David Feffer can barely contain his excitement when he talks about the lineup for this year’s Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival concerts.

The festival, now in its fourth year, has attracted some of music’s top talent from the start. This year, that’s more true than ever, Feffer said.

“This year is going to be unbelievable, in terms of it’s bigger, better,” he said. “The artists that are here are just spectacular.”

Those big-name artists include 20-time Grammy winner Pat Metheny, Grammy winner Lee Ritenour and classical guitar master Scott Tennant. They also include renowned drummer Sonny Emory and Abraham Laboriel, “the finest bass player ever,” Feffer said.

While the festival attracts guitar students of all ages and abilities from around the country for its daytime workshops, it also features concerts nearly every evening. This year’s Crown of the Continent concert schedule is as follows:

Aug. 26 — Scott Tennant and the L.A. Guitar Quartet

Tennant is a founding member of the Grammy-winning quartet, now in its 30th year. He is on the faculty of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and Pasadena Conservatory of Music.

This concert is co-sponsored by Glacier Symphony and Chorale; a portion of the proceeds from that show will go to the nonprofit organization.

“One of the things we really wanted to do was collaborate with other organizations in the valley,” Feffer said. “We want to establish this area as a leading international center for the guitar. In doing that, it’s important that this area be viewed as a leading international center for arts and culture.”

He and the other foundation board members are all committed to supporting the arts groups in the area — the symphony, local theater groups, art museums and more.

“The things that we can do to help make this thriving community even more thriving is a really good thing,” Feffer said.

Aug. 27 — Robben Ford

Blues and rock guitarist Ford is a five-time Grammy nominee and has recorded with a diverse range of artists, including Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, Miles Davis, George Harrison and Bob Dylan. He has more than 19 solo albums and has recorded four instructional DVDs on blues technique.

Ford will be joined by Ritenour, whose career as a session guitarist spans 50 years. Ritenour is a multi-Grammy nominee and winner who performs in jazz, rock and blues. He has recorded more than 40 albums with 35 chart hits.

Ritenour’s rhythm section will include Emory on drums, Laboriel on bass and keyboardist John Beasley. Emory was the drummer with Earth, Wind and Fire for 14 years.

“He’s one of the finest drummers ever. People’s jaws were on the floor [during his guitar festival performance] last year,” Feffer said.

As for Laboriel, “he’s a legend, an absolute legend,” Feffer said. “He’s played with everybody. If they can get him, he’s the bass player they want.”

Beasley “also is a legend,” Feffer said.

Aug. 28 — Pat Metheny Trio

Metheny burst onto the international jazz scene in 1974 with vibraphone legend Gary Burton. His Grammys cover 12 categories, from Best Rock Instrumental to Best Jazz to Best Contemporary. Metheny also won an unprecedented seven Grammy awards for seven consecutive albums.

He will perform with Larry Grenadier on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. While Metheny taught at the guitar workshop in its first year, he didn’t perform, Feffer said. This will be the storied guitarist’s first performance in Montana, he added.

“To do a public performance — when he came here in 2010, the head of production at the University of Montana said, ‘How in the world did you do this?’ He plays the biggest venues in the world,” Feffer said.

Aug. 29 — Daryl Stuermer

Stuermer is known for his years as lead guitarist with Genesis and singer Phil Collins. Since beginning his career with Genesis in 1975, he has released eight solo albums of original music. He currently performs with his group, the Daryl Stuermer band.

Like Ford, Stuermer will perform with Ritenour and the rhythm section.

Aug. 31 — Mac McAnally and Livingston Taylor

McAnally is a country music singer and songwriter, a five-time Country Music Association award winner and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He wrote songs for Jimmy Buffet and is a lead member of Buffet’s Coral Reefer Band. Numerous artists have recorded his songs, including Alabama, Reba McEntire, T.G. Sheppard, Ricky Van Shelton and Randy Travis.

Taylor is a professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught stage performance since 1989. He is at home in a variety of genres, from folk to pop to jazz to gospel. He has written and recorded numerous hit songs during his 40-year career, including “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” which were recorded by his brother James Taylor.

All concerts will start at 8 p.m. at the Crown Festival Tent at Flathead Lake Lodge, Bigfork. Food, wine and beer will be available for purchase.

Crown passes go on sale Monday. Those passes are good for all five concerts and include special seating, special parking and other perks, including demonstrations by world famous luthiers and other presentations.

Crown passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis at cocguitarfoundation.org or by calling (855) 855-5900.

Tickets to individual concerts will go on sale July 15.