Montreal, Monday, September 29, 2008—This weekend, the guitar took centre-stage at the Savoy du Métropolis and Club Soda! The 3rd edition of the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix, presented as part of the SIMM (Montreal Musical Instrument Show), enticed guitarists of all ages to pit their talents against those of their peers as they competed for first prize in their category. For the musicians in the competition, presented by Godin Guitars in collaboration with Steve's Music Store and Planète Jazz, it represented an opportunity to gain solid on-stage experience before a live audience, while for the public, it meant a thrilling evening devoted exclusively to the guitar! To top it all off, after the performance of the 12 finalists, the evening closed with a free concert by major-league guitarist Daryl Stuermer, veteran performer with Genesis and Phil Collins.

Watch and listen to the 2008 Winners' performances!

Jury members, all professionals with a passion for guitar—Jean-François Hamel, Jérôme Ducharme, Paul Deslauriers, Jason Lang, Jordan Officer and Daniel Lemay on the final jury, and Jean-François Hamel, Isabelle Héroux, Paul Deslauriers, Yves Savard and Sylvain Provost judging preliminary auditions—had the pleasure and duty to select the finest guitarists from an impressive roster of candidates performing their favourite originals or cover songs.

Along with living out their dreams onstage, participating guitarists were eligible to win thousands of dollars in prizes offered by our official presenters, Godin Guitars and Steve's Music Store, our official suppliers, Marshall amplifiers, DigiTech guitar effects and Samson audio components, as well as the SIMM, the Montreal Guitar Show and the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

The SIMM, presented by General Motors of Canada as part of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, is proud to help promote musicianship in the greater public through the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix, and to invite all guitar fans to the next edition of the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix, September 26 and 27, 2009, as part of the Journées de la culture program.