WORLD-CLASS ACOUSTIC GUITAR

International Guitar Night (IGN), the world's premier touring acoustic guitar festival, is thrilled to announce its return for a national Canadian tour. IGN has a deep history in Canada, having launched on the West Coast and maintained a solid presence for over two decades. This 2027 tour will be nationwide, with a lineup that continues IGN's tradition of bringing audiences the best acoustic guitarists from around the world. The show, which has a compelling history of sold-out performances in Canadian theatres, brings together Brazilian, Flamenco, Middle Eastern and Gypsy Jazz influences.

The 2027 Canada tour features host ITAMAR EREZ (Canada/Israel), CENK ERDOĞAN (Turkey), REMI HARRIS (United Kingdom) and VICTORIA DE LA RUBIA (Spain).

Itamar Erez

Itamar Erez is an Israeli-Canadian guitarist, pianist, and composer whose music integrates Middle Eastern melodic traditions, classical harmony, and jazz improvisation. Erez is a recipient of the ACUM Prize for Special Achievement in Jazz and the Landau Prize.

Over a three-decade career, Erez has shared the stage with artists including Tomatito, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, and Avishai Cohen. His concert appearances include performances at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Barbican Centre in London, and the Sydney Opera House. Erez’s discography includes the acclaimed albums Mi Alegria (2019), May Song (2022), and Migrant Voices. In addition to touring across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, Erez is a faculty member at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) School of Music.

Cenk Erdoğan

Cenk Erdoğan is an internationally touring Turkish guitarist, composer, and pioneer of the fretless guitar. In 2021, Erdoğan received a Grammy Award in the Best New Age Album category for his performance on Jim "Kimo" West's recording More Guitar Stories.

Erdoğan developed an approach that adapts the microtonal makam systems of Ottoman classical and Anatolian folk music to the contemporary fretless guitar. Since releasing his debut album, İLE, in 2008, he has recorded numerous albums, including international releases with the cross-cultural duo Lahza. Erdoğan tours across Europe, Asia, and North America, performing in major concert halls and leading workshops on fretless guitar technique and modal improvisation.

Remi Harris

Remi Harris is a British guitarist and composer whose repertoire draws from gypsy swing, blues, bebop, and classic rock. Beginning guitar at age seven, Harris developed his style around the musical foundations of Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, Peter Green, and Jimi Hendrix.

Harris has earned repeated honors at the British Jazz Awards, including runner-up recognition in both the Rising Star and Small Group categories. His concert credits include performances at Buckingham Palace, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the London Jazz Festival, and live broadcast sessions for BBC Radio. Harris tours across Europe and North America with his trio and as a solo artist, complementing concert schedules with educational clinics and outreach programs.

Victoria Ruiz de la Rubia

Victoria Ruiz de la Rubia is a Spanish classical guitarist recognized for technical precision and interpretations of the classical guitar canon. Following formal conservatory training in Spain, where she graduated with honors, Ruiz de la Rubia established an active performing schedule as both a recitalist and orchestral soloist.

Ruiz de la Rubia has earned top prizes at international guitar competitions, including the European Art Festival Award. Her concert programs balance seminal Spanish works by composers such as Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albéniz, and Joaquín Rodrigo with contemporary literature and complex arrangements. Alongside her international touring schedule throughout Europe and the Americas, she regularly presents masterclasses for music academies and cultural institutions.

"Since 2011, the Farquhar Auditorium has proudly partnered with Brian Gore to present International Guitar Night, an event that has grown from modest beginnings to regular sold-out performances. Each year’s tour brings together a remarkable mix of acoustic talent from around the world, delighting returning audiences with consistently fresh and inspiring performances." — Debra Fitzsimmons, Auditorium Operations Coordinator, Farquhar Auditorium, University of Victoria