When Headphones at a Concert Make Perfect Sense: My Guitar Summit 2025 Experience

The invitation to perform at Guitar Summit 2025 in Mannheim came completely out of the blue. To be honest, I had never even heard of this event before, and when I started researching, I realized just how enormous it actually is. Guitar Summit is one of the largest—if not the largest—guitar fairs in the world.

Walking through those massive halls was almost overwhelming. Electric guitars of every conceivable type, acoustic guitars, classical guitars, and everything in between filled the space. Everywhere you looked, there were brands: guitar manufacturers obviously, but also string makers, pedal companies, amplification systems—the list goes on and on. It was a guitar lover's paradise, and I was about to perform right in the middle of it all.

The Concert Hall Experience

One of the most fascinating aspects of Guitar Summit is their concert hall setup. Picture this: you walk into a theater, ready to watch a live performance, and you're handed headphones. Headphones! At first, it sounds strange, but it's actually brilliant. It creates an incredibly intimate connection between the audience and the musician—you're physically in the same space, sharing the same energy, but the sound goes directly into your ears with pristine clarity.

When Stefano and I first took the stage for our duo performance, we tried playing without the headphones. But the distant noise from the fair—all those guitars being tested, people chatting, the general buzz of thousands of visitors—was too distracting. So we put on our headphones too.

The experience was absolutely wild. All that collective energy from the audience was still there, tangible and alive, but at the same time, we were in this bubble of mega-focus, completely immersed in the sound we were creating together. It was unlike any other concert I've ever played. The intimacy was extraordinary—both with the music and with the people listening.

Connections and Unexpected Recognition

Beyond the performance itself, Guitar Summit turned out to be an incredible opportunity to meet and talk with people from all over the world. I had conversations with guitarists, teachers, and music lovers from countries I'd never visited. Some of these conversations have already planted seeds for future collaborations that I'm excited to pursue next year.

What really took me by surprise, though, was how many people stopped me as I walked around the fair. Complete strangers would approach me saying they knew my work, or that their teacher had recommended they listen to my interpretation of a particular piece. Each time it happened, I felt this mixture of disbelief and gratitude. To know that my music has traveled further than I realized, that it's reaching people and resonating with them—that's the reason I do all of this.

Premiering New Music: Guitar Meets Slaptop

For Guitar Summit, Stefano and I decided to bring something different—new music that pushed us into unfamiliar territory. As always, Stefano composed the pieces, but this time there was a twist: he joined me on stage not just with his 8-string guitar, but also with a slaptop.

Guitar and slaptop. For the first time, we were combining these two instruments, and the result was electrifying. When you add rhythm, energy, and percussion to the guitar, something magical happens. The audience loved it. The energy in that room was incredible.

We performed pieces like "Becoming" and "Apricots," and they absolutely killed. The grooves, the unexpected rhythmic layers, the way the electronic elements danced with the acoustic guitar tones—it all came together in a way that felt fresh and exciting. And honestly? We had an absolute blast playing it. There's something liberating about trying something new on stage, especially when you can feel the audience right there with you, enjoying every moment.

The Road Trip: Seven Hours (That Became Eight)

Getting to Mannheim was an adventure in itself. We decided to drive from home, which meant a seven-hour journey—or so we thought. Thanks to various traffic situations, it ended up being eight hours. But driving had its advantages: we could load the car with three guitars and all our necessary luggage without worrying about airline restrictions or instrument damage.

There's something about a road trip before a big performance. The time in the car becomes a kind of meditation, a space to mentally prepare, to talk through the music one more time, to just be present with the journey. By the time we arrived in Mannheim, we were tired but ready.

Reflections

Guitar Summit 2025 was more than just a performance opportunity—it was a reminder of why I love what I do. The chance to share music with people from all over the world, to experiment with new sounds and ideas, to connect with fellow musicians and music lovers, and to see firsthand how far music can travel—these are the moments that fuel everything else.

If you ever get a chance to attend Guitar Summit, whether as a performer or a visitor, I can't recommend it enough. It's an overwhelming, inspiring, exhausting, and absolutely wonderful experience. And who knows? Maybe I'll see you there next year, headphones on, ready to dive deep into the music together.