Boston, get ready for a “British Invasion.” That’s the theme of Boston GuitarFest VIII, which begins on Wednesday night and is co-sponsored by Northeastern University and the New England Conservatory.

The music festival, which runs June 19-23, will feature an array of concerts, seminars, workshops, master classes, and competitions. For more information about GuitarFest, the schedule of events, and tickets, visit http://www.bostonguitarfest.org/2013/. (Tickets can also be purchased directly through myNEU.)

The annual festival explores the past, present, and future of the guitar, the instrument’s repertoire, and its rich cultural legacy around the globe. Visionary guitarist Eliot Fisk founded the event. He serves as the event’s artistic director and is a professor at the New England Conservatory.

Wednesday’s opening night concert will premiere last year’s solo guitar composition competition winner, “Catarsis,” by Saúl Chapela (with Stefan Koim on guitar), guitarist and 2012 performance competition winner Chad Ibison, as well as John Gibbons on harpsichord.

The festival continues the collaborative efforts of Northeastern and the New England Conservatory, which recently combined to offer a new joint certificate program that allows students to receive musical performance experience and credentials from the New England Conservatory.

“The Boston GuitarFest represents the best kind of partnership with our neighboring institutions,” said Anthony De Ritis, chair of the Department of Music in Northeastern’s College of Arts, Media and Design. “The New England Conservatory brings its focus on its international network of world class artists and performers and Northeastern brings its expertise in arts-based event management and production. Having the concerts take place both at the Fenway Center and at Jordan Hall is yet another tangible example of our joint collaboration.”