Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • EVH trance state
  • Antonoff on Please Please Please
  • “Mick looked peeved. The Beatles had upstaged him”
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

Olly Pearson
Guitarists “I remember him dancing to Girls, Girls, Girls by Mötley Crüe when we were at soft play": 11-year-old guitarist plays AC/DC, Van Halen and Queen to wow the judges on Britain's Got Talent
The Harley Benton DIY guitar kit challenge is judged by a panel of experts and offers Thomann vouchers for top three builds.
Guitars “This time it’s all about creativity… Go crazy. Do whatever you wanna do with it”: Budding luthiers, assemble! Harley Benton’s DIY Kit Challenge is now open and there are prizes to be won
That Pedal Show's Mick Taylor and Dan Steinhardt having a right laugh
Guitars That Pedal Show bring their YouTube show to life at the UK's biggest guitar show this weekend
Mike Dawes is photographed wearing a white-and-black hooded top, hood up, against a red background, and holds his custom built cutaway acoustic guitar.
Artists “The melodies work so well in this CGDGAD tuning. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this arrangement”: Magic Mike Dawes is at it again – he’s turned a Sleep Token track into a work of solo acoustic guitar genius
Tosin Abasi plays his 8-string Abasi Concepts Larada at a 2022 NAMM show
Artists “I really like that you can sweep pick on this thing, so it gets you the nylon-string sound without the physical limitations”: Tosin Abasi issues update on Abasi Concepts' much-anticipated hybrid nylon-string
Thomann Shure Montreux 2025
Gigs & Festivals Want a gig at the Montreux Jazz Festival? Thomann and Shure want to gift you your big break at the famous global gathering
Cort GA-DAO Electro-Acoustic Guitar
Acoustic Guitars “An attractive and highly usable on-stage companion for anyone looking to get out there and play”: Cort GA-DAO electro-acoustic guitar review
  1. Artists
  2. Guitarists

Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year 2011 finalists announced

News
By Guitarist magazine published 16 May 2011

Six contenders for the title, in association with Takamine Guitars

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year finalists announced

Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year finalists announced

Six finalists have been selected from hundreds of hopefuls to compete for the coveted accolade of Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year in association with Takamine.

The finalists are: Ben Powell, Brian Viggars, Paul Garthwaite, Will McNicol, Jose Albela and Robert Castellani. The six will compete in the live finals held at The Queen Elizabeth Hall, as part of the London Guitar Festival 2011, held at the Southbank Centre, SE1.

The winner on the day will walk away with a Takamine EF341SC courtesy of Takamine Guitars, plus the opportunity of a series of concert dates at IGF Festivals in 2012. Most importantly, they will be crowned Guitarist magazine’s Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year 2011.

Previous winners have gone on to great success in the music industry, and we expect this year to be no exception. Come and cheer for your favourite - entry is just £3.

Click onwards for more information and to meet the finalists...

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Will McNicol

Will McNicol

Name: Will McNicol

Track entered: Emma

Current main guitar: Taylor NS32ce

A guitar player since the age of six, 21-year-old Plymouth University student Will has focused on the acoustic since hearing his teacher play Asturias by Albeniz. "I am a big fan of all things acoustic and fingerstyle," says Will, "but my tastes are pretty eclectic, from Gypsy jazz to post-rock."

Influenced by players such as Antonio Forcione, Thomas Leeb and Paco de Lucia, Will is excited about the final: "The opportunity to play at Southbank in front of the panel will be an experience I will cherish for a long time. Winning it would obviously be brilliant."

Random fact: Will has a sizable scar on his chest from a heart operation when he was just three years old.

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Jose Albela

Jose Albela

Name: Jose Albela

Track entered: Dijeri

Current main guitar: Larrivée parlour-style

London-based Jose, 23, started out by picking up an acoustic guitar in his childhood home - and hasn't looked back since. "I distinctly remember sitting in front of the TV with the guitar in hand and to my astonishment was able to play along with the music I heard off the telly," he recalls. "I'll never forget the buzz it gave me."

Now favouring Flamenco and Celtic styles, Jose says: "To win Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year would be my biggest achievement, to have that kind of recognition for doing what I love the most would be amazing."

Random fact: Jose’s February birthday fell in a leap year, making him, er, only five years old.

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Robert Castelliani

Robert Castelliani

Name: Robert Castellani

Track entered: Song For Eric

Current main guitar: Lowden O23

A music lecturer at Suffolk New College, Acoustic finalist Robert, 23, lists Stevie Ray Vaughan and Frank Zappa alongside John Martyn and Michael Hedges in his list of favourite players. "I've been playing for 10 years," he says, "after being inspired by Jimi Hendrix."

With Song For Eric, however, he demonstrates the fine technique he has developed on the acoustic. "Music means so much to me and is my life, so winning the competition would give me a great boost and would also help me promote my playing in so many extra ways."

Random fact: Robert has been finalist before - he’s hoping this will be third time lucky.

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Brian Viggars

Brian Viggars

Name: Brian Viggars

Track entered: The Torrent

Current main guitar: Taylor 414CE

As a multi-instrumentalist and teacher, Brian's journey to the Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year final has been an all-encompassing one. "At the age of eight, with The Beatles and The Shadows in the Hit Parade, I picked up the guitar and haven't put it down for almost 50 years," he says.

Inspired by "anything with lush chords and moving internal harmonies", Brian is excited by the opportunity of performing in the final. "Having been inspired by so many great guitarists, it would be a privilege to share my music, techniques and arrangements with others," he says, "promoting the acoustic guitar as an instrument capable of playing melody, bass and harmony at the same time."

Random fact: Brian’s entry was was inspired by a Welsh river cascading down a hillside, no less.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Paul Garthwaite

Paul Garthwaite

Name: Paul Garthwaite

Track entered: Ocean

Current main guitar: 22-string Manson Classical guitar

Initially inspired to pick up the guitar by Led Zeppelin, full-time musician Paul, 44, has since taken his playing down some less familiar paths.

"I want further the multi-string guitar, composition and work full-time as an acoustic musician," he says of his ambitions for the Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year competition. "Also, I have bought Guitarist from the very first issue. I have grown up with the magazine and it has been a big influence on me as it is a big ambition to be Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year."

Random fact: Paul used to play in a showband where he used to sing O Sole Mio in his boxer shorts!

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Ben Powell

Ben Powell

Name: Ben Powell

Track entered: The Chalice Well

Current main guitar: Lowden O25

Another finalist to have crossed over from the world of rock and blues, 34-year-old Ben explains his transition: "I spent my early years trying to imitate the tone of Eric Clapton and Peter Green. I was 26 before I heard Martin Taylor's album Solo. From that moment I locked myself in a room for the next seven years and taught myself how to play fingerstyle."

Currently busking around Italy, Ben says of the competition: "As a lifelong reader of Guitarist, to win would make a boyhood dream a reality. I am also aware it is a huge accolade, and puts the winner in very fine company indeed."

Random fact: Ben suspects he is allergic to cheese, but still consumes it with reckless abandon.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
More information

More information

More info & ticket booking

Acoustic Guitarist of the Year

More on The London Guitar Festival

PLUS! The evening of Friday 3 June will feature an incredible perfomance from Eric Bibb.

Don’t miss this internationally renowned blues master in the fantastic visual and sonic setting of the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Tickets & further info

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Categories
Guitars
Guitarist magazine
Guitarist magazine
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones 

If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

Read more
Olly Pearson
“I remember him dancing to Girls, Girls, Girls by Mötley Crüe when we were at soft play": 11-year-old guitarist plays AC/DC, Van Halen and Queen to wow the judges on Britain's Got Talent
The Harley Benton DIY guitar kit challenge is judged by a panel of experts and offers Thomann vouchers for top three builds.
“This time it’s all about creativity… Go crazy. Do whatever you wanna do with it”: Budding luthiers, assemble! Harley Benton’s DIY Kit Challenge is now open and there are prizes to be won
That Pedal Show's Mick Taylor and Dan Steinhardt having a right laugh
That Pedal Show bring their YouTube show to life at the UK's biggest guitar show this weekend
Mike Dawes is photographed wearing a white-and-black hooded top, hood up, against a red background, and holds his custom built cutaway acoustic guitar.
“The melodies work so well in this CGDGAD tuning. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this arrangement”: Magic Mike Dawes is at it again – he’s turned a Sleep Token track into a work of solo acoustic guitar genius
Tosin Abasi plays his 8-string Abasi Concepts Larada at a 2022 NAMM show
“I really like that you can sweep pick on this thing, so it gets you the nylon-string sound without the physical limitations”: Tosin Abasi issues update on Abasi Concepts' much-anticipated hybrid nylon-string
Thomann Shure Montreux 2025
Want a gig at the Montreux Jazz Festival? Thomann and Shure want to gift you your big break at the famous global gathering
Latest in Guitarists
Frank Zappa in a top hat
"Window or aisle, how would you like to return home?": Dweezil Zappa on how his dad ran his band
Pelican's Trevor de Brauw [left] and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec perform at Hellfest 2022. De Brauw plays his Gibson SG. Schroeder-Lebec is playing his Silverburst Gibson Les Paul Custom.
“We are open to just about anything... I am all for writing anything that sounds like a cavalcade of horses!” Trevor de Brauw and Laurent Schroeder-Lebec are crafting an epic journey, one riff at a time, as Pelican's original lineup takes flight again
EVH in 1986
“He went into this trance state as he played. I’d be sitting there at the console and he would lean on me while he was playing. And it was kind of weird – it was like it was coming through me”: A close encounter with the genius of Eddie Van Halen
Scott Ian of Anthrax introduces his new X Series signature King V in black with gold hardware, and the original Jackson logo on the headstock.
“The old-school Jackson logo, that’s pretty much the pièce de résistance! And it plays even better than it looks”: Jackson gives its metal thrashing X Series Scott Ian King V a super-classy makeover
Brad Paisley wears a white cowboy hat, burgundy jacket black jeans and cowboy boots as he sits with his new Fender Lost Telecaster from the Custom Shop.
“I like the real thing that happens when you dig in a little bit and the amp starts to cry for mercy”: Is the compressor pedal a country guitar essential? Brad Paisley doesn’t think so – and here’s why
Status Quo Performing in Hyde Park, 2001
“We used to work with Fleetwood Mac a lot on the uni circuit. You could sit down beside the stage and they’d start playing - der-der, der-der - for an hour and a half. We wanted to do that”: Francis Rossi on how Status Quo developed their 12 bar boogie
Latest in News
Calvin Harris and Chicane
“You can play two notes over multiple different chords. It’s a thing. It’s not the same!”: Calvin Harris slams claim by Chicane producer that his new single Blessings sounds too similar to 1996 trance anthem Offshore, then cites song by Tangerine Dream
Dave Navarro (L) and Perry Farrell (R) of Jane's Addiction perform at Trinity College Park on June 28, 2024 in Dublin, Ireland
“It all came to a screeching halt and forever destroyed the band’s life. And there's no chance for the band to ever play together again”: Dave Navarro confirms that there’s no way back for Jane’s Addiction after chaotic last gig in Boston
Elton John during the opening night curtain call for Tammy Faye on Broadway at The Palace Theatre
“It’s a criminal offence”: Elton lambasts government over proposals to change copyright laws to suit AI firms
Olivia Rodrigo
“I don’t know the science behind it but it really works”: Olivia Rodrigo swears by this $50 Vocal Trainer gizmo to keep her singing voice in shape, but how does it actually work?
Bono black and white in glasses
Bono’s Stories Of Surrender documentary receives standing ovation at Cannes
soundflow
If you're an Ableton Live user, SoundFlow could save you hours of time by replacing complex workflows with the touch of a button

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...