Marywood Student Kyle Jenkins Wins Competition at Prestigious International Guitar Festival

Marywood music student Kyle Jenkins, Scranton, a student of Diogo Salmeron Carvalho, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Music, recently won a competition at the 2025 Buffalo International Guitar Festival, a prestigious national event for young guitarists, which took place at the end of March. He was one of a group of student musicians to participate in the guitar festival, guided by Dr. Carvalho.

Jenkins gave a masterful performance of “El Polifemo De Oro,” a classical piece for guitar written by British composer Reginald Smith Brindle, which earned him the collegiate-level Grand Prize, including a new Saers A50 model concert guitar, new sets of strings, new guitar equipment and a certificate.

“I am very proud of the Marywood Guitar Ensemble for their community outreach and for representing Marywood University at such a prestigious event,” said Lisa A. Lori, J.D., Marywood president. “I am especially thrilled to congratulate our student, Kyle Jenkins, on winning the Grand Prize at the 2025 Buffalo International Guitar Festival. His achievement reflects the excellence and dedication of our music program and the strength of our creative community.”

Jenkins will perform in a special local concert on Friday, May 2, at 6 p.m., at the Rossetti Estate in Scranton, alongside Charles Truitt, D.M.A., a former music professor at Marywood and a respected classical guitarist. This concert also marks the relaunch of the Guitar Society of Northeast Pennsylvania, an organization with a long legacy of promoting classical guitar in the region. Dr. Carvalho is leading the initiative, which has widened its scope to include more genres of guitar music. Dr. Truitt is a founding member of the former Guitar Society. The group’s endeavors are open to the public, whether they are students at Marywood University or not.

“We want to have all manifestations of guitar, including jazz, including folk, including rock,” Dr. Carvalho said. “We want to have a society that’s open for guitarists in any form and any people interested in guitar, as well.”