If the strum of strings stirs your soul, you will not want to miss the next Key West Art & Historical Society’s Music at Martello offering. The Florida Keys Guitar Festival Benefit Concert held in the courtyard of the historic Fort East Martello on Sunday, March 5 from 2:30pm-6:30pm, features performances by master guitarists Mateo Jampol, Larry Baeder, Mike Emerson, Rolando Rojas, R.b. Tolar, CW Colt, and Jampol’s 14-year-old student Sam Mansour as well as guitar workshops, vendors, food, libations and more.

A preliminary offering to the Florida Keys Guitar Summit Festival concerts in Tavernier, Marathon & Key West on June 2-4, the four-hour featured lineup on Sunday, March 5 includes some of the best guitarists in the Keys performing blues, jazz, Latin, contemporary, and classical music. Together they will astound audiences with their trios, duos and solos. A prolific composer of melodic classical guitar music, guitarist Mateo created the Florida Keys Guitar Festival last year as a way to showcase a concert series throughout the Keys, focusing on “a fusion of different styles with these top guitarists playing together at the same time,” he says.

“This benefit concert starts the Florida Keys Guitar Festival program to give back to community through The Bahama Village Music Program and Islamorada Community Entertainment,” says Mateo, who is described as a “World Class Guitarist” by the Miami Herald. “These two outstanding organizations are the top music programs in the Keys that offer free lesson and instruction scholarship programs.”

Keeping in line with the educational component of the show’s purpose, during the 2:30-6:30 event, he and the other performers will be hosting free, 30-minute guitar workshops at the top of each hour there at the Fort.

The performance is part of Key West Art & Historical Society’s “Music at Martello Series”, a program established to promote the arts and bring live music to the Keys and foster the Fort as a community venue with more music in the coming months. As always at the Music at Martello Series, children under twelve are admitted for free, and guests can enjoy select Key West food vendors and a cash bar during the show.

“Music at Martello is a fantastic program that brings the community together with music, art, food, workshops and fun,” says Jampol. “Florida Keys Guitar Festival is so grateful for the hard work The Society is doing to host the benefit concert.”

Tickets for this special event can be purchased in advance at KWAHS.ORG/Tickets or at the door— $20 for KWAHS members, $25 for non-members. Proceeds will support Florida Keys children’s musical education initiatives. For more information, contact Shawn Cowles at 305.295.6616 x 111. Your Museums. Your Community. It Takes an Island.