IGF London Guitar Festival is back with Artistic Director Tom Kerstens and his G Plus Ensemble for an enthralling guitar performance of work premieres from Bobby-Jane Gardner and John Metcalfe, plus IGF commissions by Léo Brouwer, Laura Snowden, Joby Talbot, Joe Cutler and Howard Skempton.

Tom Kerstens is a major figure in the guitar world. He is highly regarded as a versatile performer on modern and period instruments and is an influential champion of the guitar in his roles as player, recording artist and artistic director.

He was chosen in Classic FM’s list of the ‘100 best classical artists’ and ‘Five best guitarists world-wide’ whilst hailed as a ‘refreshing musical explorer’. He has commissioned 127 works for IGF in the past 20 years. His G Plus Ensemble  consists of two classical or electric guitars, string quartet and percussion and is exclusively dedicated to new music. The absence of a piano and the combination of plucked and bowed strings and percussion produces a ravishing sound which is quite unique. The G Plus Ensemble has recorded two highly acclaimed CDs: Utopia for Peter Gabriel’s Real World label and IGNiTE for BGS Records, the group is currently finishing a third CD for BGS which will be released in early 2025.

This exciting programme features the world premieres of two new pieces, Joyful by Bobbie-Jane Gardner and What the Leaf Sees John Metcalfe, as well as other IGF commissions by Léo Brouwer, Laura Snowden, Joby Talbot, Joe Cutler and Howard Skempton.