Although there had been an informal 'guitar circle' in the area as far back as the mid-1960s, the society was officially formed on 5th March 1972 following a meeting at The Bay Tree Inn and has met continuously ever since.

In this new millennium it has developed a reputation as a society with a professional feel to its organisation, a friendly approach at its meetings and an educational environment aimed at promoting the classical guitar at all levels within the local community.

We meet twice monthly in Romsey (just a few miles from Southampton). Our venue, King John's House, is a Tudor building, full of character, opposite Romsey Abbey and is easy to find. Our 'regular' meeting is on the last Wednesday of each month and the other, a dedicated "Extra Ensemble Evening" meeting, on the 2nd Wednesday of the month.

(Watch out in August where we sometimes meet as usual, sometimes have a Summer party and other times don't meet at all. Likewise in December, we meet on the 2nd Wednesday for a Christmas Party).

The doors are open by 7:30pm and we try and kick-off about 7:45pm. Occasionally at the regular meeting we will have a short recital by a guest player, maybe a 3rd year student from one of a UK music colleges or a visiting professional from another country, or perhaps a lecture by a luthier or author. Mostly though, we just like to play the guitar!

Besides the regular meetings, we arrange several concert each year by some of the best professional guitarists from around the world. Take a look at our concerts page to see details of the next one, or the end of the events page to see all the guitarists who have played for us in the past.

Once or twice a year we hold workshops with some of the best teachers available and from 1999 until 2003 we held an annual One-Day Mini-Festival combining all the best of a week's summer school into a single day. Teachers who have taught at such days include Chris Kilvington, Simon Dinnigan, Eden Stell Duo, Gary Ryan and Mark Ashford, Benjamin Verdery, John Mills, Carlos Bonnell, Vincea McClelland & Raymond Cousté and the Modern Guitar Trio

Each year we try to stage one or two concerts featuring our own members.  These are often in support of a local charity but it may also be at the request of a local organisation. Please contact us if you would like us to put on a concert for you to help raise funds for a worthy cause.

Southampton Classical Guitar Society is committed to removing the stigma of elitism from the instrument. Players of all standards are very welcome to join us and all are welcome to play at Members' Evenings. Our current membership includes beginners and professionalss, most of whom play together in our monthly ensembles. The emphasis is very much on enjoyment, but always with an eye on education, enrichment and enlightenment.

We have a close friendship with several other classical guitar societies, including West Sussex, Dorset, Hampshire Guitar Orchestra, Derby, Greenwood & Berkshire. If your society is not listed here, we would be delighted to make friends with you.

See our join page for further details on the different categories of membership and how you can either join us or find out more information. Look here to see who is on our committee, and our constitution is here.

We are a member of the Federation of Guitar Societies.