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Press Releases
LuthierCon Returns to Brooklyn with World-Class Guitar Makers and Performers
Brooklyn, NY — July 24, 2026 — LuthierCon 2026, a daylong exhibition and workshop that brings together classical guitar builders, players, enthusiasts, and collectors, will return for its third year to the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal on September 12, 2026. The event is produced by The Brooklyn Classical Guitar Society (BKCGS) and local guitar maker Matt Rubendall.
The classical guitar is an acoustic instrument that uses nylon strings (rather than steel strings) and features wide string spacing to allow the strings to be plucked by individual fingers. These guitars are used in many styles of music, including classical, flamenco, Latin American, folk, and jazz.
"LuthierCon is a unique, community-oriented event that brings together guitarists and enthusiasts with the people who build the instruments," said Matthew Kaplan, BKCGS president and a Brooklyn-based guitarist and educator. "The opportunity for players and builders to interact and collaborate in person, and share their artistry and instruments, is increasingly rare, especially as the sale of handcrafted instruments like those featured at LuthierCon moves online. We're thrilled to welcome a variety of world-class luthiers and performers to the event."
This year's LuthierCon will feature six expert guitar luthiers, all of whom build their instruments by hand, along with two renowned guitarists who will showcase and perform on the luthier’s instruments. Their guitars will be on display and available for attendees to play throughout the day. Visitors will have the opportunity to play the handcrafted instruments, meet the makers, attend demonstrations and performances, ask questions, and learn more about the art of guitar building. The featured luthiers are:
- Matt Rubendall (Brooklyn, NY)
- Garrett Lee (Wayne, NJ)
- Lubos Naprstek (Hamburg, NJ)
- Brian Itzkin (Long Island, NY)
- Andy Danser (Durham, NC)
- Matt Jacobs, Shadowfax Guitars (Houston, TX)
This year's guest performers are acclaimed guitarists Jack Hancher (UK) and Alberta Khoury (New York City). Both will perform on and demonstrate several of the guitars on exhibit, discuss their experiences with the instruments, and answer audience questions throughout their performances.
Brooklyn-based RetroFret Vintage Guitars and Zongzheng Guitar Studio (Shenzhen, China), will also participate in the exhibition.
LuthierCon guests are also encouraged to bring their own guitars to share or sell.
“One of the best parts of LuthierCon is the opportunity to share instruments, talk guitars, and connect with fellow guitarists throughout the day,” said Kaplan. “LuthierCon is a celebration of the guitar and anybody who is interested in guitar music, craftsmanship, or community will find something of interest,” he added.
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About The Brooklyn Classical Guitar Society
The Classical Guitar Society of Brooklyn, Inc. (dba The Brooklyn Classical Guitar Society) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Our mission is to nourish and build the classical guitar community in Brooklyn and the greater NYC area through open mics, concerts with locally and internationally known guitarists, masterclasses and workshops, and social events.
hello@bkcgs.org
About Matt Rubendall
Matt Rubendall is a Brooklyn-based master luthier with more than 20 years of experience. His studio is located in Brooklyn Army Terminal.
matt@mattrubendall.com
917-575-0268
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