Workshops, Masterclasses, and an Extravaganza Concert Highlight Mandolin Symposium

The highlighted guest artist for the weekend is Mike Compton, a master mandolinist and teacher, who has made a career of studying Bill Monroe, a mandolinist who is the universally acknowledged founder of Bluegrass. Mr. Compton currently serves on the faculty of the East Tennessee State University Old Time/Bluegrass department. Joining him are two distinguished mandolinists, Tony Williamson, and Jonah Horton. Mr. Williamson has maintained one of the world’s great historical mandolin collections, and he will be bringing many of his prized possessions to the weekend. Also joining will be Jonah Horton, one of the most musically pioneering mandolinists of our time.

The Friday concert will feature a duo concert with Mr. Horton and Laura Boosinger. Ms. Boosinger is one our region’s most treasured Traditional musicians. She has performed with virtually every notable Traditional musician, and she has been a champion of a host of upcoming artists. She hosts the popular Down the Road podcast.

The three artists will conduct workshops/masterclasses on Saturday. Topics include:

• Mike Compton: "Country Cousins: Old-time Fiddling, Southern Blues and Bluegrass Breakdowns"
• Tony Williamson: “Sounds of the American Mandolin, from Bowl Back to Lloyd Loar”
• Jonah Horton: “Modern Mandolin Techniques”

To maintain a more intimate and personal environment, the workshop/masterclass attendees will be divided into three groups, with each group spending an hour with each artist, rotating among the three over the afternoon. The sessions are intended both for performers and non-performers.

The three master artists will highlight a Saturday evening extravaganza concert, joined by Laura Boosinger and renowned bassist Ron Shuffler. Also joining the concert are several notable local and regional mandolinists, including Mike Orlando, Jon Singleton, Jon Hill, and Karen Hales.