Vancouver Classical Guitar Festival returns to CapU with Argentine tango master Máximo Diego Pujol

The Vancouver Classical Guitar Festival returns August 13–16 to Capilano University's Centre for Performing Arts, marking the event's seventh year. The festival features acclaimed Argentine tango guitarist Máximo Diego Pujol as the headline artist, alongside performances by several B.C.-based musicians and master classes for guitarists of all experience levels.

Pujol discovered his father's old guitar at age eight and by nine was already performing his own compositions. The Buenos Aires–born musician has won acclaim for both his instrumental mastery and his compositions, which draw inspiration from traditional tango maestros like Juan Carlos Cobián and the nuevo tango innovations of Astor Piazzolla. He will perform a full solo concert at the festival.

The lineup also includes festival founder and Capilano University instructor Luis Angel Medina, pianist and educator Lucida Zhao, recording artist and Vancouver Community College guitar instructor Michael Kolk, flamenco-inspired Victoria guitarist Iminah Kani, Brazilian music specialist Vinny Linhares, and Natasha Pashchenko, who leads this year's festival orchestra.

The festival encompasses workshops, lectures, and master classes open to guitarists of all skill levels. The full schedule is available on Medina's website. Past festivals have drawn strong local attendance, with the broader classical music scene in Vancouver supporting multiple summer events including the Folk Music Festival and Jazz Festival.