Hey Rhody Interview: Adam Levin, Artistic Director of the University of Rhode Island Guitar and Mandolin Festival

The University of Rhode Island Guitar and Mandolin Festival returns October 18–25 for its 11th year, bringing an international lineup of performers to venues across South County. Classical guitar is the week’s focus, with blues, jazz, Brazilian music, and chamber performances also sharing the program. Concerts, masterclasses, workshops and competitions run throughout the week, with most events open to the general public. Click here for tickets.

Festival Artistic Director Adam Levin is thrilled, but not overly surprised, by the program’s success. He had a clear plan from the start. “I think the basic vision was, if you build it, they will come,” says Levin. “It happened to be the great state of Rhode Island, where I landed.”

Levin’s goal was to establish the state and the university as a destination for classical guitar, “and then sort of serendipitously, the mandolin,” he adds. “There's a longstanding tradition of mandolin performance in the state of Rhode Island, several very prominent mandolin orchestras that have been running for probably more than 100 years. We will see somewhere between 80 and 100 guitarists and mandolins on stage playing together.”

Part of a new generation of traditional musicians, Levin is a passionate advocate for classical guitar. “Audiences don’t know they love the classical guitar until they get in a room with it and they find how lovable it is, and how it transports us to places so far away without even having to move from our seats.”

The festival kicks off October 18 with an afternoon concert at the General Stanton Inn in Charlestown featuring Rhode Island blues great Duke Robillard, the Atlantic Mandolin Quartet and URI student performers. On October 20, three previous competition winners take the stage at URI’s Fine Arts Center. The following evening, Levin and mandolinist Jacob Reuven join a string quartet for a concert at Edwards Hall.

The music travels to Westerly’s United Theatre on October 22 for Noite Brasileira, featuring the Ian Coury Trio, João Luiz and Duo Sonidos. Back at URI, an October 23 double bill pairs mandolinists Vincent Beer-Demander and Fabio Gallucci with jazz guitarist Antoine Boyer and harmonica player Yeore Kim. Guitarist Jorge Caballero and the Eleonora Strino Quartet headline The Guitar Transformed on October 24.

Alongside the concerts, aspiring players can attend lessons and masterclasses, while instrument makers display their work at a luthier expo. The final day includes the free Ensembles Showcase, featuring the debut of the Mega Guitar & Mandolin Orchestra, followed by competition finals and a concert by acclaimed classical guitarist Eliot Fisk.

One annual highlight is the Rising Star Young Guitarist Program, designed for emerging musicians ages 6–17. “We have 45 high school students coming to us from Loudoun County, Virginia, home of one of the largest public school classical guitar programs in the nation,” says Levin. “And then the rest of the young cohort come from Boston, from public schools across the state, and across New England. We even have two kids coming from Detroit.”

The M. E. Brune International Guitar Competition, for emerging performers ages 18–35, is another highlight. “Every year we host an international competition; this will be our second year inviting 12 semifinalists from around the world,” Levin continues. “We have musicians from Greece, France, Eastern Europe, from Asia, from across the United States, descending on URI’s campus, where they have the semifinal and final rounds.” The top prize includes $5,000 and six concert engagements around the world, with stops in Costa Rica, Madeira and Italy, as well as a return appearance at the following year’s URI festival.

Levin’s goal is to build a community of musicians centered around URI. “The heartbeat of this festival is to build community around the guitar and mandolin and to share these two really magical instruments that are very complementary to one another with the general public,” he says. “My goal is to put it on the map and, for the foreseeable future, see it as a premier place for classical guitar education.”

Whether you’re a dedicated player or simply curious about what these instruments can do, the festival offers a broad listening experience close to home. The full schedule and tickets are available here.