Crown Guitar Festival sets lineup

It’s the eighth year for the Crown Guitar Workshop and Festival, scheduled to take over Bigfork from Aug. 27 through Sept. 2.

The festival is all about guitar and is held at Flathead Lake Lodge, a luxury dude ranch situated along Flathead Lake.

Headlining the 2017 roster of Crown Artists in Residence will be two accomplished guitarists, multi-Grammy winner Jerry Douglas, a master of the Dobro resonator guitar, and returning electric slide guitar master Sonny Landreth, known for his innovative techniques on the instrument. They will collaborate in a new workshop class called “Slide-alicious,” one of eight guitar genre classes taught during the workshop week.

New artists teaching this year include the eclectic multi-instrumentalist David Lindley and classical guitar master and 2016 Grammy winner Jason Vieaux. Returning for a second time will be Nashville recording artist and blues guitarist Brent Mason along with Grammy winner Mike Stern — known for his progressive jazz and blues, and his wife Leni Stern, known for her stylizations of jazz with West African and world music. Also coming back for her third time will be guitarist and singer-songwriter Emily Elbert.

CROWN WORKSHOP CLASSES

The faculty of master guitar professionals will offer personalized instruction in small classes with a non-competitive and supportive environment. The class roster includes:

“Classical” with Jason Vieaux and Lynn McGrath.

“Singer Songwriter” with Greg Horne, Emily Elbert and guests.

“Americana” and “Finger Style” led by Doug Smith with Jerry Douglas.

“Slide A-Z” with Ben Peeler and Sonny Landreth, plus special guests.

“Advanced Rock & Blues” with James Hogan and David Lindley.

“Intermediate Rock & Blues” with Dennis McCumber and Brent Mason.

“Jazz 360” with Mark Dziuba and Mike Stern.

“Beginner & More” with Tim Torgerson and special guests.

An early bird discount is offered through March 31 to attend the workshop. A scholarship program for Western Montana residents is also available.

Visit www.crownguitarfest.org, call 855-855-5900 or email dkautzman@crownguitar.org for details.

FESTIVAL LINEUP

Each of the acclaimed artists in residence will be performing in one of five public concerts during the week. They will be collaborating with the other artists in residence, the teaching faculty and the select international fellowship students. The concerts are presented on a professionally lit and amplified stage inside the Crown Festival tent. Here is the 2017 concert schedule:

Aug. 29 — Jerry Douglas and Brent Mason

Aug. 30 — David Lindley and Emily Elbert

Aug. 31 — Mike Stern and Jason Vieaux

Sept. 1 — Rising Stars and Master Mentors

Sept. 2 — Slide-a-thon with Sonny Landreth and guests

All-session VIP concert tickets are now on sale for $160 at www.crownguitarfest.org.