The Blue Guitar — Ann Ireland

Nerves crunch at the international classical guitar competition in Montreal. There is more than pretty music being performed on this stage.

At the International Classical Guitar Competition in Montreal, top-flight musicians fly in from all over the world to compete in a gruelling week. A career can be made or lost here, and the slightest mishap - a lapse of memory, a shaking right hand, a broken fingernail - can ruin years of preparation.

More than a decade ago Toby made the finals in a similar competition but suffered a breakdown and is only now venturing back into the fray. Middle-aged Lucy is tired of playing bar mitzvahs and weddings and is determined to perform the recital of her life. Trace is a kayaking teenager from the West Coast who seems careless in her talent.

Judges and contestants alike battle and scheme to achieve what they most desire here. There is much more than pretty music being performed on this stage.