Nikšić Guitar Festival

The second is the MIGC — the Montenegro International Guitar Competition — whose finals are broadcast, drawing young virtuosos from around the world to compete. Competition rounds carry their own drama: nerves, ambition and extraordinary technique in equal measure, and the broadcast finals turn the closing stage into an event followed well beyond the hall itself.

Masterclasses connect the two worlds, letting competitors and students study with the visiting masters. It is the festival's quiet engine: the same artists who perform at night pass their craft on by day, and for students it is a rare chance to work at close quarters with players they would otherwise only hear on record or from the audience.

Concerts take place at the Nikšić Theatre, and for a month Nikšić becomes an unlikely but genuine capital of the classical guitar — a point of pride for a city better known for steel and beer. The easygoing town, with its broad central square and plane-tree promenade, makes an unfussy host, and the mellow autumn evenings suit the instrument's warm, unamplified voice; walking to the theatre through the quietening streets is part of the concert.

The festival is held annually through the autumn; the coming edition runs from 20 September to 18 October at the Nikšić Theatre. Ticketing is mixed, with some events free and others charged; full details are published at guitarmontenegro.com.