Evening Concert 2023
The Twelveth-Annual Fingerstyle Guitar Evening Concert features world-class acoustic guitarists whose captivating performances will raise your spirits!
The show features the Top-3 Winners of our earlier Competition as well as Mark Cruz, Edgar Cruz, and Michael Kelsey.
Mark Cruz won the 2022 Indiana Championship and is a professor of guitar at Texas State University. He won the International Fingerstyle Competition in 2013 and has been a featured artist at the Eastfield Guitar Festival, Classical Minds Festival, and many others. Mark has toured Europe, performed with Tommy Emmanuel, and has twice been a soloist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic performing Vivaldi concerti. He has also performed countless times with his brother, Edgar Cruz, famed for his solo guitar transcription of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Edgar Cruz has been a headliner at the prestigious Chet Atkins Guitar Festival every July in Nashville since 1995 and has been a strong icon at major art & music festivals in Oklahoma since the late 70’s. Those who have witnessed Cruz’s performance immediately become entranced at the precision, speed and complexity with which his fingers strike the strings of his guitar to create a symphony of sound unusual to just one instrument. Edgar has recorded Nineteen CDs covering a multitude of genres and two award-winning DVDs.
Michael Kelsey brings a free-flowing improvisational style to the guitar that involves every inch of his instrument. From his funky, percussive playing style that conjures an image of a one-man version of STOMP to lush instrumentals reminiscent of Michael Hedges/Phil Keaggy, his performance blends multiple musical genres and vocals along with some techno fun to create a sound all his own. He is the winner of Guitar Center’s “Guitarmageddon”. Chosen from among 3,000 entrants the singer-songwriter performed at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads 2004 where he shared the stage with many legendary guitarists. Throughout a performance, Michael may make use of technology, his improv skills, objects in the room, and audience interaction to make music for the ears but more importantly a musical experience for the senses.
General Admission tickets are available, as well as VIP seats for the first 5 rows.
Details
Date: Saturday July 29, 2023
Time: 7:30pm ~ 10:00pm
Venue
Location: Brown County Playhouse
70 S. Van Buren St.
Nashville, IN 47448
Phone: 812-988-6555
CHRISTIE LENÉE
Acoustic Guitarist of the Year” and celebrated singer/songwriter Christie Lenée is more than a musician – she’s an experience. Symphonic compositions flow from her fingertips effortlessly, with sound ranging from transcendental folk-pop to virtuosic instrumentals.
Christie is often described as ‘Michael Hedges meets Joni Mitchell and Dave Matthews,” integrating melodic pop lyricism with catchy hooks and percussive, harmonic textures. Her captivating performances have been seen on stages with Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), Andy McKee, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Melissa Etheridge, Antigone Rising, Kaki King, Jake Shimabukoro and Christopher Cross to name a few. Christie has released five albums, with “STAY” one of three finalists for “Best CD of 2016” (Indie Acoustic Project Awards).