In early June 2009, Konarak Reddy and a bunch of guys from Fisheye were discussing music in general, and the guitar festivals of Europe in particular (many of which Konarak has played at, incidentally). Konarak finally asked the question: Why can't we do something similar in India? And thus was born the idea of hosting an annual event that focuses on the guitar and an initimate exploration of its musical boundaries. "There aren't too many people in the country who will enjoy something like this," said most of the corporates we approached for sponsorship. 
So, we said, "What the hell, let's do it ourselves." And that's precisely what we did, but not without the unstinting support of a large circle of friends and music lovers, the media, and, of course, Konarak's network of some of the greatest guitarists in the world. Welcome to World Guitar Nights.

Don Ross has emerged as one of the most respected musicians in Canada and one of the top guitarists in the world. In September 1996, he managed to do what no other player has done: win the prestigious US National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship for the second time (he first won in 1988).

The son of a Scottish immigrant father and a Mi'kmaq aboriginal mother, Don was born in Montreal in 1960 into a musical family. He first started experimenting with the solo possibilities of the acoustic guitar at the age of eight. By age ten he was playing in alternate tunings and exploring "fingerstyle" technique, a right hand discipline similar to classical guitar playing.

Preferring to write original music and develop a personal style, Don's self-taught journey on the instrument has encouraged him to follow his musical intuition. The result is an unclassifiable musical style that borrows from jazz, folk, rock and classical music. When asked, Don usually pigeonholes his music as "Heavy Wood".

Masa Sumide made an impressive debut in 1975 as a member of a three piece band called SIGNAL with the first single sold more than 800,000 copies in Japan. Until the disbandment of the group in 1983 they continued to delight the fans with 14 singles and 7 albums, which were all published by major labels.

Masa changed his style to solo guitar after relocating to Australia in late 1996. From then on he literally put his body and soul into improving his skill, trying to come up with a style of his own. The end result is the unique one-man-band approach that is groovy, percussive, inventive and dazzling as well. Tuck Andress of Tuck & Patti spoke of Masa’s playing in the highest terms after listening to his music, referring to him quite simply as, “one of the world’s greatest solo guitarists.”

With an abundant supply of creative energy Masa has continued to release one album every year ever since he put out his first solo guitar album “Treadin’ Easy” in 1999. The latest CD “CAT and MOUSE” is his 11th. There are also two albums (The Collection / Ain’t Life Grand) out in the USA through Solid Air Records and "BORN TO GROOVE" is available throughout Europe from Acoustic Music Records in Germany. 

Born in 1956 in Törökszentmiklós, Hungary, Sandor Szabo started his studies with a private teacher of classical guitar. After trying different styles from the middle of the seventies, he began to focus on improvisation. His career officially started in 1980.

Sandor belongs to that rare breed of exotic players and composers. A true magician of the acoustic guitar, Szabo conveys fresh and inventive ideas through the medium and influences of haunting Hungarian folk music. When you listen to his music you hear a new guitar sound, blending the classical forms with the meditative mood of the Eastern music, Hungarian folk musical elements, and improvisation that he inherited from jazz.

The atmosphere of his concerts is intimate and personal. He approaches each concert with a sense of mission and uses many kinds of acoustic guitars in his concerts.  Besides alternate tunings and 16-string guitars, he also uses an 8-string fretless guitar sounding somewhere between the Indian Sarod and the Arabic Ud.

Konarak Reddy is a pioneer and legend among music afficianados in India. He is renowned for his finger-style playing, as well as for integrating Hindustani and Carnatic styles of improvisation into his guitar technique. 

He first studied western classical theory on guitar, and then became proficient on the sarod,which he studied with Gurus Debi Prasad Ghosh and Rajeev Taranath. His much talked about pulling technique on guitar and his beautiful alaaps come from his skill on the sarod.  

He studied jazz improvisation at Berklee College of Music and graduated with Honours from the Guitar Performance Program at Musician's Institute, Hollywood. His teachers have included guitar greats such as Joe Diorio, Scott Henderson and Peter Sprague. Over the years, Konarak has performed and toured with a range of world-class musicians including Claus Boesser-Ferrari, Jacques Stotzem, Peter Finger, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Ahmed El-Salamouny, Antonio Forcione, George Laval, Maynard Fergusson, Embryo, and Orexis.

To create awareness around the guitar and its diverse styles, Konarak recently initiated the idea of World Guitar Nights, after having hosted guitar greats such as Peter Finger (Germany), Dylan Fowler (Wales), Claus Boesser-Ferrari (Germany) and Bob Bonastre (France) to perform in India every year from 2004 to 2008.

On Nov 15, Infinite Souls (Konarak Reddy’s Artists’ Retreat located 40 km outside Bangalore) will be hosting a unique Guitar Workshop with the four guitarists of World Guitar Nights – namely, Don Ross, Masa Sumide, Sandor Szabo and Konarak Reddy.

Designed to teach and explore special skills such as Fingerstyle techniques in Jazz & Rock Guitar, Hungarian Gypsy melodies, improvisation and harmonies, this is a rare opportunity to meet, converse, play and hang out with some of the world’s leading exponents of the guitar.

For the convenience of participants, there will be a bus pick up from St. Mark's Road, and you will arrive in time for breakfast with the guitarists. Heal your technique and nourish your soul during Music Clinics that begin by 10 am. Lunch will be followed by one-on-one sessions with the musicians till tea. Take your time, learn at leisure, enjoy yourself.

At 7 pm, we bring you an informal concert. Lie beneath the stars and listen to some of the world's finest guitarists - musicians who have defined a new vocabulary in guitar - up close and intimate, playing, sharing, improvising...

Guitar Workshop Fee: Rs. 4,000
(Includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the evening’s concert.)

Pick up from St. Mark's Road: Rs. 200

For registration, please call +91 98452 13857