The Fifth Annual Collegiate Guitar Competition and Festival will take place at Eastfield College June 6 through 8. In addition to the students of Dallas County, the Collegiate Competition has a statewide and indeed a regional following. Since its inception in 2004, winners have hailed from Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, Denton, Houston, Plano, Memphis and Phoenix.
 
The competition is juried and has cash prizes for the top three places in each of the four categories: Youth (9-13), High School (14-18), Community College/Lower Level University and Upper Level/Graduate. Entry fee: $35.
 
Featured performers include composer-guitarists Mark Cruz of Texas State University, Juan Jose Barron of Mexico and Eddie Healy of Dallas. Duo Kithara, a professional duo ensemble, will perform as well as several fine students’ ensembles from Tyler Junior College and the University of Texas at Dallas among others in the three-day event.
 
Master classes will feature Barron, Jeff Cogan and Mark Cruz. Lectures include: The Guitar in Mexico by Barron; Daniel Friedrich, Master Luthier of Paris, France, by Jeff Cogan; and a tribute to Ignacio Rozas, the great Madrid Luthier, who will retire this summer.

Major sponsorship for the festival is from the Miles Foundation administered by the DCCCD Foundation, and Eastfield Student Programs and Resources. Sponsors also include WRR, La Bella Strings, Café Madrid and the Dallas Morning News. The festival welcomes Eastfield College Continuing Education and Assistant Dean John Emery as a sponsor for 2008.
 
Organizing faculty include Eddie Healy and Randall Nye of the Eastfield Guitar Studies Department and James Schreffler of Eastfield Continuing Education. Enric Madriguera, former DCCCD faculty and current director of guitar studies at UTD, is the founder and advisor to the festival.
 
For more information visit the Guitar Festival Web page or call 972-860-7113; for competition information, e-mail Enric Madriguera or call 972-860-7124.