Workshops
- Tickets for Workshops must be purchased separately
Carl Tosten
Creative Guitar: Getting Out Of the Norm
Sunday, May 14 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Civic Garden Club - 622 South Second St. La Conner, WA
As an artist representative & traveling clinician for several major manufacturers — including Yamaha and Dean Markley, Gibson Guitars, Tacoma Guitars and Behringer— Carl has had the opportunity to perform and conduct workshops and product demonstrations throughout the US and in Europe.
“Carl Tosten writes songs layered with warmth, intelligence, oblique humor, and astute observation of human nature. His dynamic vocals and rhythmic, percussive guitar style fill his live performances with intense energy, stories, and songs that captivate and inspire his audiences. One of the most unique talents of the day.” —Bill Gonder, Gibson Montana
Eric Tingstad
Solid Foundations: Playing From The Heart
Saturday, May 13 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Civic Garden Club - 622 South Second St. La Conner, WA
Eric Tingstad is a Grammy Award winning multi-genre record producer, musician and songwriter / composer and performer. Best known as a fingerstyle guitarist, Tingstad has performed, recorded and produced Alternative Country, Blues, Americana, Rock, Smooth Jazz and Ambient / New Age music.
Inspired by the landscape, nature and our stories, he describes his music as being rootsy guitar with a refined earthy twang. Being classically trained, it is careful, articulate and he strives to make every note count. Invoking a thick and gritty sense of subtle beauty, it is music for deep thinkers, adventurers, explorers and quite often will conjure the spirit of First Nations peoples and those that live close to the land.
Eric lives close to Seattle where he inhabits his studio full time, occasionally breaking out to perform as a soloist or with his duos. His 2015 release "Mississippi" was #1 at radio, #2 in the Top 100 for the year, and was nominated for "Album of the Year."
Tim Farrell
The Acoustic Guitar Music of The Beatles
Saturday, May 13 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Civic Garden Club - 622 South Second St. La Conner, WA
With so many guitarists trying to make their mark these days, it’s not easy being a “trailblazer.” Yet, that perfectly defines Tim Farrell. His fingerstyle playing and original compositions display an elegant simplicity that celebrates the purity of the acoustic guitar. Tim is a rare kind of musician, with the ability to both entertain an audience and inspire future generations of players.
Bill Mize
“Aha Moments and Special Ingredients”
– Spicing up your Arrangements and Compositions
Saturday, May 13 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Civic Garden Club - 622 South Second St. La Conner, WA
Applauded by critics and guitar enthusiasts alike for his composition, tone, emotion and smooth "multi-part" style, Tennessee guitarist Bill Mize is a past winner of The National Finger- style Guitar Competition at The Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. Bill's music is featured on the Grammy-winning recording, Stellaluna, as well as popular guitar compilations Windham Hill Guitar Sampler by Windham Hill Records and Masters of the Acoustic Guitar by Narada Records. Bill tours nationwide and is a frequent clinician / performer at guitar camps including the Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina, and Steve Kaufmann's Guitar Camp in Tennessee.
Steve Davison & Peter Janson
Performance 101: Take Your Music From the Living Room To The Stage
Saturday, May 13 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Civic Garden Club - 622 South Second St. La Conner, WA
Steve Davison is a 2 time finalist and 2005 winner of the solo competition at the Arkansas Acoustic Music Festival and a finalist in the 2009 Merle Travis Fingerstyle Competition. Mr. Davison was a featured performer on Arkansas Educational Network Television’s “AETN Presents” broadcast and his music was also used as a soundtrack for another AETN production, “The Historic Bridges of Arkansas”.
Peter Janson is an award-winning contemporary fingerstyle acoustic guitarist, composer, and music educator. He has performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, the Argenta Acoustic Music Series in Little Rock, the WUMB Music Festival in Boston, and venues throughout North America. His contemporary solo guitar music fuses jazz, classical, and world-folk styles, and blends passion, artistry, and technical mastery as he weaves songs about life and the heart.
Tim Lerch
Swing Rhythm Guitar and Chord Melody in the style of the early Masters
Saturday, May 13 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Civic Garden Club - 622 South Second St. La Conner, WA
Currently one of the Pacific Northwest's busiest and most well respected guitarists, Tim is the newest member of the legendary Northwest Gypsy Jazz Group Pearl Django. In between gigs with PD Tim tries to play as many Solo Guitar performance as he can fit into the schedule. Tim also plays regularly with former Roomfull Of Blues frontman Mark Dufresne, Harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar, the Tim Lerch Trio. Also a sought after session guitarist, Tim records frequently in Seattle and Vancouver.
Trevor Gordon Hall
Technique Building, Inspiration, And The Creative Process
Sunday, May 14 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Civic Garden Club - 622 South Second St. La Conner, WA
Rated one of the top 30 guitarists in the world under 30 years of age by Acoustic Guitar magazine, Trevor Gordon Hall is an instrumentalist from whose compositions range in style from edgy driving rhythms to soft melodic phrases. Trevor lead the development of the instrument now known as the Kalimbatar and performs all over the world.
Tracy Moore
Beyond the Roar and the Thunder: The Art of the 12 String Guitar
Sunday, May 14 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Civic Garden Club - 622 South Second St. La Conner, WA
Guitar music that is delicate, dynamic, serious and often whimsical flow from Tracy Moore and his 12 String Guitar. Trained in Classical Guitar and Renaissance Lute, Moore's reputation as a premier 12 String Guitarist has attracted the attention of the national press, including Guitar Player and Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Their rave reviews and feature articles on Camano Island's finger-style composer/performer have placed Moore in the ranks of the top solo steel string guitarists.
Whether in performance or in a workshop setting, Tracy Moore’s passion for the 12 String Guitar is clearly evident.
Michael Gurian
Plus a Panel of Some of Today's Top Luthiers
Open Forum: The Ifs, Ands, & Buts of Lutherie
Saturday, May 13 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Maple Hall / Upstairs — 104 Commercial, La Conner, WA
Michael Gurian is, quite simply, a living legend in the world of lutherie. A product of the Greenwich Village scene of the 1960s, he started out making and repairing classical guitars, ouds and lutes. As his business grew, Gurian expanded to steel string guitars and eventually created one of the first “boutique” guitar factories of the modern era. To this day, he continues to bridge the old world with the new with his creations.
Though Gurian's focus has changed from building to supplying guitar makers with many of the needed components, his instruments continue to be coveted by musicians and collectors. David Lindley, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan are just a few of the famous players who have owned Gurians.
(Forum is included with general admission ticket)
Steve Korn
Tools of the Trade: Photographing Your Instruments
Sunday, May 14 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Maple Hall / Upstairs — 104 Commercial, La Conner, WA
We are very pleased to have been able to arrange a special workshop for our exhibiting luthiers with Seattle professional photographer and University of Washington, School of Music - Artist in Residence, Steve Korn.
Photographing instruments can be tricky, but it’s critical for the business of the luthier, and can make a huge difference in how the work is perceived. Given the time invested in building each handcrafted instrument, having great photographs that present the work at its best is important. The La Conner Guitar Festival strives to help support and build the art of lutherie, so this “Tools of the Trade” workshop is primarily for our exhibiting luthiers, but we are making a limited number of tickets available for the general public.
