Contemporary Stringband Workshop
Somewhere beyond or behind all musical borders lies a creative terrain where bluegrass, jazz, classical, pop, and various world musics mingle, played by musicians who care more for inspiration than they do for genre.
Our Contemporary String Band Workshop is designed to take you there, and there is no better guide than Darol Anger and his fellow faculty members. A founding member of the Turtle Island String Quartet, Darol’s career has long
been dedicated to finding common ground among disparate styles and drawing the most from them.
Guitar virtuoso and composer Scott Nygaard is a long-time collaborator of Darol’s, and is one of the anchors of his most recent project, Republic of Strings.
Also from the ROS is the brilliant young Tristan Clarridge, playing both cello and fiddle. Tristan is a four-time National Fiddle
Champion and is the youngest person ever to win that title.
Mandolin virtuoso Matt Flinner has made a career out of playing acoustic music in new ways. Starting out as a banjo prodigy who was playing bluegrass 
festivals before he entered his teens, Flinner later took up the mandolin, won the National Banjo Competition in Winfield, KS in 1990, and won the mandolin award there the following year. He moved to Nashville in 1999 and is now widely considered one of the hottest and most creative mandolin players on the acoustic scene.
You’ll sit side by side with these amazing musicians and receive focused coaching from them throughout the workshop. Improvising, supporting other players and bringing out your own unique creativity will be at the heart of the experience. The focus will be on small ensemble playing, and you’ll get plenty of opportunity to apply the things you learn right away.
The workshop will be intimate—a maximum of 30 participants—and is open to players of fiddle, guitar, mandolin and cello. If you have a solid musical foundation and an enthusiasm for musical adventure, you’ll have an unforgettable experience.
You'll stay in beautiful and historic housing at Fort Worden State Park, enjoying organic, locally-produced food.
Contemporary Stringband Workshop:
November 13-16, 2008
Fort Worden State Park
Port Townsend, WA
Fee (includes, tuition, housing, food): $625
