We are thrilled to announce the three finalists of the 6^th International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini cciMB:

Virgile Barthe, 21, from France

Filippos Manoloudis, 23, from Greece

Torrin Williams, 24, from England

They were selected among 21 semifinalists who each performed a 30 min program in front of the international Jury from 20 – 22 August at the Musik-Akademie Basel, Switzerland. This year, with so many wonderful talented young guitarists participating, it was very challenging for the Jury to make a choice. A big thanks to all the semifinalists for their hard work in preparing for the competition and their beautiful performances.

The set piece of semifinal and final round is the commissioned composition Conventional Inventions by Swiss composer and violinist Helena Winkelman, who will introduce her work before the final round concert (at 18:00) on Saturday 24 August at the Don Bosco Basel. During the final round, which will start at 19:00, each finalist will perform a guitar concerto accompanied by the Sinfonieorchester Basel, conducted by Ivor Bolton:

Filippos Manoloudis:  Heitor Villa-Lobos - Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra (1951)

Virgile Barthe : Joaquín Rodrigo - Fantasía para un gentilhombre (1954)

Torrin Williams:  Heitor Villa-Lobos - Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra (1951)

Photo: Oren Kirschenbaum. Form left to right: Torrin Williams, Filippos Manoloudis, and Virgile Barthe.

On Monday 19 August the cciMB 2024 will kick off with the Opening concert showcasing former students of the Musik-Akademie Basel, some of whom were also participants in earlier cciMB editions. We will hear José Navarro play on his newly invented BadInTone guitar, together with Krishnasol Jiménez on theorbo, presenting some works of their Kapsberger offBeat project. João Carlos Víctor, since 2022 professor of guitar and chamber music at the LUCA School in Louvain, Belgium, will play works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Nuccio D’Angelo. Basler composer Hans Haug will be put in the spotlight by Evgenya Spalinger (flute) and Marisa Minder (classical guitar) performing his Capriccio for flute and guitar. After guitarist Fabián Cardozo’s presentation of Argentinian music and traditional songs, the evening will close with some jazz music presented by Aliéksey Vianna with double bassist Roberto Koch. Click here for more info on the festival artists. Download the cciMB Competition and Festival program (in German) here.

The cciMB 2024 Jury will be joined by the guitarist Jinhee Kim (South Korea, 1992), who thus becomes the first woman and youngest musician to serve as a cciMB juror. Winner of the top prize (shared with Omar Nicho) at the cciMB 2018 in Paris and laureate of several other international guitar competitions, Jinhee is since 2021 professor of classical guitar at the Trossingen University of Music. She is an active concert performer, both as a soloist as well as with the HOAX Quartet which she founded in 2017 together with Damiano Pisanello, Tobias Krebs and Agustin Nazzetta and has gained international acclaim for its interpretation of contemporary music. Her keen interest in teaching led her to complete advanced studies in music physiology in Zurich where she focused on functional anatomy and brain physiology in relation to music-making. 

From 19/20 - 24 August 2024 the International Guitar Competition Maurizio Biasini-cciMB & Festival will be back in Basel, Switzerland, for its 6^th edition. Hosted by the prestigious Musik-Akademie Basel (MAB), the competition will see its semifinalists compete for a chance to win the top prize of € 12 000.- and concert opportunities in Switzerland and Italy. The total prize money is € 20 000.-. The cciMB 2024 is now open to applications for the preliminary round, held by an online video selection, which will require the performance of a 15 -20 min program including one set piece: Segoviana for Guitar Op. 366 (1957) by Darius Milhaud. The final round will feature a concerto for guitar accompanied by one of Switzerland’s most important orchestras: the Sinfonieorchester Basel. A new composition, written by the Swiss violinist Helena Winkelman, is a required piece for both the semifinal and final round. The well-established cciMB Jury will be joined in Basel by the Argentinian guitarist Pablo Marquez, a highly sought-after classical guitar teacher at the MAB, and cciMB 2018 finalist Jinhee Kim from South Korea, since April 2021 professor of guitar at the Trossingen University of Music, Germany. The application deadline is 31 January 2024. See Registration requirements and Rules and regulations for more detailed information.