Following formal studies in classical guitar in Amsterdam, Dutch Guitar legend Jan Akkerman came to international prominence and lead guitarist with progressive rock band "Focus" in the early seventies when he wrote two top-selling singles “Sylvia” and “Hocus Pocus.”
Focus also enjoyed a string of hit albums on both sides of the Atlantic including “Moving Waves,” “Focus 111” and “Focus Live At The Rainbow.”
During his time with Focus, Jan was voted the World’s greatest guitarist ahead of Eric Clapton in the prestigious Melody Maker Poll.
Following his decision to leave Focus in the late seventies, Jan has continued to release a string of successful albums (twenty to date), while maintaining his ground breaking work in the neo-classical jazz/rock field.
With the release of his back catalogue and the ever increasing interest in Focus, Jan's international reputation has skyrocketed with frequent tours throughout Europe, England and Ireland.
A limited edition CD “Live At Alexanders” was released early in 2000 to tremendous acclaim and is yet another in a long line of “essential” purchases for guitarists and music fans alike.
Jan is, beyond question, one of the most respected guitarists in the business with an unbelievable technique and emotional sensitivity that few guitarists ever achieve. His concerts outside Holland are increasingly rare and his appearance at the St. Joseph International Guitar Festival and following US tour will be his first in the US for nearly a decade.

Jan will be performing Thursday July, 17 at the Christian Science Church, a site of the St. Joseph Museum.12th and Felix, St. Joseph, Missouri. Click here for ticket info.

For more information about Jan Akkerman see:
http://www.JanAkkerman.com

Anthony Glise
(Lille, France/St. Joseph, USA)

The only American-born guitarist to win First Prize at the International Toscanini Competition (Italy), Anthony Glise is a product of the Konservatorium der Stadt (Vienna) and the New England Conservatory (Boston) with additional study at Harvard, Université Catholique de Lille (France) and the Accademia di Studi “L'Ottocento” (Italy).
A Pulitzer Prize Nominee for composition, Anthony has been awarded diplomas and performed at such festivals as Festival des Artes (Hautecombe), Ville Sable (France), ARCUM (Rome), and the Nemzetközi Gitárfesztivál (Hungary). In addition to traditional classical repertoire, concerts often include 19th-Century works performed on a priceless 1828 Staufer Viennese guitar.
Anthony’s commitment to the art has led to many diversified activities. His writings have been published extensively in The Soundboard (US), Guitar International (England) and Gitarre und Laute (Germany). He has acted as an Artist-in-Residence and Touring Artist for a number of US state arts councils and similar European programs. He is also the editor of the internationally-acclaimed series of guitar music, “The Anthony Glise Editions,” published by Willis Music Company and “The Anthony Glise Urtext Editions” by Mel Bay Publications.
An active composer, Anthony’s original compositions have been premiered in such cities as New York, Chicago, Rome, Vienna, Lille (France) and Esztergom (Hungary).
His recordings are distributed world-wide and include traditional works (solo, chamber, orchestral and ballet) as well as original compositions for such labels as Éclipse (France), Young Recording Artists (USA) and Dorian Recordings (USA). His first album, Overview, was chosen as one of the year’s “Top-5 Classical Releases” by Vienna Life Magazine.
Anthony lectures and teaches at the Academy for the Study of 19th-Century Music (Italy) and Festival Sablonceaux (France), and when not on tour, he lives and teaches part-time in the Flandres region of Northern France, part-time in the Black Forest region of Germany and part-time in the US.

Mr. Glise proudly endorses:
Guitars by: Gioachino Giussani (Anghiari-Arezzo, Italy), http://www.fana.co.jp/giussani.html
Strings by: E&O Mari—LaBella (New York), http://www.labella.com
Amplifiers by: Marshall Amplification, Ltd. (London, England), http://www.marshallamps.com
Microphones by: Audio Technica (US). http://www.audio-technica.com

For further documentation on Anthony Glise, see the websites for the above firms as well as:
• Summerfield, Maurice. The Classic Guitar. It’s Evolution, Players and Personalities since 1800. London: Ashley Mark Publishing, 2002.
• Who’s Who in America. New Providence: Marquis, 2003-present.
• Guitar Foundation of America Archives (attn: Music Library, University of Ohio, Columbus).

Anthony will be performing with the Sugita/Glise Duo on Wednesday July, 16 at the Missouri Western State College Theater, St. Joseph, Missouri and again on Friday July, 18 at the Missouri Theater (8th and Edmond) with the Nova Project. Click here for ticket info.

For more information about Anthony Glise see:
http://www.AnthonyGlise.com

Ken Augustine Sugita
(Lille, France)

Ken Sugita began his violin studies at the age of three in his native Japan. He made his first major concert tour as a featured soloist with some of the leading orchestras in the US, at the age of nine.
At the age of 14, while studying in Scotland, he became the first Japanese-born musician to be awarded the Governor’s Prize for Music in Edinburgh.
Following additional studies and concert activity in Tokyo, New York, Boston, and San Francisco. this period included extensive work with the noted violin-pedagogue, Dorothy DeLay who also taught Itzhak Perlman, Nigel Kennedy, Sholmo Mintz, et al). In 1979 Ken accepted the position as the youngest concert master in the history of the Boston Philharmonic, under the baton of Maestro Benjamin Zander.
Ken currently lives in Northern France where he is violinist with the Orchestre National de Lille (France). He is also a founding member of the renowned, Trio Parnasse (France) and soloist for the chamber orchestra, Stella di Venezia.
A highly successful arranger and composer, Ken focuses his original works on sacred music and traditional and electronic compositions for the theater.
Ken appears in concert regularly as soloist throughout Europe, Japan, Russia, South America and the US.

Ken will be performing with the Sugita/Glise Duo on Wednesday July, 16 at the Missouri Western State College Theater, St. Joseph, Missouri and again on Friday July, 18 at the Missouri Theater (8th and Edmond) with the Nova Project. Click here for ticket info.

For more information about Ken Sugita see:
http://www.KenSugita.com

Sugita / Glise Duo
(US / France)

Ken Sugita and Anthony Glise met in Boston in 1980 and made their first US tour together that same year, beginning with a highly-acclaimed concert at New York's Lincoln Center, sponsored by the New York Guitar Society. From that moment on, their choice of repertoire and contagious joy on stage has continued to make the duo a favorite of concert audiences.
They have recorded numerous CDs for Éclipse Recordings (France) with repertoire that includes traditional works for violin / guitar, as well as their own transcriptions and original compositions - most recently for the up-coming series of CDs of The Nova Project®.
For over 20 years the Sugita / Glise Duo has performed together throughout the US, France, Austria, Italy and Germany, as well as numerous radio and television appearances.

The Sugita/Glise Duo will be performing on Wednesday July, 16 at the Missouri Western State College Theater, St. Joseph, Missouri. Click here for ticket info.

See individual bios above.

Dr. Robert Trent
(Radford University, Radford, USA)

As a soloist, performer of chamber music and concerti, Robert Trent has performed on the continents of North and South America and in Europe. He has performed and recorded with the Grove Guitar Quartet. Dr. Trent also performs frequently on an original instrument from the early 19th c. both in solo recital and with fortepianist Pamela Swenson annually in Europe (as Duo Firenze) and as lutenist.
Dr. Trent has been a first prize winner in the Webb National Guitar Competition and the Masterworks Young Artist Competition. Duo Firenze was a Prize winner at the Concorso Internazionale "Arturo Toscanini" in Italy.
Committed to teaching as well as performing, Dr. Trent, at the age of 21,
was formerly director of guitar studies at Westminster Choir College-Conservatory and Trenton State College. In past summers he and Pamela Swenson-Trent have been in residence as performers and teachers in period instrument performance practice at the "Accademia L'Ottocento" in Rome and Verbania. He was one of fifty Fellows selected internationally to participate in the 1994 Aston Magna Academy.
  Dr. Trent is the first and only recipient of the Doctor of Musical Arts in Guitar at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University where he studied guitar with Julian Gray and Manuel Barrueco and lute with Ronn McFarlane. He is currently Director of Guitar and Lute Studies at Radford University in Radford, VA.
  Duo Firenze is the only ensemble which includes guitar to have been invited to perform at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts as part of it's Millennium Series. Dr. Trent's debut CD with Duo Firenze, entitled Italian Nocturnes: Early Music for Guitar and Fortepiano, is distributed worldwide and has received accolades from as far as the Asian continent.

Dr. Trent will be performing Tuesday July, 15 at the Missouri Western State College Theater, St. Joseph, Missouri. Click here for ticket info.

For more information about Dr. Trent see.
http://www.radford.edu/~rstrent

Randall Avers

When 17-year old Randall Avers captured second prize in the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America's International Competition in 1991, he became the youngest finalist in the competition's history and earned immediate recognition as one of America's top young guitar players. He has gone on to earn seven additional awards in international competitions including the Guitarists of Leadership and Distinction Competition (G.O.L.D.), the Yamaha Music Competition, and the XXème Concours Internationale de Guitare "Rene Bartoli."
Avers has performed in festivals and concerts throughout North America, Europe, Africa and in the Middle East. In 1998, he was selected to be an Artistic Ambassador of the United States and toured North Africa and Egypt teaching, lecturing and performing American Jazz and classical music.
Away from the concert stage, Avers is an instructor, lecturer, arranger and composer. His collection of guitar duos, Twelve Silly Songs for Twelve Silly Strings, co-composed with Rami Vamos, has been performed internationally by various artists including the Newman-Oltman Duo. "Vistas," his 1996 solo recording debut, has received praise from both critics and musicians. His second solo recording is due to be released this year.
Beginning his musical studies at age 6, Avers obtained degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory (BM) and the University of Arizona (MM). Prior to obtaining his MM, Avers attended the Conservatoire Nationale Supériere de Musique et de Danse in Paris, where he became the first American to receive first prizes in both classical guitar and chamber music. He has also studied at the North Carolina School for the Arts, the University of Akron, and the Walnut Hill School for the Arts affiliated with the New England Conservatory.
He is a recipient of the Theodore Presser Award and the Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship.

Randall will be performing Monday July, 14 at the Missouri Western State College Theater, St. Joseph, Missouri. Click here for ticket info.

For more information see:
http://www.randallavers.com

Jason Riley
(St. Joseph, US)

Guitarist Jason Riley has some of the most diverse experience in the music business. His formal degree in classical guitar and commercial music including study with Christopher Parkening, The L.A. Guitar Quartet, etc. Contrary to most classical guitarists, Jason’s professional experience has spanned nearly every style and includes composing, teaching, recording and performing.
Jason has won competitions and reader’s polls in both the rock and country genres and has opened for such national acts as The Doobie Brothers, REO Speedwagon and The Little River Band. He has also made numerous radio and television appearances.
Jason’s CDs include What Is and Shake, Rattle, Shatter with the rock group, Under the Influence, both of which were produced by platinum award-winner, Ken Paulakovich (Offspring, Gloria Estefan). He also released two solo CDs, Notes to Self (a compilation of original compositions) and Outtakes (original arrangements of traditional works). Jason has also been featured on the third CD (Hambone) from Nashville recording artists Pig Farmer.
This varied experience has driven Jason to a tremendous recognition in improvisation. His work on-stage not only reflects his understanding of classical form and balance, but shows a highly original combination of this classical/rock/jazz background that very few guitarists can successfully execute in live performance.

Jason will be performing with the Nova Project on Friday July, 18 at the Missouri Theater, 8th and Edmond, St. Joseph, Missouri and with the Jason Riley Trio later that night at the First Ward House, 2102 St. Joseph Avenue. Click here for ticket info.

For more information about Jason Riley see:
http://www.JasonRiley.com

Michael Fuson
(St. Joseph, US)

With over 25 years of performing experience, Michael Fuson has appeared as a rock and electric/acoustic guitarist throughout the US. His guest appearances with the group Blackout included concerts on “The Strip” in Los Angeles at the noted rock clubs The Troubadour and Gazzarri’s.
He has studied with some of the leading musicians in the business, including work with rock guitarist Steve Morse, and the flamenco guitarist, Carlos Montoya. In addition, Michael has formally studied classical guitar, violin, classical piano and composition. Michael has also performed with the opening acts in numerous bands for such groups as Strange Daze, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Shooting Star, 38 Special, Head East and Van Zandt.
Michael has appeared on radio and television and has been featured on video and recording projects with the groups Ariel and Plain Label. He has also been active as a studio musician on numerous recording projects in the US. His most recent rock recording is with Walking Stick which is slated for release this year, produced by Ken Paulakovich who has produced Offspring and Gloria Estefan.
Michael’s most recent book, Secrets Backstage—Getting the Most out of Your Equipment, explains different techniques that professional rock guitarists use to electronically alter their equipment for special effects as well as “tricks” of the business that guitarists use on stage and in recording sessions to keep their amps and guitars working properly.

For more information see:
http://www.MichaelFuson.com

SEMINAR / LECTURE PRESENTERS

Dr. Thomas Heck
(Emeritus Professor, Ohio State University, Columbus, US)

Dr. Thomas Heck (B.A. Univ. of Notre Dame, 1965; Ph.D. Yale University, 1970; MLS, Univ. of Southern California, 1977), now Emeritus Professor, Ohio State University, taught music research methods and bibliography and was Head of the Music & Dance Library at the Ohio State University for most of his career.
Twice he held Fulbright scholarships, first to Vienna (1968-69) to work on the history of the classic guitar, then to Florence (1985-86) to explore the Italian comedy. In addition to authoring Commedia dell'Arte: A Guide to the Primary and Secondary Literature (New York, 1988), and Mauro Giuliani: Virtuoso Guitarist and Composer (Columbus, 1995, reprinted 1997) he has contributed many articles to the major music encyclopedias (MGG, and especially The New Grove Dictionaries of Music).
In 1994-95 he was a Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIAS), where he undertook research on the iconography of the performing arts on the subject of his recent book, Picturing Performance (1999). He was the featured musicologist/lecturer at the Darwin International Guitar Festival (Australia, 1997).

For more information see:
http://www.members.home.net/goodrich-heck/TomCV.html

Rebecca Stroder
(Kansas City, USA)

Rebecca Stroder is an attorney in the Kansas City, Missouri office of
Spencer, Fane, Britt & Browne, LLP, and her practice centers upon copyright and trademark issues, with an emphasis toward licensing and contracts. After spending several years teaching Japanese and working in International Relations in Kurashiki, Japan, Rebecca returned to the United States to pursue a career in copyright and business law.
Her varied practice includes representation of artists, musicians, software developers, writers, designers, and the businesses who work with these creative individuals. Rebecca has spoken extensively on legal and business issues facing artists in all fields.
Rebecca serves on the Education Committee of LIMA, the International Licensing Industry Merchandiser's Association, and is a member of the Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts as well as the Kansas City Artists' Coalition.

For more information see:
http://www.vlaa.org
and
http://www.spencerfane.com

Jeff Anderson
(Lafayette, Indiana, USA)

Jeff Anderson has had a tremendously varied and highly acclaimed career in the music industry. He began work as a performer but while recording in the studio, he found true enjoyment in the art of recording music. Following this newfound interest, he attended the prestigious Full Sail School of Recording Arts and began work as a sound engineer.
In 1996, Jeff founded and built Sound Logic Recording Studios in St. Joseph, Missouri. Over the next 5 years, he headed over 280 productions that received national syndication; a prodigious output that helped establish Sound Logic as one of the 100 largest recording studios in the US.
Through his work at Sound Logic, Jeff earned many national and international awards including a Grammy® nomination, Addy Award, Communicator Award, Telly Award, Aegis Award, and an International Cindy Award. He has worked in all styles of the music, advertising and film industries and in 2001 he received the National Who’s Who Business Man of the Year. 
In 2002 Jeff accepted an additional role as the Vice President and CEO of Modern Biology Inc., a multi-million dollar corporation in Lafayette, Indiana while at the same time continuing as the President of Sound Logic Recording Industries and Publishing where he is active producing and mixing projects for major and independent labels and companies.

For more information see:
http://soundlogicrecording.tripod.com

Urs Langenbacher
(Füssen, German)

Urs Langenbacher trained at the prestigious Mittenwald School of Violin and Plucked Instrument-Making from 1988-1991 and from 1992-1998 was in the employ of Pierre Chaubert in Southern Bavaria involved with all repairs and restorations of plucked instruments as well as building classical guitars and mandolins.
In 1995, Urs passed the coveted German exams as a Master Builder and was also awarded the Bavarian government's award for instrument building.
Since 1999 he has operated his shop with Pierre Chaubert in Füssen, Germany across the valley from the famed Castle, Neueschwanstein.
As a corespondent member of the VDR German Restorers Guild, Urs has won an unprecedented BOTH silver and gold medals with two of his original classical guitars at the International Guitar Maker's Competition in Baveno, Italy - an award that cited not only his astounding workmanship, but the brilliant sound of his instruments.
He currently lives in the beautiful Bavarian village of Füssen, Germany with his wife and children where he focuses his time on the construction and restoration of guitars, lutes and mandolins.

For more information see:
http://www.urs-langenbacher.de/

Thomas Ransom
(Kansas City, USA)

Ransomed Productions has been serving recording artists since 1988. Owner and engineer Tom Ransom has over 25 years experience in the recording business. He holds a degree in professional music from the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston as well as a degree in Music Education from the University of Missouri.
Tom used his extensive education to pioneer the music technology program in the Kansas City magnet schools. His responsibilities included designing an audio engineering/music production curriculum of study; designing an electronic music theory/composition curriculum of study utilizing current trends in computer and recording technology; as well as equipping, maintaining, and instructing in the schools three recording studios.
Tom has recorded several original CDs that continue to received national radio airplay and numerous others by some of the leading musicians in the business, all recorded at Ransomed Productions Studio.
Ransomed Studios is a state-of-the-art studio offering 24-bit digital hard disc recording. For die-hard analog enthusiasts, the studio is also equipped with a multitrack reel-to-reel complete with SMPTE sync capabilities. Ransomed Productions also offers full mixdown and mastering services as well as short-run CD duplication.

For more information see:
http://www.ransomedproductions.com

Drew Andrews
(St. Louis, US)

Lee "Drew" Andrews began playing guitar at age 14. His first years of college were spent studying Physics. When he found himself skipping many of his core classes in order to spend more time playing guitar, he decided it would be better to change majors.
Drew ultimately studied Guitar Performance at Utah State University with Mike Christiansen, where he also minored in Technical and Professional Writing. In 2002 he took a position with Mel Bay Publications as a guitar editor. He writes monthly articles for Mel Bay's Guitar Sessions web magazine, and is in charge of content for www.GuitarPeople.com.
He is currently working on his first series of books for Mel Bay Publications, Inc.

For more information see:
http://www.GuitarPeople.com

Corey Christiansen
(St. Louis, US)

Corey Christiansen began playing the guitar at the age of five. He studied with his father, Mike Christiansen, (a seasoned performer, writer, and educator at Utah State University) until he finished his bachelor degree. While pursuing a masters degree in jazz performance, Corey studied with renowned jazz guitar educator, Jack Petersen and began work as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of South Florida. He received his masters degree in jazz performance in the spring of 1999. Jack Petersen retired that same year and Corey was hired to take his place as the adjunct guitar instructor. While teaching at the University of South Florida, Corey worked with the jazz guitar students and directed many of the jazz combos.
Corey left USF to pursue a career at Mel Bay Publications, Inc. as their guitar editor which includes over 30 of his own critically-aclaimed editions. His musical background covers many styles of music including jazz, blues, classical, bluegrass, folk, rock and popular music.

For more information see:
http://www.melbay.com/authors.asp?author=287

Thomas Reuther
(Ulm, Germany)

Thomas Reuther is an active classical guitarist, teacher and author based in Ulm, Germany. He is editor of a number of publications with concentration on late 19th century works, which he performs on an historical guitar by Ludwig Reisinger, from the mid 1800s. His musical research includes intensive work in libraries throughout Europe as well as progressive pedagogical works for classical guitar.

For more information see:
http://www.melbay.com/authors.asp?author=872

Dr. Susan Hennessy
(St. Joseph, US)

Susan S. Hennessy holds a PhD. in French from the University of Colorado and has taught French in various capacities for over ten years. She is the Foreign Languages Coordinator at Missouri Western and the Director of the Summer Study in France. In addition to French, she speaks Spanish and has a working knowledge of German and Italian.

For more information see:
http://mwsc.edu/eflj/faculty/hennessy.html
and
http://www.mwsc.edu/orgs/frenchclub/1WelcomePage.htm

Bryan Rundell

Bryan Rundell is the co-founder and marketing director of "Mind Like Water," one of the most progressive Internet sales organizations in the US. Mind Like Water specializes in high-profile Internet marketing options for various firms throughout the US. Some of Mind Like Water's best-known sites are: www.hottubsdirectory.com, www.rogueinvestor.com, www.mindlikewater.com, and the newly-founded, Guitar Music Index (online July 2003 at www.guitarmusicindex.com).
Guitar Music Index will offer internet sales of used guitars, guitar publications and general information to the massive international web audience.
One of the most important activities of Guitar Music Index is the chance for leading guitarists to market their own CDs independent of a record company. This allows the artist to completely control and monitor sales and increases the artist's royalties to 75% of retail (ca. $10 per CD) as opposed to the royalties paid by record companies which is usually 10% of manufacturing cost (ca. .5¢ per CD). In short, Guitar Music Index will redefine the rights of musicians to make the money that they deserve.
Bryan's presentation on using the Internet to expand your musical career promises to be enlightening and highly practical for all guitarists.

For more information see:
http://www.MindLikeWater.com

Patty Holley
(Radio Personality, KXCV / KRNW Radio)

Since 1996, Patty has been Operations Manager of KXCV / KRNW at Northwest Missouri State University, which are 100,000 watt and 38,000 watt public radio stations serving a wide area of the mid-west.
The stations feature local, national and international news, classical music and jazz as well as programs of local interest.
Both stations are affiliates of National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International (PRI) and offer students at the university a chance to work and gain experience within a professional environment while pursuing their studies in communications.
Patty has produced a number of local and internationally syndicated programs as well as working on-air.

For more information see:
http://www.nwmissouri.edu/~KXCV/