Guitar Festival and Workshop

Program Overview

Sharpen skills, improve and explore new styles of playing with today’s top guitarists. The Guitar Festival and Workshop has opportunities for guitarists at all levels, from beginning to advanced and covers virtually all styles from jazz to folk.

The 2009 Guitar Festival and Workshop celebrates the guitar with hands-on workshops, master classes and evening concerts.  Participant evening concert tickets are included with paid daily registration fees.  Please contact Interlochen's Box Office to purchase additional guest concert tickets.

This year, the workshop features classical ensembles, flamenco ensembles, blues bands and rock bands.  Also new to this year’s festival are composition workshops and master classes led by Grammy winner Andrew York.  In addition to Andrew York, the classical faculty includes international competition winner Denis Azabagic, ornamentation and baroque music expert Frank Koonce and many more. Jazz legend Vic Juris, renowned performer and educator Corey Christiansen and others will provide our powerful Jazz faculty. Rock and blues faculty include veterans of the recordings and bands of Sons Seals, Kenny Loggins, Gloria Estefan, the Miami Sound Machine and others. Our acoustic faculty is led by Grammy winner and Wings veteran Laurence Juber. The Guitar Festival and Workshop once again offers unique and popular offerings for “wellness and joy in music,” exploring topics such as performance anxiety and Tai Chi for guitarists. Other courses will cover topics such as online resources for guitarists and recording. A vendor fair will allow guitarists to see the latest products for guitars. Participants will also have many opportunities to perform and jam with other guitarists.

We welcome all levels of ability and non playing aficionados to enjoy this experience.  We have a recommended schedule session guide for beginning, intermediate or advanced levels of ability.  Non-playing aficionados may audit all sessions, standard registration fees will apply.  A limited number of rental guitars are available, click here to request rental information.

Participants in the 2009 Guitar Festival and Workshop will have an opportunity to get a first-hand look at the Chapman Stick®, the revolutionary cousin to the guitar. Adopted in the 70s and 80s by Tony Levin, who performed with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, the two-handed, electric instrument helped popularize the tapping method of playing. The instrument’s inventor Emmett Chapman and master performer and teacher Greg Howard will be on hand to teach workshop classes and perform for Chapman Stick Workshop participants. Chapman will also teach sessions geared toward traditional six stringed guitarists.  Guitar Festival and Workshop participants will have the opportunity to attend some of the Chapman Stick Workshop sessions during the festival.  Further details will be discussed during the workshop opening meeting on Thursday, August 20, 2009.

Guitar Festival and Workshop classes will be held throughout the campus of Interlochen Center for the Arts and features Guitar Festival Concert Series' performances in Corson Auditorium.  Designed by Alden Dow and dedicated in 1975, Corson Auditorium seats 952 and is a beautiful, comfortable auditorium with excellent acoustics. Corson Auditorium hosts Interlochen Arts Academy, Interlochen Arts Camp and acclaimed guest artist performances every year.

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Listen to a message from Guitar Festival and Workshop director John Wunsch

Details

Cost: 

3-day Workshop Tuition $339
Daily Workshop Tuition $119

Dates: 

August 20-22, 2009

Registration deadline: 

Extended registration deadline is August 14, 2009. This program is limited to 200 participants who will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration will help ensure your enrollment. Registrations received after the program registration deadline will be processed as space permits with the approval of the Interlochen College of Creative Arts' Director.  Registration confirmation will be sent via e-mail once registration form and payment have been received and processed. Please complete one registration form per participant per program enrolled. Full tuition payment is required to be submitted with the completed registration form for each individual participant. 

Cancellation policy: 

Cancellations by the participant made before the program registration deadline are subject to a $75 non-refundable deposit. No tuition refunds will be given after the original registration deadline of August 1, 2009.  A full tuition refund will be issued if the event is cancelled. Tuition fees do not include housing and meal fees.