WATCH: This festival showcases a guitar style with Renaissance roots

Alec Pearson has played guitar since he was 14 years old and is trained in a style that dates back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

He’s a classical guitarist and has performed both solo and in ensemble across Canada, Spain, Columbia, Greece, and the United States. Pearson currently serves as the Vancouver Classic Guitar Society president and is the festival director for the inaugural Okanagan Guitar Festival.

It officially kicked off at the University of British Columbia Okanagan amphitheater Friday night, laying the groundwork for a weekend of education and music.

The event showcases classical guitar, an elevated style not often heard at live music venues.

“In classical guitar, we play a lot of South American music and Spanish music. It’s a lot of fun rhythm and harmonies and very accessible for people to listen to,” he said. “We have a specific technique where we pluck the strings with the right hand and do intricate fret work with the left hand.”

Things got started with an open mic social event, giving enthusiasts and interested audiences a chance to mingle with the instructors and other students who will be participating throughout the weekend.

The group showcasing their skills is small but mighty, Pearson said, with skill sets ranging from young kids who are just learning to play, to adult amateurs who have played for decades, and even university level students who are trying to kickstart their careers.

Pearson said the event not only helps introduce the playing style to wider audiences, but also serves as a place for musicians to connect.

“The idea is to meet each other, network, meet a variety of instructors and get a different point of view from what your teacher tells you. And of course, just enjoy and hear music from other people,” he said.

Much of the weekend will incorporate master class lessons and workshops. It will conclude with a recital featuring some well-known classical guitarists like Daniel Bolshoy and Luis Medina.

While Pearson hopes the event will allow musicians to see that a career in music can be accessible.

“I want them to have the best teachers and improve the most that they can in a short period of time,” he said. “People who are just starting off, I want their path to be the path of least resistance to because the better you play and the more you understand the music and the instrument the more fun it becomes, too.”