Guitarist

Tommy Emmanuel is regularly cited among the world’s top acoustic guitarists, one of only five musicians to earn Chet Atkins’ honorary “Certified Guitar Player” title. Often performing solo, Emmanuel mixes folk, jazz, blues, bluegrass and other genres, using a fingerstyle technique to play multiple parts simultaneously and sometimes using the guitar as a percussion instrument. The Australian-born Grammy winner also has collaborated with artists including David Grisman, Jerry Douglas, Billy Strings, Jason Isbell, Michael McDonald and Mark Knopfler. His latest album is Live at the Sydney Opera House.

An Evening with Tommy Emmanuel, CGP

Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts

In pursuit of their degrees at SFCM, each student presents a recital that represents their artistry and craft. Student Recitals feature repertoire curated by students with guidance from their faculty instructor.  

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Henryk Linantud, guitar - Student Recital

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

The exuberance Tommy Emmanuel brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist of multitudes, his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul.

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP

Arts Commons

The legendary Australian guitarist, Tommy Emmanuel is renowned for his exceptional fingerstyle technique and dynamic live performances. He is a master of the acoustic guitar, blending elements of jazz, blues, bluegrass, folk, and country into his unique sound. Emmanuel's playing style is heavily influenced by the legendary Chet Atkins, who praised it as "fearless" and awarded him the prestigious Certified Guitar Player title, making Emmanuel one of only five guitarists to receive this honor.

Tommy Emmanuel, Cgp

Irvine Barclay Theatre

Tommy was born in 1955 in Muswellbrook, New South Wales Australia, and started playing the guitar at age four. In his twenties, he was the most sought-after performer and session musician in Sydney. By age 30, he was burning on electric guitar with several Rock bands in stadiums across Europe. He could have gone on to live the Rock star life. Yet, he yearned for something purer and closer to his heart. Casting off the reliable Rock band engine of monstrous sonics blasting, Tommy went acoustic. The inspiration for Tommy’s transformation was his hero, Chet Atkins, who represented the purity of one man, one guitar, and unlimited passion for serving the song. Eventually, Tommy met his hero and started a lifelong friendship which shaped Tommy’s music forever. 

Tommy Emmanuel

Newberry Opera House

The real-time exuberance Tommy Emmanuel brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist of multitudes, his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul. He is a true virtuoso. But he seems as delighted always with the magic of the music as the audience, if not more, and his joy illuminates everything.

Levine Center for the Arts

Tommy Emmanuel has achieved enough musical milestones to satisfy several lifetimes. Or at least they would if he was the kind of artist who was ever satisfied. At the age of six, he was touring regional Australia with his family band. By 30, he was a rock n’ roll lead guitarist burning up stadiums in Europe. At 44, he became one of five people ever named a Certified Guitar Player by his idol, music icon Chet Atkins. Today, he plays hundreds of sold-out shows every year from Nashville to Sydney to London. All the while, Tommy has hungered for what’s next. When you’re widely acknowledged as the international master of the solo acoustic guitar, what’s next is an album of collaborations with some of the finest singers, songwriters and, yes, guitarists alive today.

The Plaza Live

The real-time exuberance Tommy Emmanuel brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist of multitudes, his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul. He is a true virtuoso. But he seems as delighted always with the magic of the music as the audience, if not more, and his joy illuminates everything

Martin Woldson Theater

Tommy Emmanuel CGP with Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley

The Egyptian Theatre

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP with Jerry Douglas

Crest Theatre

Rose State College

Regarded as one of the greatest acoustic artists of all time, Tommy Emmanuel is known for his complex fingerstyle technique, real-time exuberance, and ability to play three parts at once. Tommy’s PBS special, Accomplice LIVE! which features some of his best-known songs and duets with accomplices such as Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, and many others, will begin airing in March of 2023.

Mimi Ohio Theatre

The opening American Concert of the 3rd year of the Classical Concerts at Werich’s music festival will feature American soprano Bree Nichols, "finger-style" guitarist Martin Homola and pianist Jan Mára.

A Celebration of American Music Klasika u Wericha

Klasika u Wericha

Guitar icon Tommy Emmanuel CGP is no stranger to iconic stages from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to London’s Royal Festival Hall and Paris’ L’Olympia. The legendary entertainer has dazzled audiences across the world.

The Bridgewater Hall

Guitar icon Tommy Emmanuel CGP is no stranger to iconic stages from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to Paris’ L’Olympia. The legendary entertainer has dazzled audiences across the world.

Tommy has a Grammy Award, multiple ARIA Awards and countless accolades, but nothing means more to Tommy than the three letters Chet Atkins designated at the end of Tommy’s name: CGP. The title of Certified Guitar Player was the highest honour Atkins could bestow on another player – a signifier that the recipient had not only mastered the instrument but taken it to new vistas and become a guiding light for the next generation of pickers.

Guitarist

Tommy Emmanuel

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 16, 2026

Tommy Emmanuel · The Bridgewater Hall

23 - 24 Jan, 2026

Tommy Emmanuel CGP · Cadogan Hall

Past events

Oct 18, 2025

An Evening with Tommy Emmanuel, CGP · Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts

Apr 9, 2025

Henryk Linantud, guitar - Student Recital · San Francisco Conservatory of Music

About

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