Second Annual Accent On Music Guitar Seminar
Featuring John Renbourn, Alex De Grassi and Mark Hanson

View Photo Gallery from 1999 Seminar

October 11, 1999

Our second annual Accent On Music guitar seminar is now history. It was a great week of interaction between John Renbourn, Alex de Grassi, and me, and about two dozen attendees. The students came from all over the country, from Virginia to Alaska. One gentlemen traveled all the way from Taiwan!

Among other activities, the seminar featured group workshops, mini-master classes, and private lessons. Several evenings we had exciting performances from guest artists, including my cohorts Doug Smith and Terry Robb from the Acoustic Guitar Summit, and harp guitarist John Doan. (Tunes from Doug and me have been playing on the Martha Stewart Show recently. Check it out!)

On Thursday and Friday evenings our attendees were featured in a student recital. The level of artistry was high, no matter the technical ability of the students (which ranged from intermediate-level accompaniment playing to professional-level virtuosity). Plus, many students took advantage of the rare opportunity to have Renbourn, de Grassi, or me back them up as they performed. Great fun!

During the Saturday morning workshop the three instructors demonstrated ensemble arranging techniques. We worked through our trio arrangements of the Irish ballad "Foggy Dew" and the Fahey/Kottke/Sam McGee kicker "Last Steam Engine Train." It also was a good warm-up for our Saturday evening public concert.

Saturday afternoon everyone took a well-deserved rest in preparation for the concert at St. Anne's Chapel at Marylhurst University. About 250 people attended Saturday evening's performance. I opened the show. After several guitar solos, my wife Greta Pedersen joined me for our versions of "The Water Is Wide" and Sippie Wallace's "Women Be Wise." Alex came on-stage next and presented a scintillating 40-minute set of his compositions. After intermission, John played a wonderful set of instrumentals and ballads. To cap the evening, the three of us performed the aforementioned trio arrangements. A fantastically appreciative audience gave us a standing ovation!

On Sunday morning everyone said goodbye and headed for home, nursing their tender fingertips, and making plans to attend again next year. Hope you can come too!

Mark Hanson