Italian Carlotta Dalia is currently studying at the Rinaldo Franci Institute in Siena and for Carlo Marchione in Rome. She also takes lessons for Frédéric Zigante and has previously studied for Aniello Desiderio. She has been D'Addario artist since 2016 and has won nearly thirty Italian and international music competitions.

Dominika Svendova, Czech Republic, is the younger sister of Hedvika Svendova who also performs at this year's festival and previously won the Young Talents Competition. Dominika begins playing the guitar at the age of four and is currently studying at the conservatory of Pardubice. She also plays flute and has been awarded several awards, including young talent of Czech television.

Ioannis Theodoridis is from Sweden, but resides in England after studying at Trinity Laban and RCM in London with scholarships from Gålöstiftelsen, Helge Ax: son Johnsson Foundation and Kungl. Musical Academy. At the moment he is studying the Master of Advanced Studies at a distance in Switzerland with the teacher Lorenzo Micheli, as a fellow from the Kempe-Carlgrenska Foundation.

Kristian Del Cantero from Ontario, Canada, is currently studying at the Amsterdam Conservatory of Johannes Möller. He has previously played in both North America and Europe, winning a large number of international guitar competitions. During the summer he studied for Grammy winner Sharon Isbin at Aspen Music Festival and School.

Kristina Vårlid comes from Norway but graduated with a top grade from the Prince Claus Conservatory in Dutch Groningen. She has obtained a series of awards and is currently pursuing a diploma at the Oslo University of Music. She has also participated in master classes for among others Leo Brouwer, Pepe Romero, Göran Söllscher and Aniello Desiderio.

Marcin Kuzniar comes from Krakow where he started playing the guitar at the age of seven. In 2016 he graduated with a top grade from the Musical Academy in Katowice where he studied for Alina Gruszka and Marcin Dylla. He has won a number of Polish and international prizes and has been awarded several scholarships from the Polish Ministry of Culture.

Nicklas Boman from Sweden has studied at Musikhögskolan in Örebro, where he graduated in the artistic master's program in musical form with a focus on jazz and rock music. Nicklas Boman has received a number of awards, among other things, he has received a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music to develop his guitar play.

Salomon Jakobsson, Sweden, creates an imaginative weave of sounds that vary from complex and intense to peaceful and flowing. He inspires inspiration from jazz metal, impressionism and minimalism. Last year, he released his debut album In The Valley of Notes and recently began studying the individual musician program at the Music School of Malmö.

The international jury consisted of chairman Peter Berlind Carlson, Berta Rojas, Bobbo Andersson and Matt Withers.

The other three finalists were: Susanna Risberg (Sweden), Zvonimir Filjak (Croatia) and Fredrik Toremark (Sweden).

All finalists received a certificate and the winner received 20 000 SEK. The announcement took place on Saturday night October 11th during the festival celebration dinner at Uppsala Concert Hall.

Never before have so many sought to Young Talents Competition at Uppsala Guitar Festival as this year. After some tough selection work led by Stefan Löfvenius, Artistic Director at the Guitar Festival, four finalists has now been nominated for the contest concert which will be held Saturday, October 11. An international jury will elect the winner.

The International Guitar Festival highlights since many years back new young talent on guitar by selecting at the most four finalists to the concert contest Young Talents Competition. The competition is open to guitarists from all around the world up to 25 years and for all genres, classical, fingerstyle, jazz, rock, etc. An international jury will after the concert appoint one of the finalists as the winner. The winner will receive 20000 SEK and a diploma.

This year, twice as many has sought to contest and, happily, many from abroad. The level is higher than ever.

The selected finalists Young Talents Competition 2014 are: 

Susanna Risberg (Sweden) — Peter Graneis (Germany) 

Filjak Zvonimir (Croatia) — Fredrik Toremark (Sweden)

Jonathan, 19 years old, comes from Högdalen in Stockholm. He has, after three years of study for Bo Hansson at Södra Latins professional musicians department, now started his training on classical guitar at the Royal College of Music in London.

At the festival dinner was Jonathan receive a diploma and received the first prize consisting of a Premium Ibanez electric guitar and an Ibanez Jemini distortion pedal designed by Steve Vai , value 10 000 SEK. Prize is bestowed by Crafton Music AB. In addition, he received a gift box of various guitar accessories from D'addario Foundation.

A special mention of the jury also got singer-songwriter Madeleine Eliasson for her "personal songs and an obvious communication with the audience ." She was also awarded with diploma and a gift box with guitar accessories from D'addario Foundation.

Young Talents Competition encourages and highlights the new generation of guitarists in any genre. For several years now, the Uppsala International Guitar Festival has invited guitarists up to the age of 25 to send in their entries. An international jury selects the winner.

Jonatan Bougt — Sarah Longfield — Madelene Eliasson — Rasmus Vamos Fecher

The concert with the four finalists will take place:

Come and cheer the new young talents!

Jonathan Bougt is 19 years old and comes from Högdalen in Stockholm. He has, after three years of study for Bo Hansson at Södra Latins professional musicians department, now started his training on classical guitar at the Royal College of Music in London. Jonathan has received several scholarships, including Jörgen Rörby Scholarship and the Royal Musical Academy Youth Scholarship and a brazil scholarship that led to concerts and TV appearances in Brazil Summer 2012.

Madelene Eliasson started playing guitar at the age of ten. In the beginning mostly acoustic because she always loved folk-inspired music. But when she came into Kulturamas electric guitar line in high school, also the electric guitar a given. She broadened her range to include both jazz and rock and began writing her own music. Her inspirational sources includes Tallest Man on Earth and Joni Mitchell.

Self-taught Sarah Longfield of Wisconsin in the United States early started playing piano but switched to guitar at the age of 12. Since then she has also added vocals, bass, drums and keyboards to her skills. The guitar is still her main instrument, but six strings only lasted a couple of years for Sarah. Via seven-stringed guitar, she plays today at age 21 on a eight stringed guitar.

Rasmus Vamos Fecher was born in 1990 in Stockholm. He started playing guitar at age nine and later got Mårten Falk as a teacher. It came to be a crucial meeting for then realized Rasmus that he wanted to pursue a life as a guitarist. After that Rasmus studied for Bo Hansson at Södra Latins Gymnasium and Göran Söllscher at Malmö School of Music. Currently, he is the music program at Oskarshamn Folk High School where he has Eric Lammers as one of his teachers.