Great music combines with education at guitar fest
Sixteen scholarships have been awarded by the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation.
The scholarships will be used at this year’s Crown of the Continent Guitar Workshop and Festival Aug. 24-31 in Bigfork.
The workshops provide opportunity to learn from internationally renowned guitar artists and teachers during a week of workshops in jazz, classic rock, blues, classical, singer-songwriter, acoustic and beginner. Now in its fifth year, the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation produces an annual event at Flathead Lake Lodge.
This year the students will study with Ana Popovic a former female blues artist of the year, jazz legend Mike Stern and his wife, vocalist and guitarist Leni Stern; rocker Dweezil Zappa, singer/songwriter Shelby Lynne, jazz legend Lee Ritenour, classical guitar master David Leisner, soul hit-maker John Oates of Hall & Oates and up-and-coming jazz guitarist/singer Emily Elbert.
This year’s breakout scholarship student just might be Harlem’s “King” Solomon Hicks, who was elected to receive a scholarship by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He’s been the lead guitarist for the Cotton Club’s All Stars Band since he was 13.
Other talented Montana performers who won scholarships include Karl Ross Berdimurat and Brett Bullockof Kalispell, Nick Spear, and Lucas Mace of Whitefish, and Dan Dubuque of Polson. Student winners from Montana include Stephen Cooke of Eureka, Josiah Dunham of Lakeside, Nathaniel Nigg of Kalispell and Jackson Wynne of Bigfork.
about the shows
Artists in Residence will share their musical passion with workshop students, then every night the public will be treated to music experiences as the artists perform onstage in six Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival concerts. The workshop atmosphere fosters a creative energy that will be evident in each of the six Festival concerts. “Expect some surprise additions to the concert stage each night,” David Feffer, Guitar Foundation board chair, said. “These artists all really love to play and they enjoy collaborating with each other.”
He cites the Aug. 26 concert featuring Shelby Lynne as the best example. “It will be the world’s best finale,” Feffer said. “For the first time in the history of the Crown all the artists will be on campus at the same time and Lynne has invited them to join her onstage for a grand finale performance.”
To get the audience warmed up there will be three pre-show performances at three restaurants in Bigfork featuring the alumni and workshop scholarship winners. Guitarists are scheduled to perform on Monday, Aug. 25, at ShowThyme, Aug. 27 at Grill 459 and Aug. 28 at the Bigfork Inn from 5-7 p.m. allowing plenty of time for the audience to enjoy a meal before the evening concerts.
The Guitar Extravaganza on Aug. 30 will showcase several artists.
Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. for this concert with food and beverages offered by Flathead Lake Lodge and vendors. Between 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. young outstanding artists will be featured on an outdoor stage. Adding to the dude ranch atmosphere, Flathead Lake Lodge will be greeting the patrons on horseback and putting on a calf-roping exhibition.
Since the Guitar Foundation is a nonprofit organization, a fundraising raffle and a series of auctions featuring collector grade guitars will be held all weeklong. To buy tickets online visit the website cocguitarfoundation.tix.com or call 855-855-5900.