By Arnab Mitra

Kolkata: The Calcutta International Classical Guitar Festival, which is a part of India's only classical guitar festival, kicked off on Monday at the Indian Council for Culture and Research, Kolkata.

The four-day concert featured guitar maestros from different countries, and Kolkata residents got the chance to listen to some of the finest guitarists from across Asia like Ramoncito Carpio, Matt Bacon and Leon Koudelak.

The event was organized by the Indian Guitar Federation (IGF), a non-profit organisation for the development and promotion of guitar in India. The guitar festival this year was conducted in four Indian cities—Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore, with eight concerts in each city, held over a span of four days.

The opening day concert was rocked by popular Indian classical guitarist Shyamant Behal and Thailand guitarist Ekachai Jearakul.

School student, Akhanka Ganguly, told NewsGram, "As a music lover, like every year, I am attending the festival this year as well."

The event also featured guitar workshops, master-classes and a competition with amazing prizes.

Sushil Ghosh, a government employee said, "As an amateur guitarist, it is a really good opportunity for me to listen to some wonderful compositions. I want to congratulate the Calcutta Classical Guitar Association for organising such a wonderful concert."

The four day concert ended on December 17 with performances by Matt Bacon and Leon Koudelak.