This project was made possible thanks to the sponsorship of:
The Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition is a unique international classical guitar competition that took place over the internet. Participation was free and open to young guitarists from 18 to 30 years of age of all nationalities.
Contestants who reach the final round had the opportunity to travel to Paraguay, the country of origin of composer-guitarist Agustín Barrios, and compete in the final round of the competition, performed live in front of a Paraguayan audience.
The Office of the Secretary of Tourism for the Republic of Paraguay declared the Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition an event “of National Touristic Interest”, recognizing the important role of this competition in "spreading awareness about the prolific musical legacy of this Paraguayan genius of the learned guitar" and for its contribution to helping "participants and followers of the competition understand more clearly the key features of the cultural values and traditions of Paraguay."
The second edition of the Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition, began on April 1, 2011 and ended on December 3, 2011, when the Grand Finale held in the Grand Theater of the Central Bank of Paraguay in the capital city of Asunción.
The mission of the international guitar competition, Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition, was to spread appreciation for the compositions of Agustín Barrios, and to inspire young guitarists, regardless of nationality or geographical location, to play his music.
The competition sought to unite the classical guitar community under the great music of Barrios by placing his music in the hands of young guitarists around the world. The competition introduced participants to Paraguay, mother country of Barrios, essential in promoting greater understanding of the Paraguayan cultural perspective that is so deeply embedded in Barrios’ compositions.
The Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition was one of the most important international guitar competitions of its kind. The competition’s global reach, its importance in the development of new talent in the classical guitar community, its ties to the country of the composer considered the Chopin of the Guitar, and its standards of excellence, with the participation of international representatives of classical guitar as its judges, promise a distinguished competition of superior quality.
The Competition took place on the internet for the first two rounds. Contestants participated from anywhere in the world by uploading their video entries to YouTube, containing their authentic interpretations of pieces by Agustín Barrios, as specified in the Rules.
Those interested in participating registered on the competition website: www.barriosworldwide.com. Video entries were judged according to strict criteria established by the competition jury. The jury was comprised of first-class classical guitarists of worldwide renown.
The jury was responsible for selecting semifinalists for the Second Round and, upon evaluating a third video provided by each semifinalist, the jury selected three finalists to travel to Paraguay to compete in the Grand Finale, the Final Round of the Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition.
The Competition covered the travel expenses for the three finalists, from the international airport closest to their city of residence, to the city of Asunción, the capital of the Republic of Paraguay.
On December 3, 2011, in the Grand Theater of the Central Bank in Asunción, Paraguay, the three finalists gave a live performance and the jury determined the ranking for the winners of the Barrios WorldWideWeb Competition.
After the experience of participating in the Final Round, the three finalists embarked on an unforgettable adventure to get to know the homeland of Agustín Barrios, visit his house and hometown, San Juan Bautista de las Misiones and above all discover the culture and people of Paraguay, two of the major sources of inspiration for this genius of the classical guitar.
The music of Barrios’ resounds across the globe as never before.
Berta Rojas Executive Director
Eduardo Fernández Artistic Director
Sofía Irala Executive Coordinator
Rut Sosa Maciel Consultant
Celeste Prieto Image Consultant
Jorge Buffa Graphic Designer and Web Developer
Noelia Armele A/V Equipment Coordinator
Silvia Konhen Producer
David M. Kirstein Esq. Legal Consultant
Alexandra Ralph English Translator and Assistant
Cynthia Bejarano de Descalzo Project Administrator
Mireya y Pedro González Accountants
Eduardo Prayones Commercial Producer
Flora Sánchez Producer of Final Concert
Stellita Rufinelli y Benito Fleitas Press Agent
César Sánchez Comunity Manager
Mirian Miyasaki Japanese Translator
Karen Lau Chinese Translator