SC Guitar Camp 2002

June 17-21, 2002

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ARTIST/FACULTY:

Elliot Frank, Mike Connors, Alan Knight, Rod Lewis, Greg Shirer, Andrew Zohn

Andrew Zohn

Guitarist, composer/arranger Andrew Zohn has distinguished himself as one of the foremost young musicians in America. He has been hailed as "One of the finest guitarists of his generation." -Anthony Morris, host of the nationally syndicated radio program, Guitar Alive. "His sensitive touch and tasteful musicality shaped each phrase in a way that was easy to understand and enjoy. Both the aficionado and the concert performer would be moved by Zohn’s obvious command of the instrument and repertoire…A stellar preformer!"- Washington D.C.  Society Newsletter. Soundboard Magazine has described him as possessing "excellent musicality and awareness of style." Classical Guitar Magazine has described his arrangements as "charming and entirely convincing. More of the same please!" His ability on the instrument has earned prizes in five national and international competitions including the 1997 Stotsenberg International Solo Competition, the 1992 and 1993 Guitar Foundation of America International Competition, the 1992 Music Teachers’ National Collegiate Artist Competition, and the 1992 Kingsville Young Artist international Competition. In addition to concertizing throughout North America and in Europe as a soloist, Andrew Zohn has been active as a chamber musician and orchestral soloist. He has been a featured artist with, among others, the New World Symphony, and the Richardson Symphony in Dallas. Recent performances include venues in Houston, Washington D.C., Toronto, and Imperia, Italy.

Andrew Zohn holds a doctorate of music degree from Florida State University where he served as a teaching assistant, a master of music from the University of Texas, and a bachelor’s degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has been a faculty member of Birmingham Southern College, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Currently, he resides in Georgia, and serves on the faculty of Columbus State University. He is the founder and director of the annual CSU Guitar Symposium and Competition. He also currently serves on the faculty of the Seminari di Primavera Corso Internazionale in Italy, and is a frequently invited guest artist and clinician at music festivals and seminars around the United States.

Andrew Zohn began composing for the guitar in 1998, and has already received commissions for new works from La Flame Records, Canada, and the Campbell University Foundation for the Arts. Original compositions by Andrew Zohn are published through Les Productions D’Oz, Canada, and his transcriptions for guitar are available through Tuscany Publications. Andrew Zohn’s debut recording, A GUITAR RECITAL, is made available through www.classicalguitarstudio.com.

Elliot Frank

Guitarist Elliot Frank has appeared in recital and as concerto soloist throughout the Americas. His recitals have earned enthusiastic accolades from both critics and audiences alike. He is a prize winner in two international competitions, the Concurso Internacional de la Casa de Espa–a in San Juan, and the Concurso Internacional de Guitarra, "Alirio D’az," in Caracas. He has appeared as featured soloist with the North Carolina Symphony, and has appeared in solo recitals for the Memphis Classical Guitar Society, the Dallas Guitar Society, the Piedmont Guitar Society, the Richmond Classic Guitar Society, and the Museum of Colonial Art in Caracas. An aficionado of guitar music of hispanic cultures, he has performed lecture/recitals pertaining to the music of Antonio Lauro for the Guitar Foundation of America at international festivals in Pasadena and New Orleans. His most recent appearances have included performances at the North Carolina Bach Festival, the Appalachian Guitar Fest, Columbus State University Guitar Symposium, and the East Carolina University Summer Guitar Festival, where he also serves as Artistic Director.

Elliot Frank was selected to initiate the guitar studies program for East Carolina University and is currently teaching there in addition to maintaining an active concert schedule. His students have earned awards on state, regional, and national levels, including national first prize of the Music Teacher's National Association Wurlitzer Young Artist Competition.

Greg Shirer

Greg Shirer, a native of New Orleans, has been
the director of the BTW Magnet High School Classical
Guitar Program in Montgomery, Alabama since 1990 and
teaches guitar at Auburn University Montgomery. Mr.
Shirer received his Bachelor of Music degree from
Stetson University in DeLand, Florida where he was the
first guitarist to win the Stetson University Concerto
Competition, and received his Master of Music degree
from the University of South Carolina where he was the
graduate teaching assistant to Christopher Berg. Mr.
Shirer has also been a student of the great Spanish
guitarist Pepe Romero since 1988.

Selected to become a member of Who's Who Among
American Teachers in 2000, Mr. Shirer has performed on
Public Radio and Television stations and in concert
throughout the southeast United States. In addition to
his guitar activities, Mr. Shirer holds the rank of
Sandan (3rd degree black belt) in U.S.Yoshukai Karate

Rod Lewis

Rod Lewis began studying classical guitar with David Harris in 1984. He received his BA degree in music education in 1986 and began teaching high school band and classroom music. Rod received his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in performance at the University of South Carolina where he studied under Christopher Berg.

In addition to his formal training, he has studied in masterclasses with many artists including William Kannengiser, Christopher Parkening, David Russell, Ricardo Cobo and Nikita Koshkin, among others.

Rod has performed extensively since 1982 in many styles of music. He has worked as a studio guitarist and has given solo performances throughout North and South Carolina, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 1997, he performed the opening concert of the Fretworks Series at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. He is also an active performer in chamber music settings and as accompanist for Madrigal groups and other choral groups such as The Sandlapper Singers. In addition to formal performance, Rod is very busy providing music for weddings, banquets, churches, etc.

Rod has been featured on South Carolina Educational Radio on the program Holding on to My Baton with Nicholas Smith. He has served as guest artist/faculty of several summer workshops and has adjudicated scholarship competitions for pre-college string players as well as the MTNA southern division performance competition. He currently teaches guitar and music theory at Columbia International University where he has served since 1990.

Alan Knight

A New Orleans, Louisiana native, Alan began performing on the guitar at age 11.  Since then his musical interests and performances have spanned everything from Brazilian jazz to 20th century concert pieces for solo guitar.  His many appearances in recital and for radio and television broadcasts have brought his unique and eclectic style to a wide variety of music lovers.   Alan is currently teaching guitar and guitar ensemble at Augusta College in Augusta, Georgia, and at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina.

Mr. Knight is a member of the Harris/Knight guitar duo.  The duo, formed in 1993, is particularly successful in promoting the warm, subtle sound of the classical guitar.  Their eclectic approach to programming appeals to a broad audience.  They are enthusiastic about performing new and original arrangements and their programs contain a wide range of repertoire from several countries including many different styles.

Mike Connors

Mike Connors teaches guitar at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, serves as an Arts And Healing^TM Musician at The South Carolina Cancer Center, and operates a classical guitar teaching studio in Columbia. Since finishing his Masters Degree at USC in 1992, he has pursued studies at Cordoba (Spain), Domaine Forget (Quebec), and in numerous masterclasses. He is also trained in Kindermusik. His students have earned honors, scholarships, and awards, and they perform often. He has been the Director of the Summer Guitar Camp in Columbia SC since its inception in 1991. He has performed with the SC Philharmonic and as a recitalist for the Columbia Guitar Society.

An avid collector of classical guitar sheet music, Mr. Connors maintains the syllabus for several college guitar programs, owns and operates classicalguitarstudio.com, and brings music exhibits to guitar festivals. He is also the web developer  for the The Columbia Guitar Society.