from starting out playing electric guitar in metal bands to his current main focus researching and performing on early plucked instruments from the Renaissance, Baroque periods. He has toured extensively through England, Canada, Scotland, and Wales, and performed with notable groups such as the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra, Piffaro, the Joffrey Ballet, the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, the Newberry Consort, Haymarket Opera Company, Music of the Baroque, Third Coast Baroque, Opera Lafayette, and Bella Voce. Recently, he was selected as one of five international laureates to compete in an concerto competition with the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra.

For more information, please visit www.brandonackerguitar.com or check out his YouTube channel.

Brandon's YouTube Channel

Madison Youth Arts

Tritonus Guitar Trio

We'll be hosting three Hungarian guitarists on July 7th at The Gates of Heaven synagogue as part of our summer concert series. The trio are winners of many prestigious awards including the GFA International Ensemble Competition in 2019. More info at:

https://tritonusguitartrio.com/home

https://www.madisoncgs.org/

$20 requested donation for general public, and $10 for past and present MCGS members. Please give if you can and consider re-upping your membership if you've registered in the past. The support is appreciated and this is shaping up to be quite an active summer season!

This project is supported by Dane County Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. This project is also funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board.

Fareed Haque and Goran Ivanovic Duo

Fareed and Goran are two of the most accomplished classical and jazz performers around and MCGS is excited to sponsor this dynamic duo at the North Street Cabaret on June 9th! Proficient in many styles, this promises to be a diverse and entertaining program.

As a special treat, they'll be showing off a handful of special guitars before the concert from 5-6pm for anyone who would like to stop by and experience these instruments and maybe get a chance to chat with the performers themselves about them!

$20 requested donation for general public, and $10 for past and present MCGS members. Please give if you can and consider re-upping your membership if you've registered in the past. The support is appreciated and this is shaping up to be quite an active summer season!

This project is supported by Dane County Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. This project is also funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board.

Grisha Goryachev In Concert

MCGS is excited to host one of the world's most remarkable and explosive flamenco players at the beautiful Atrium Auditorium at The First Unitarian Society of Madison! Doors open at 7:00, with the concert beginning around 7:30.

Grisha Goryachev is renowned for his extraordinary musical sensitivity and technical virtuosity in both classical and flamenco styles.

Grisha is one of very few guitarists in the world who is reviving the tradition of solo flamenco guitar in a concert setting that was practiced by legendary flamenco masters such as Ramón Montoya and Sabicas. He creates his own interpretations of these masterpieces, using dynamics and tone colors usually associated with classical guitar. In May 2005 Grisha was awarded the prize for Best Performance of Spanish Music at the VI International Classical Guitar Competition "Julian Arcás" in Almería, Spain.

Grisha began playing guitar at the age of six, studying first with his father Dmitry, an acknowledged master teacher of the instrument. At nine years old, Grisha started his performing career as a child prodigy. His numerous performances in the most prestigious concert halls in the Soviet Union were highly praised.

Grisha received his Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he studied under famous guitar virtuoso Eliot Fisk. Since his immigration to the United States in 1995, Grisha has toured extensively in the states and abroad as a performer, instructor, and judge for many prominent festivals and venues.

Lisa Link Peace Park Concert Series

We're finally back to scheduling some in-person events!
Gabor Szarvas, in conjunction with Downtown Madison has organized a series of 6 outdoor classical guitar concerts which will be happening on the 2nd and 4th Fridays for June, July, and August at Lisa Link Peace Park at 452 State Street. Each session will have a featured performer, as well as some time scheduled for a handful of students and other performers to sign-up for a limited slot. Not quite the same as our Lakeside open mic "show up and play" model, but still an opportunity to play in public. Please contact Gabor ahead of time if you'd like to get a slot in the program.  Contact info can be found in the "Booking" tab.

Article from Downtown Madison

Link to Facebook events listings

While live performances still aren't an option, you can trust that we're still doing what we can to keep the music going! We're very excited to have assembled some submissions from a few artists to create our own virtual concert. Nathan Bredeson, Silviu Ciulei, and Steve Cowan are all Wilson Center Competition winners and have played in previous years at concerts at our Lakeside Street Coffeehouse concerts.  We're happy to welcome them again and see how their careers and skills have grown!

Click to watch this free concert on YouTube

Follow us on Facebook for more events and other information.

This project is supported by Dane County Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.
This project is also funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board.
Primary corporate sponsorship by Musicnotes. As the world leader in digital sheet music, Musicnotes is proud to offer the best selection of 100% officially licensed and legal arrangements, covering all major instruments for musicians of every skill level.

Benefit Concert

Christopher Allen will be giving a benefit concert at Lakeside Street Coffee House on January 18th. All proceeds from this concert will be donated to the Puerto Rico Guitar Project.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1043911939298335/

2020 Schedule for Lakeside Guitar Showcase

We'll be appearing once a month at Lakeside in 2020, down from the normal two.  We're sincerely hopeful that this change will make these events even more special AND provide opportunities to expand this formula to other communities in Dane County to further our mission of creating performance opportunities and inspire players and audiences alike.

The Madison Classical Guitar Society (MCGS) hosts a night of member performances "open mic style" on select Fridays. These events give our members a chance to get some practice playing some beautiful music in public, and gives the community a chance to hear some truly great performances . Lakeside Street has great selection of beer, wine, food. There is so much talent at these shows! The performers start at 7.

Facebok events link...

https://www.facebook.com/MadisonCGS/