Interlochen to hold first-ever Guitar Institute

INTERLOCHEN, Mich. - Interlochen Center for the Arts will hold the inaugural Interlochen Guitar Institute from August 24 to 26. The three-day festival is open to players at any level of expertise and will feature multiple workshops during the day and concerts in the evening.

One concert will incorporate previously unreleased performance footage of acoustic guitar legend Michael Hedges. Attendees will also have the option to perform for each other.

Participants will concentrate on finger-style skills while exploring jazz, flamenco, classical and contemporary alternative acoustic styles. The award-winning group of instructors includes Alex deGrassi, William Kanengiser, Bruce Dunlap, John Wunsch and John Stropes.

“Interlochen has a long history in music education,” said Interlochen Arts Academy Guitar Instructor John Wunsch, “but this is something very new. Interlochen has never had this kind of opportunity for guitar players outside of our Camp or Academy. We are also pleased that we can share the Interlochen experience with guitarists of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced.”

The three-day festival is just one offering of the new Interlochen College of Creative Arts, which opens opportunities for artistic expression to individuals of all ages and skill levels. “This program is a good example of what the College of Creative Arts is all about,” explained Peter Colson, director of the program. “Whether they are professional or amateur, there are too few opportunities for artists to get together to learn from each other. This is a wonderful venue to do just that.”

The Interlochen Guitar Institute will build on an established guitar program. Wunsch has taught at Interlochen Arts Academy for 11 years and has helped students find their way into some of the country’s most prestigious music programs in the United States and abroad, including the Eastman School of Music, Peabody, USC, The Royal Academy of Music, Berklee and Cal Arts.

The program takes place on the world-renown Interlochen campus, an inspiring 1,200-acre wooded setting with multiple classrooms, performance and rehearsal spaces, and accommodations. It is the same setting that for nearly eight decades has attracted the world’s most talented and motivated young artists, who come to the Interlochen Arts Academy boarding fine arts high school, and the summer Interlochen Arts Camp.

The deadline for registration is Aug. 10, 2006 and more information can be found online at www.interlochen.org/college
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Interlochen Center for the Arts is the only community in the world that brings together:
- year-round opportunities for hundreds of adults to engage in fulfilling artistic and creative programs
- a 2200-student summer camp program
- a 500-student fine arts boarding high school with college-prep academics
- a 155-student independent pre-K through 8th-grade day school and summer day camp
- two 24-hour listener-supported public radio services (classical music and news)
- 600 arts presentations annually by students, faculty and world-renowned guest artists
- and a global alumni base spanning eight decades, including a galaxy of arts luminaries.

Learn more about the Interlochen Center for the Arts, online at www.interlochen.org.


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