ABOUT OMNI

Welcome to our 43rd season of bringing the world’s finest guitarists to the San Francisco Bay Area! This season we will bring you outstanding performers from around the world. You can ensure priority seating at the concerts of your choice by selecting one of our Subscription Packages or by joining the Omni Foundation as a Sustaining Member. Save up to 20% on single ticket prices by subscribing!

The Omni Foundation Guitar Series is widely recognized as one of the leading series for guitar in the world. It’s wonderful to have these artists come to our community and you can help by joining us as a member of the Omni Foundation or by simply subscribing to the series. Seating is based on the date of your order so try to order as soon as possible. In the brochure and here on our web site you can learn about the other benefits of becoming a Member of the Omni Foundation. Substantial student and group discounts are also available. We hope that you will join us and become a part of the longest running and most extensive guitar series in the United States. Enjoy the season!

Richard Patterson
Director

The Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts is entering its 43rd year of bringing the world’s finest acoustic guitarists to the San Francisco Bay Area. Although the series presents acoustic guitarists of all genres, such as flamenco, jazz and fingerstyle, the primary focus is on the classical guitar. The series is the longest running and most extensive guitar series in the United States and is considered to be one of the foremost guitar series in the world.

Omni presents not only the most celebrated virtuosi of our time but also the emerging artists and stars of tomorrow. The concerts take place in San Francisco’s most prestigious concert venues, both intimate and grand, and great efforts are made to insure accessibility to the entire Bay Area community, particularly students.

The Omni Foundation, under the artistic direction of its founder, Richard Patterson, continues to provide a significant position for the classical guitar in the vibrant cultural scene of San Francisco. With the support of serious guitar enthusiasts and the City of San Francisco, Omni presents over 20 exceptional guitarists each season. We hope you will join us and experience the brilliance, beauty and potential of this exquisite instrument, the guitar.

RICHARD PATTERSON enjoyed an active musical career as a collaborative artist and performed with his ensembles in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. As a student, Mr. Patterson lived Richard Pattersonin Spain, studying the guitar with maestro Jose Tomas. Returning to the United States, he was signed by the world’s largest classical music management, Columbia Artists, for six seasons of national tours as a member of the Ware-Patterson Duo. Under the auspices of David Lieberman Artists he toured internationally with the Russian virtuoso Emmanuel Sheynkman for over a decade. Mr. Patterson studied composition with Pulitzer Prize winners John Adams and Wayne Peterson and held the position of Lecturer in Music at Notre Dame de Namur University from 1980 – 2015. His compositions and recordings have been featured in films and television and he appeared as a guitarist in the feature film “Five Year Engagement” starring Emily Blunt and Jason Segel. Mr. Patterson directed the Guitar Foundation of America Conference in 2008 and is the founding director of the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts in San Francisco. He was appointed to the faculty of the New York Guitar Seminar in Manhattan for the summer of 2013. In January, 2014 Mr. Patterson was one of five industry leaders appointed to the President’s Advisory Council of the St Louis Classical Guitar Society, chaired by Christopher Parkening. He represented the D’Addario String Company at the 2014 and 2015 Cordoba Guitar Festivals in Cordoba, Spain. Richard was a member of the International Jury at the 2016 Koblenz International Classical Guitar Competition “Hubert Käpple” in Koblenz, Germany and  judged the finals of the Changsha International Guitar Competition in China, 2020 and 2021 editions. Currently Mr. Patterson is the North American representative for maestro David Russell and is the Artistic Director of the Omni Concert Series in San Francisco.