International Guitar Night is Back for 2022

Thu Le

The world’s premiere touring guitar festival returns to the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.

The lineup for IGN 2022 has once again been curated by IGN founder Brian Gore. Every year International Guitar Night is the same, but unique. The fret fest always features four world-class musicians at the top of their game, but who those four are changes with every tour.

IGN 2022 features Luca Streicagnoli (Italy), Thu Le (Vietnam), Jim “Kimo” West (Canada) and guest host, Lulo Reinhardt (Germany). They will bring their guitars, their talents, and a good time to the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre. The audience can expect to enjoy classical guitar, modern fingerstyle, jazz, Latin swing, and gypsy jazz stylings, paired with some contemporary hits.

Brian Gore remarked, “For 21 years we have slowly built a loyal and ever-growing audience for IGN. Each tour offers an enthralling view of the burgeoning acoustic guitar renaissance. Sell outs and encore requests are the norm for IGN, and each tour is its own unique musical experience. Every year is the best year yet, and this year is even better!”

With a huge online following (over 200 million views of his music videos), and with bookings in every corner of the globe, Luca Stricagnoli has been hailed as a phenomenon and a guitar prodigy. Luca has brought his unique style of re-arranging rock classics for acoustic guitar to over 20 countries with upwards of 12,000 in attendance.

Thu Le is an international, award-winning classical guitarist and certified guitar teacher. She began playing at the age of four under the guidance of her father. She had the honour of being the youngest-ever student admitted to the prestigious National Conservatory of Music in Hanoi.

Inspired by the beautiful Hawaiian landscapes of Hana and Maui and the sounds of the islands, Jim “Kimo” West was drawn to Hawaii’s iconic guitar style, “ki ho’alu” or “Slack Key guitar.” He has gone on to become one of the world’s foremost Slack Key players, garnering millions of streams on Spotify and Pandora.

Lulo Reinhardt, the grandnephew of the legendary Gypsy Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, has carried on the family tradition while incorporating new Latin rhythms, a style he calls Latin Swing. Known for his strong percussive playing and lightning solos, Lulo is the most revered member of IGN, having appeared with four previous lineups in addition to hosting this year’s edition.

Tickets available at cowichanpac.ca, by calling 250-746-2722 or in person at the Ticket Centre.