For our 2026 North American tour, International Guitar Night (IGN) founder Brian Gore has assembled the most dynamic lineup in our 26 year history, featuring one of IGN’s great favorites, two exciting new guitarists, and our first-ever ukulele player. Back by popular demand is classical guitar virtuoso STEPHANIE JONES (Australia) along with rock/flamenco powerhouse LUCAS IMBIRIBA (Brazil), the flamboyant ukulele master TAIMANE(Hawaii) and the intensely creative fingerstyle guitarist ALEXANDR MISKO (Russia).
Lucas is known worldwide for his spectacular and breathtaking guitar performances that bring together the fire of the Flamenco guitar, the percussive rhythms of Latin America, the lyrical melodies of Classical music, and the power of Rock’n’Roll.
Stephanie Jones is a celebrated classical guitarist from Australia who is renowned globally for her exciting and endearing performances across a wide range of styles. She has hundreds of thousands of followers across her social media, and her YouTube channel is one of the largest in the classical world, resulting in the platform awarding her a "Silver Play Button Award” in 2021. Stephanie continues to perform extensively around the globe in multiple tours and festivals.
Alex Misko, a modern fingerstyle guitar prodigy, mesmerizes audiences worldwide and represents a remarkable new generation in his craft. From viral videos to Carnegie Hall, his music bridges the old and new, captivating people online and at his live shows. With six albums, global tours, and a one-of-a-kind instrument, he's a true guitar maestro.
From sold-out shows across the U.S. to Europe, Taimane’s live performances have become must-see events. The same can be said of her videos, which have been viewed well over 50 million times and helped earn Taimane nearly 500,000 online followers. From Bach to Led Zeppelin, flamenco infernos to tribal hymns, Taimane’s artistic vision is boundless, and she’s proving the sky’s the limit for her and her ukulele.
Lucas Imbiriba is a Brazilian guitarist and songwriter well known for his unique
arrangements of popular songs for solo guitar.
He started playing the guitar at the age of 10 and only 5 years later he was awarded
the 1st prize at the national Brazilian Guitar Competition “Souza Lima”. This
allowed him to receive a full scholarship to study in major Music Universities in
Barcelona (Spain) and Nuremberg (Germany).
During his academic life, he was awarded more than 10 prizes in music and
classical guitar competitions in Euro
pe. During this period he mastered the
classical and flamenco guitar, performing solo concerts and concerts with orchestra
in more than 20 countries around the globe. At this point he felt it was time for a
new musical journey.
Searching for a new path, Lucas released two Rock albums as a guitarist, singer and songwriter. In 2011 he released the first album entitled “Lucas Cesar Expedition” that granted him a Tour through the coast of Portugal, Spain, France and Italy with his former rock band. Two years later he released a second Rock album entitled “Change of Plans” mixing rock music with several musical styles such as Classical, Flamenco, and Brazilian rhythms. This last album was a wake up call for Lucas to move back to Brazil and search deeper into his musical origins. In 2013, back in Brazil, he started performing with several local musical groups while he kept on touring as a guitarist in Europe, performing in major music halls and soloing with major Philharmonic Orchestras. Meanwhile, a new way of understanding his relationship with the guitar and music itself was being crafted in his mind and soul.
In 2020, Lucas Imbiriba became viral on Youtube due to his Fingerstyle and acoustic versions of songs like Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin), Desperado (Los Lobos) and Hotel California (The Eagles) achieving more than 20 million views in less than one year. His performances caught the attention of major guitar brands such as Gibson Guitars USA, Furch Guitars and Elixir strings, who have been sponsoring Lucas since then.
In 2021, he released a new album entitled “Epic Journey” performing 10 outstanding arrangements of worldwide famous Movie Themes, Classic Rock songs and his own original songs. In 2023, after the pandemic, he was invited to present his new album in Europe, performing a Tour in England, Germany, Portugal, and Norway and he was invited to be part of the prestigious Patrimonio Guitar Festival in France.
In the same year, Lucas was invited as the lead guitarist of the Yusuf Cat Stevens band, touring in Germany, Italy, Spain and England, ending the tour with a show at the Pyramid Stage at the legendary Glastonbury Festival, performing for a crowd of 200,000 people. The show was broadcast live through the BBC. Lucas is now known worldwide for his spectacular and breathtaking guitar performances that bring together the fire of the Flamenco guitar, the percussive rhythms of Latin America, the lyrical melodies of Classical music, and the power of Rock’n’Roll.
Lucas is known worldwide for his spectacular and breathtaking guitar performances that bring together the fire of the Flamenco guitar, the percussive rhythms of Latin America, the lyrical melodies of Classical music, and the power of Rock’n’Roll.
Stephanie Jones is a celebrated classical guitarist from Australia who is renowned
globally for her exciting and endearing performances across a wide range of styles.
Stephanie’s childhood resonated with the sound of music from a very young age.
She played many instruments, beginning first with the piano, and progressing to
the violin, viola, saxophone and flute. However, it was the guitar with its
captivating range of sounds and great versatility that especially appealed to her,
and it quickly became her first love.
Now residing in Germany, Stephanie holds a Masters and Konzertexamen degree from the prestigious University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar. She has won numerous awards in prestigious competitions, including first prize at the Hannabach Guitar competition, Uppsala International Guitar Festival Competition, and Fine Music Network Young “Virtuoso of the Year” Competition. Stephanie has a number of devoted followers that span the globe, their support shown not only by packed concert halls, but also through her online presence. She has hundreds of thousands of follows across her social media, her YouTube channel being one of the largest in the classical world, resulting in the platform awarding her a "Silver Play Button Award” in 2021.
Stephanie continues to perform extensively around the globe in multiple tours and festivals, as well as presenting masterclasses at notable universities such as the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Texas, and University of Washington. She has released three solo albums; “Open Sky” (2020), “Colours of Spain” (2015), and “Bach, the Fly, and the Microphone” (2009), and is also an avid chamber musician, notably collaborating with acclaimed violinist Karen Gomyo on her album “a Piazzolla trilogy” with BIS Records.
Stephanie is passionate about sharing her music with others and is recognized as an innovative and deeply musical artist. She plays a 2012 spruce top guitar by Perth luthier Paul Sheridan, a 2022 lattice guitar by Fernando Mazza, and a 2020 crossover guitar by Daniel Zucali. "The classical guitar has found a brilliant interpreter in Stephanie Jones. She delivers a magical sound with the deepest musical expressions."- Sérgio Assad (2020)
Alex Misko, a modern fingerstyle guitar prodigy, mesmerizes audiences worldwide and represents a remarkable new generation in his craft. From viral videos to Carnegie Hall, his music bridges the old and new, captivating people online and at his live shows. With six albums, global tours, and a one-of-a-kind instrument, he's a true guitar maestro.
Still in his 20s, Misko’s performances have garnered widespread recognition both in his homeland and abroad. Drawing inspiration from the pioneering musicians who shaped and expanded the genre, Misko breaks new ground while staying true to the essence of the music, keeping the legacy of the genre as strong as ever.
Alex’s musical journey is both awe-inspiring and straightforward. He began playing at the age of 12, studying classical guitar with a private teacher for three years. After discovering modern "Fingerstyle" guitar music online, he went on a self-taught journey to master it.
In 2015, Misko's video featuring an original composition, "Guitar + Pen Tapping Song," rapidly gained over a million views, becoming his first big online success while he was still a high school student. Then, in 2016, his video cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" received more than 30,000,000 views on Facebook, marking a significant milestone in his entry into the international guitar scene. His next album's first single, a rendition of George Michael's "Careless Whisper," gained over 80,000,000 views on Facebook and YouTube within a month in 2017.
Since then, Misko's YouTube channel has experienced exponential growth, now boasting around 900,000 followers. In October 2018, he was honored with the prestigious title of "Guitarist of the Year" by the renowned UK magazine "MusicRadar."
In November 2019, he released his third solo album, "Roundtrip," recognized for its innovative sound and mature compositions, a pinnacle of his musical work at that time. In January 2020, he shared the stage of the iconic Carnegie Hall alongside world-renowned harp player Alexander Boldachev. This initial collaboration later blossomed into a dynamic duo, leading to the creation of an exciting live show where such different instruments work as one. Since then, aside from their solo work, Alex & Alex perform together at festivals worldwide, both guitar and classical music-oriented.
Throughout the years, Misko has released six albums and actively performed across the globe, everywhere from America to Japan, playing concerts and also teaching at workshops and lectures. Despite the challenges of the global pandemic and not being able to travel, Alex continued to build his profile and audience, maintaining his connection with fans and exploring new grounds in collaborations. In 2021, Misko released the album "Take Your Time" with one of the most promisingEuropean bassists, Dmitriy Toporov, following the success of several popular videos and singles from the duo.
Around the same time, the German brand “Baton Rouge Guitars” and Alex created a never-seen-before instrument to realize all the new ideas that a single normal guitar could not handle. They called it Frankenstein Guitar, and this is something worth seeing. It is the only acoustic guitar in the world that allows a player to do quick tuning changes on the fly thanks to the unique triple detuning system, modified with a percussive drum-kitsystem and 14 pickups to bring its sound on stage in its true massiveness.
Misko tirelessly collaborates with fellow musicians like Jon Gomm, Mike Dawes, Andrea Valeri, and Alan Gogoll, aiming to strengthen the guitar community to make it a friendly, supportive, and joyful place for everyone, regardless of where they come from. In 2023, he made the significant move from Russia to Germany. This decision marked a new chapter in his career, allowing him to work with other European artists easily and do more extensive tours.
The same year, the Alexandr Misko Signature Guitar was released in collaboration with “Baton Rouge Guitars,” based on the experimental Frankenstein. Misko’s goal was to create a unique but affordable guitar tailored for modern fingerstyle playing, giving other musicians the possibility to follow in his footsteps but create something new and different thanks to this new instrument.
With a special style that seamlessly blends technical innovation and musicality,
Misko's original compositions resonate with listeners from all walks of life, as his music transcends cultural barriers and speaks a universal language.
Virtuoso, songwriter, singer and theater producer, Taimane, has established herself
as one of the leading ukulele players in the world, known for her fierce and
inventive style of play. Taimane’s musicality and approach to the stage further add
to her draw. Through both beautiful originals and one-of-a-kind mashups
(seemingly disparate songs e.g. Led Zeppelin and Beethoven merged into medleys
with pop appeal), Taimane conjures a wide-range of deep emotions smashing the
notion of Hawaii music’s being light and simple. Seeing her perform live
exponentially amplifies these feelings and makes clear that Taimane is an
entertainer first and foremost. With a take-no-prisoners attitude and carefully
crafted shows that are the polar opposite of recitals, Taimane demands viewers’
attention every second of every performance eliciting intense, “wow” reactions on
cue while leading her audiences on a journey through a range of experiences -
mystical, dark and playful. Add it all up, and it’s easy to see how this hapa Samoan
(part caucasian and part indigenous Samoan) artist from a small island in the
middle of the Pacific (Oahu, Hawaii) has earned four Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards
and garnered over 50 million video views and 500,000 social media followers to
date.
Hailing from a musical Polynesian family including her late mother, Palepa Tauiliili Gardner (Miss Samoa 1978), Taimane’s attraction to the four-string island ukulele began at age 5. By age 10, she regularly performed in public, busking in Waikiki every Friday night with her father holding down security duties and the Waikiki Beach Boys (adults whose home & workplace was the beach) serving as her band. By age 13, Taimane landed a position in Don Ho’s show, literally playing in the spotlight every week until Ho’s passing. Ho was not only a Hawaii legend (his “Tiny Bubbles” hit remained on Billboard’s Hot 200 for over a year making him world famous) but also a consummate entertainer who significantly influenced Taimane’s perspective on performance. Each night, when the typically full house turned its attention to the petite young girl suddenly anointed band leader for a rendition of the surf classic “Wipeout,” it was time to rock.
Following her early years in Waikiki, Taimane walked away from its pop scene and leapt into a completely different world, the art houses of Honolulu’s Chinatown. There, she discovered audiences who valued original songs and began to develop her own style of music, eventually merging a wide-array of genres, from Bach to rock, flamenco infernos to tribal hymns, into mesmerizing shows with universal appeal. Fast forward to today, and you have an artist who tours the world shining bright like a diamond (the Samoan translation of her name) renowned for taking the ukulele to new heights while blazing her own trail in the process.
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International Guitar Night will be making its 26th Annual North American Tour
in January-March 2026
