West Central Area Guitar Summit in Fergus Falls on Sept. 9-11, 2010 - register now!
Fergus Falls - Attention all guitar players, teachers, enthusiasts, fans, audiences, etc. A Center for the Arts has an entire weekend of eclectic guitar music and education for you at its first annual West Central Area Guitar Summit on Sept. 9, 10 & 11 in downtown Fergus Falls and on the M State Fergus Falls campus. Tickets for concerts and workshops and be purchased individually, or get a wristband for the entire 3-day event for just $75! Other pricing options are also available. For more information, please visit www.fergusarts.org or call A Center for the Arts, 124 W. Lincoln Ave, PO Box 938, Fergus Falls, MN 56537 at: 218-998-ARTS (2787)
Many of the presenters and performers have taught in high school and college settings, and they all have participated in workshops, guitar clinics and folk music festivals across the country. They are: Tim Sparks, Joan Griffith, Phil Heywood, Sam Miltich, Dakota Dave Hull, Claudia Schmidt and David Stoddard.
The West Central Area Guitar Summit is appropriate for all levels of interest and ability. Maybe you've been playing the guitar for several years, maybe you've only been playing for a couple of months, or maybe you've just thought about playing the guitar some day. Maybe you don't ever want to play the guitar at all, but you're fascinated by the many styles and levels of accomplishment achieved on and with this instrument.
Thursday, Sept. 9, will be the kick-off concert to the whole weekend of events. Each evening (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) there will be a concert at 7:30 p.m., either at A Center for the Arts (124 W. Lincoln Ave.) or Waage Theatre (1414 College Way, on M State campus).
On both Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10 & 11, there will be six different workshops during the daytime, taking place either at The Spot in downtown Fergus Falls (220 W. Lincoln Ave) or on the M State Fergus Falls campus. Workshops will include: jazz rhythm, jazz improvisation, songwriting, accompaniment, world music, and much more.
Jam sessions led by the guest musicians at The Spot following each concert will show attendees what really is possible in a true improvisational setting. There will also be opportunities for students to build on what they've already learned by participating in some of the round robin playing sessions - or just listening in.
You'll be able to network with other musicians and participate in round robin playing sessions, as well as having the opportunity to learn something you've never learned before - whether it's about swing style, jazz style, song writing, arrangement, improvisation or a number of other topics.
ABOUT THE GUEST GUITARISTS
Tim Sparks has been redefining the acoustic guitar repertoire since he won the National Fingerpicking Championship in 1993 with a ground breaking arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. Equally at home with Country Blues, Jazz or World Music, Sparks' extraordinary ability has earned him an international reputation as one of the most innovative guitarists working today.
Joan Griffith is known in the Midwest as a teacher, performer and composer. Her 2008 jazz CD "Sambanova" with pianist Laura Caviani, her 2009 CD with recorder player Clea Galhano, and CD "Enter You, Enter Love" with Lucia Newell feature many of her own compositions. Some might remember that Joan Griffith and Lucia Newell were featured on MPR's "The Morning Show" when they hosted their program in Fergus Falls at A Center for the Arts in October 1995.
Phil Heywood is a finger style guitarist who has also won many awards. His lucid playing encompasses the down home rhythmic groove of a Mississippi John Hurt or Leadbelly, and the sheer fluidity and flair of Leo Kottke. Heywood has played with Chet Atkins and many other well known musicians on NPR's A Prairie Home Companion.
Sam Miltich is a jazz guitarist born and raised in the woods of northern Minnesota. In addition to gypsy swing and traditional jazz, his musical interests include bluegrass, Brazilian choro, French musette, tamburitza, and other forms of traditional folk music. He is one of the youngest up and coming guitar players who has played all over the world.
Dakota Dave Hull is hailed by everyone from Dave Van Ronk to Doc Watson, from the Washington Post to DownBeat. His guitar style spans a wide musical geography to create an infectious, uniquely personal blend of jazz, ragtime, folk, blues, western swing and vintage pop.
Claudia Schmidt has been traversing North America and Europe for almost four decades and has recorded 14 albums of mostly original songs exploring folk, blues and jazz idioms featuring her acclaimed 12-string guitar and mountain dulcimer playing.
David Stoddard has won numerous awards including Kerrville New Folk, Minnesota New Folk, and the South Florida Folk Festival song contest. He has shared the stage with people like Leon Russell, Iris Dement, Rik Emmett, and Robin and Linda Williams.
At the West Central Area Guitar Summit, participants will get to interact with all of these incredibly talented guitarists! This is a unique opportunity to learn from these musicians, hear them play together, jam with them, and watch them improvise and collaborate with each other live. This is a great networking opportunity for musicians, presenters and audiences. The best part is that A Center for the Arts is offering all of this for an extremely affordable rate, especially for students. The various ticket prices are:
Weekend-Long Pass: $75 (12 workshops and 3 concerts)
Daily Pass: $40 (6 workshops and 1 concert)
Individual Workshops: $10 adults; $5 students/children
Individual Concerts: $15 adults; $5 students/children