Rincón de la Victoria to host international guitar festival in honour of master luthier Joaquín García

Rincón de la Victoria on the eastern Costa del Sol is hosting an international guitar festival dedicated to Joaquín García, a leading figure in guitar making, on Tuesday 12 May.

The event is taking place at the town's Casa Fuerte Bezmiliana at 7.30pm and brings together national and international guitarists including José Luis Lastre, Damián Ratto, Saturno Santana, Luis Soria and Óscar Casares, who will perform pieces on classical and flamenco guitars created by the master luthier, which are renowned for their acoustic quality.

The evening will also feature the participation of luthier José Salinas, José Chaparro on vocals and Chaparro de Málaga on guitar, to pay tribute to a life dedicated to the study, construction and sonic perfection of this instrument. Admission is free until full capacity is reached.

Joaquín García (1929) is a leading figure in the construction of classical and flamenco guitars, with a career marked by cultural exchange between Spain and Argentina. Born in Puerto Deseado (Argentina), he moved to Spain at the age of two. At 13, he began as an apprentice cabinetmaker, which provided him with a fundamental technical grounding in woodworking.

In 1949 he returned to Argentina where he worked in a guitar-making workshop. There he built his first guitar in 1952 after being encouraged by other masters who recognised his talent. García returned to Spain in 1974 and in 1975 he worked as a consultant for the firm Raimundo y Aparicio. In 1982, he set up his first workshop in Torremolinos, where he established his reputation as a master luthier.