Grand Final 2024

The Grand Final of the second edition of the Toyota Instrumentoteca took place on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at the "Mirai" theater of the Japanese-Paraguayan School, where the finalists demonstrated an extremely high musical level, the result of several months of hard preparation.

After a day full of emotions, the eight guitar beneficiaries were:

1. María Paz Cubells.
2. José Carlos Acha.
3. Noemí Recalde.
4. Micaela Núñez.
5. Diego Solís (donated to his friend and colleague, Martín Ortega).
6. Vilma Villa.
7. Salma Gómez.
8. Lorena Bellenzier.

Additionally, the four finalists who did not receive instruments were awarded with seed capital of USD 500, a motivation that will serve as a starting point from which they will save to acquire a high-quality concert guitar in the future. They are: Brian Cantero, Nelson Ramírez, Christian Roig and Belén Sequeira.

It is worth noting that each of the twelve guitarists who reached the Grand Final 2024 were recognized with a certificate from the Toyota Instrumentoteca and gift kits, courtesy of Savarez Strings.

This second edition of the Toyota Instrumentoteca was made possible thanks to:

• Mr. Masaki Sakurai Kohno whose gesture of donating 7 guitars to Maestro Berta Rojas, started this story of generosity.
• Mr. Marcelo Toyotoshi for saying yes to the Toyota Instrumentoteca and motivating the participating guitarists with his words.
• The Japanese-Paraguayan School and its director, Mrs. Patricia Toyotoshi, for providing the beautiful venue so that the finalists could present a wonderful audition and share that day with their loved ones.
• The Ambassador of Paraguay in Japan, Naoyuki Toyotoshi, who received the first guitar from Maestro Masaki Sakurai and sent, one by one, the seven Sakurai-Kohno guitars to our country.
• Toyotoshi S.A. and the entire marketing team of the company led by Francisco Palau, who embraced this initiative from day one.
• Savarez Strings for the support and gifts for the finalists, the Paraguayan Embassy in France and Ambassador Cinthia Filártiga Lacroix for the efforts made to bring these gifts to the country, as well as Mr. Hugo Idoyaga and Mr. Daniel Wiens.
• The Guitarreria de París, in the person of Orlando Rojas, where the Jean-Marie Fouilleul guitar that Piet Van Wayenberge donated in memory of his wife Wina comes from. To the Ambassador to UNESCO, Mrs. Nancy Ovelar and her husband José Gorostiaga who brought the Fouilleul guitar to Paraguay.

Congratulations to every guitarist who made it to the Grand Final!

Photos by Rodrigo Da Silva and Carlos Bogado.