Chris Wallace
Gospel Choir
Chris Wallace, hailing from the small town of West Point, Georgia, has been immersed in music for as long as he can remember. Starting out at just 11 years old, Chris began playing music for churches, and it’s been his passion ever since. Currently, he serves as the Minister of Music at The Friendship Baptist Church in Columbus, GA, with past roles at Spirit Filled Ministries, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Asbury United Methodist Church, and Sightseeing Road Chapel at Fort Benning.…
JD Walter
Faculty
Vocal
Vocalist and songwriter JD Walter is considered by many in the jazz world to be the among the very best jazz singers, known for his immediately recognizable smokey sound, his virtuosic talent for improvisation, his compelling original songs, and his ability to reinvent standards.
Over the decades, Walter has performed as a featured artist at numerous American jazz clubs and festivals in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Central America as well as over 80 tours in Russia.…
Ian B Walters
Faculty
Ian B. Walters plays spirited, updated blues and standards as well as contemporary tunes. Known for his unique piano sound, dripping with soul vocals, and all-around good vibes, Ian’s inventive interpretations of great old songs make them new again.
Daniel Ward
Daniel Ward is an accomplished musician, composer and educator, who has become one of the country’s top clinicians and performers on the ‘ukulele circuit’. He is known for his command of Latin styles and teaches right hand techniques, adapting his style and knowledge from the classical and flamenco guitar.
Daniel Ward
Daniel Ward’s polymath approach is born from his passion and appetite for the diversity of music. Born in Los Alamos, NM to a nuclear chemist/conductor, he holds degrees in classical guitar and composition from the University of New Mexico. As a performer and composer, his work spans a wide ranging gamut: flamenco guitar, heavy metal, virtuosic ukulele, classical string quartets and four-hands piano pieces, kid’s music, jazz, commercial jingles, film soundtracks… he has what musicians call “big ears”.…
Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small
Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small have captivated audiences around the globe with their stirring harmonies and deep-rooted sound. The duo moves seamlessly between heartbreaking country duets and foot stomping breakdowns as they explore various combinations of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitars. Ashlee and Andrew have won many awards from fiddler’s conventions throughout the region including first place in the old-time band contests at the storied festivals in Galax, VA, Mount Airy, NC, and Clifftop, WV.…
Jesse Watson
Faculty
Born in an Underground Railroad house, Jesse Joshua Watson now lives with his wife and sons in Port Townsend, WA. His art has been in 38 Children’s Books, on dozens of book covers, featured in magazines, concert posters, album covers and in galleries and museums up and down the west coast as well as NYC.…
Matt Weiner
Big tone and solid rhythm have made Matt Weiner one of the busiest bass players in the Northwest. Inspired by the “prebop” bass players and their music, he’s slapping out a syncopated jazz feel on one tune, on another bowing a folksy melody.
Jill Weinstock
Jil Weinstock is an artistic director, contemporary arts curator and practicing artist with over fifteen years of experience in executive museum administration and arts education with a focus on art, craft, design, and new media in contemporary culture. The focus of this work has been primarily institutional, in the context of museums, nonprofits, universities,galleries and site-specific public spaces.…
Lightnin’ Wells
Ukulele, Guitar
Mike “Lightnin'” Wells breathes new life into the vintage tunes of the 1920s and depression era America employing various appropriate stringed instruments in a dynamic style which he has developed in over 50 years of performing experience. Raised in eastern North Carolina, Wells learned to play harmonica as a young child and taught himself to play the guitar as he developed a strong interest in traditional blues and folk music.…