5th International Guitar Competition
The 5th edition of the international classical guitar competition organized in Luxembourg is open for all guitarist born in 1994 or younger. Organized in three public rounds – the first one being streamed online –, eight candidates will be chosen by the jury to compete in the semi-finals, and four in the finals.
The final round will be followed by the awards ceremony.
1st round:
Friday 27th and Saturday 28th March 2026
Online/YouTube : Watch here
Semi-final round:
Friday 15th May / Time TBD
Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg - Salle Polyvalente
Final round:
Sunday 17th May / 17:00
Philharmonie Luxembourg - Salle de musique de chambre
Free entry / without reservation
The semi-finalists
Juan Manuel Molano (Colombia)
PROGRAMME
J. Turina: Sonata Op. 61
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro vivo
E. Krieger: Ritmata
Colombian guitarist Juan Manuel Molano has been awarded prizes at various international competitions in Europe and Latin America and has been a multiple-time winner of the Jóvenes Intérpretes series of the Banco de la República of Colombia. Thanks to his great sensitivity and technical command, he has established himself as one of the most outstanding Colombian guitarists of his generation.
Juan Manuel graduated with honors from Universidad EAFIT in Colombia and later from the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Germany, where he studied with Alejandro Valencia and Alexander-Sergei Ramirez, respectively. He is currently pursuing the Konzertexamen degree at the Musikhochschule Münster under the guidance of Marcin Dylla and is a scholarship holder of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). He has also participated in masterclasses with renowned guitarists such as David Russell, Joaquín Clerch, Álvaro Pierri, Ricardo Gallén, Judicaël Perroy, Gabriel Bianco, and Hubert Käppel, among others.
As a soloist, Juan Manuel regularly performs on stages across Europe and Latin America, appearing in numerous concert series and international guitar festivals.
Michele Reali (Italy)
PROGRAMME
J. Manén: Fantasia-Sonata Op. A-22
Largo
Allegro
L. Brouwer: Sonata No. 5 "Ars combinatoria”
I. Toccata
Michele Reali is a young Italian classical guitarist currently based in Amsterdam. He started his studies at age 8 with a private flamenco teacher, to then switch to classical guitar at age 14 in high school. He graduated from his Bachelor’s in 2022 at the Conservatorio Antonio Buzzolla with cum laude and an honorous mention, and completed his Master’s in 2024 at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with outstanding marks.
During his studies in Amsterdam, Michele started the “Duo Encordé” with Eva Victoria Schockmel. Together, they performed in many venues across The Netherlands (debuting in Het Concertgebouw of Amsterdam in September 2025) and won 3rd Prize at the 14th Martinez Guitar Duo Competition in Iserlohn, Germany. For this duo, Michele arranged numerous compositions by Ravel, Debussy, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, De Falla and others.
He is successfully performing as a soloist too, always earning warm praise from his audiences. He mainly performs in Italy and The Netherlands, and already won several prizes in international competitions, among others 2nd Prize at the Festival de Guitare de Luxembourg 2025, 2nd Prize at the Dutch Guitar Foundation Competition 2025, 3rd Prize at the Sarajevo International Guitar Competition 2025, finalist at the Festival de Guitare de Paris 2024, and finalist at the Kutna Hora International Guitar Competition 2024.
Michele published his first EP with Dot Guitar, recording music by Sergio Assad for solo guitar. He also appears on the album “Forbidden Music Regained 2023” with a live recording of “Trio Voor Fluit, Altviool En Gitaar” by Nico Richter.
Since 2025, Michele is classical guitar teacher at the Muziekpakhuis of Amsterdam. Since 2026, he is assistant sound-engineer to Andrea Friggi.
Julio Robles (Mexico)
PROGRAMME
M.M. Ponce: Sonata No. 3
I. Allegro moderato
S. Assad: Aquarelle
I. Divertimento
II. Valseana
III. Preludio
Julio César Robles began his classical guitar studies at the age of seven at the "Escuela de Iniciación Artística No. 3" of the National Institute of Fine Arts in his hometown Mexico City. He also trained in the Suzuki method, attending several academies organized by the Suzuki Institute, where he studied with Mary Lou Roberts and Zeah Riordan.
In 2014, he entered the National Conservatory in Mexico City, studying with Juan Carlos Chacón until 2019, when he was admitted to the École Supérieure Musique et Danse Hauts-de-France in the class of Judicaël Perroy. He has since participated in masterclasses with renowned guitarists including Gabriel Bianco, Thibaut Garcia, Xavier Jara, Marcin Dylla, Raphaël Feuillâtre, Kristina Varlid, Luka Lovrekovic, Lovro Peretić, Rémi Jousselme, Michel Grizard, Mauro Zanatta, Lorenzo Micheli, Matteo Mela, Lynn McGrath, Louis Trépanier, Jonathan Leathwood, Omán Kaminsky, Goran Krivokapić, Jorge Caballero, and Leo Brouwer, among others.
Julio has won more than 20 national and international prizes, including First Prize at the GFA International Youth Competition in 2018, First Prize at the Drôme de Guitare competition in southern France in 2023 – after which he became a Savarez artist, Second Prize at the Roland Dyens Competition in Montrouge, France in 2024, and both Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the Groningen Guitar Competition in 2026.
Juan José Rodríguez (Spain)
PROGRAMME
J.S. Bach: Lute Suite in C minor, BWV 995
Prelude
I. Albéniz: Torre Bermeja
A. José: Sonata for Guitar
III. Pavana triste
IV. Final
Juan José Rodríguez began his musical studies in his hometown, Badajoz (Spain), under the guidance of J. Guillermo Burgos and Evaristo Valentí, developing a trajectory marked by academic excellence. He graduated with highest honours in both his Professional Degree and Higher Education studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Bonifacio Gil” in Badajoz, where he was awarded the Extraordinary End-of-Degree Prize, the institution’s highest academic distinction.
He later pursued a Master’s Degree in Guitar Performance at the University of Alicante, supported by a scholarship from the Banco Sabadell Foundation, graduating with summa cum laude distinction as the top student of his class. Further Master’s studies were undertaken at the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Óscar Esplá” in Alicante under Ignacio Rodes, achieving outstanding results.
Prizewinner in several national competitions, he has been awarded distinctions at the Ciudad de Castalla International Guitar Competition, the Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga Competition in Bilbao, and the Ciudad de Coria Competition (3rd Prize, Audience Award, and Best Extremaduran Guitarist). His composition Fantasía sobre el Ahogado más hermoso del mundo was selected for the Ruta Quetzal BBVA, a cultural program endorsed by UNESCO and led by Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo.
His artistic development has been further enriched through masterclasses with distinguished guitarists including David Russell, Roberto Aussel, Manuel Barrueco, Ricardo Gallén, Margarita Escarpa, Carlo Marchione, Tilman Hoppstock, among others.
As a performer, he has appeared extensively throughout Spain, as well as in Portugal and Colombia, in a wide range of concert venues and festivals. Alongside his concert activity, he currently teaches at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música “Juan Vázquez” in Badajoz and is actively engaged in chamber music.
Amir Hossein Sheybani (Iran)
PROGRAMME
F. de Fossa: Divertissement No. 2
M. Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Sonata “Omaggio a Boccherini”
IV. Vivo ed energico
A. Kampela: Percussion study No. 1
Amir Hossein Sheybani is an Iranian classical guitarist and teacher currently based in Paris. He first moved to Paris to study with Judicaël Perroy at CRR93, and later followed him to San Francisco, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He then attended the Peabody Institute, completing his Master’s degree in the joint studio of Thomas Viloteau and Manuel Barrueco. After finishing his studies in the United States, Amir returned to France to pursue postgraduate studies and to further develop his career as both a performer and a teacher. He is currently completing a cycle de trait d’orchestre (guitar) with Tristan Manoukian.
During his early career in Iran, Amir gained national recognition by winning First Prize at both the Javan Music Festival and the Caspian Guitar Competition in 2015. In the summer of 2018, he was awarded a fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival in the United States, where he studied with Sharon Isbin. In 2019, he was a finalist at the Colorado International Guitar Competition, placing fourth. In 2020, he won First Prize at the San Francisco Conservatory Concerto Competition, and subsequently gave the San Francisco and Bay Area premiere of Malcolm Arnold’s Guitar Concerto in 2021 with the Berkeley Orchestra.
Amir has performed in numerous international cities, including Tehran (Vahdat Hall and the Rudaki Complex), San Francisco and the Bay Area (including the Center for New Music), Reno (Sierra Nevada opening concert), Aspen, Baltimore, Towson, Paris, Montpellier, and Toulouse. His appearances include solo recitals as well as chamber music and collaborative projects.
Alongside his performing career, Amir is also an active teacher. He is currently a faculty member at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Départemental du Blanc-Mesnil in the Paris region, where he teaches classical guitar and mentors young musicians in their artistic development.
Stanislav Steshenko (Ukraine)
PROGRAMME
K. Callahan: The Red Fantasy
M.M. Ponce: Sonata No. 3
II. Cancion. Andante
F. Bufaletti: Mazurka
J. Hetu: Suite Op. 41
Finale
Stanislav Steshenko began learning singing and piano at the age of five. At the age of nine, he studied guitar at the Mirgorod Music School (teacher Kasyanenko M., 2004–2011). He graduated from the guitar and conducting classes of the R. Glier Kyiv Music Institute, the Kyiv University of Culture and Arts, and the National University of Arts in Kharkiv.
From 2019 to 2023, he studied at the University of Music and Theatre Munich (Prof. Halász) and at the Academy for Tonkunst Darmstadt (2021–2024) (Prof. Hoppstock) as a scholarship holder of the DAAD Foundation.
Stanislav Steshenko is a participant and prizewinner of more than 20 international competitions and festivals. He has performed on stages in Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Japan, Italy, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Denmark, Norway, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Chile.
Kostis Zachariadis (Greece)
PROGRAMME
R.R. Bennett: Impromptus
A. José: Sonata for Guitar
I. Allegro moderato
Kostis Zachariadis began studying classical guitar at the New Conservatory of Thessaloniki with Prof. Fotis Koutsothodoros. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master's degree from the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln under Prof. Gerhard Reichenbach, where he is currently pursuing his Konzertexamen degree.
He has been awarded in numerous competitions including 1st Prize at the Rhode Island Guitar Competition, the Lions Music Prize, the Concordia Music Prize, and awards at the Hermoupolis, Jüchen, and NRW guitar festivals.
Kostis has appeared in concerts across Europe, including a chamber performance at the Wuppertal Opera and a solo recital at the Remscheid Guitar Festival. In 2022, he made his orchestral debut with the Greek Youth Camerata, performing Mauro Giuliani’s Concerto No. 1 in A major in Piraeus.
In 2024, his chamber ensemble “Duo Fellini” won 1st Prize at the Isenbügel Chamber Music Competition, and he toured North Rhine-Westphalia with a series of solo concerts.
In October 2025, he embarked on his first tour outside of Europe in Rhode Island and Oklahoma City (USA), and San Jose (Costa Rica).
Yuheng Zhou (China)
PROGRAMME
D. Scarlatti: Sonata K.27
H. Villa-Lobos: Etude No. 3
L. Brouwer: Sonata No. 1
III. La Toccata de Pasquini
J. Rodrigo: Toccata
Yuheng Zhou began studying classical guitar at an early age under the guidance of his father and developed a strong interest in music.
From 2018 to 2023, he studied at the High School Affiliated to the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, where he further developed his artistic abilities and actively participated in various international guitar competitions held in China. In 2023, he was awarded Third Prize in the open category at the 12th China Changsha International Guitar Festival (GCC).
After completing his high school studies, he moved to Germany to continue his education at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar, where he is currently studying with Prof. Ricardo Gallén.
He was also awarded Third Prize at the 17th Anna Amalia Competition for Young Guitarists in Weimar, further highlighting his potential as a promising young guitarist.