Francisco Tárrega competition names four finalists for its 2026 Benicàssim final
Filip Mišković, Sohta Nakabayashi, Luka Lovreković and Francisco Luís reached the final of one of Spain's longest-running international classical-guitar competitions.
Credit: Ajuntament de Benicàssim (via source)
The 59th Francisco Tárrega International Guitar Competition in Benicàssim named four finalists on September 3: Croatia's Filip Mišković and Luka Lovreković, Japan's Sohta Nakabayashi and Portugal's Francisco Luís. The final was scheduled for September 4 at the Teatro Municipal Francisco Tárrega after several days of preliminary and semifinal rounds.
The competition's official municipal announcement highlighted the international spread of the field and the finalists' existing competition experience. Nakabayashi returned to the final for a second consecutive year, while Mišković arrived after being named the Zagreb Philharmonic's Young Musician of the Year in 2025.
The final was also streamed through the competition's official YouTube channel, extending a classical-guitar event that the organizers say drew more than 10,000 viewers online in the previous edition.
Why it matters
Major classical-guitar competitions are one of the clearest places to spot the next generation of concert players, and this final brought together four already decorated young guitarists from three countries.
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