Experience Red Hot Strings
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Matt Munisteri
Matt Munisteri is a critically acclaimed guitarist, singer, and songwriter known for his mastery of American roots music, jazz, and blues. As Artistic Director of the Red Hot Strings program, Matt brings together leading string players from various genres to offer a broad exploration of string music. His teaching focuses on the fusion of traditional forms with innovative playing techniques, encouraging students to push musical boundaries.
Artist Faculty
2026 Artist Faculty
Grant Gordy
Guitar
For many guitarists, landing a gig with bluegrass mandolinist David Grisman’s groundbreaking bluegrass/jazz quintet would be the culmination of a career in music. But for Grant Gordy, it was more of a beginning, an apprenticeship in combining bluegrass and jazz that served as a launchpad for his own music. How far he has traveled since then can be heard on Peripheral Visions, his stunning new quartet recording and welcome successor to his eponymous 2010 debut.…
Jen Hodge
Bass
Jen Hodge is a Grammy-nominated bass player, currently living in New York City and originally hailing from British Columbia, Canada. A versatile and passionate musician, Jen is in high demand for her rock-solid bass playing, her consummate professionalism, and for the warm, infectious spirit she brings to the bandstand. Jen is a fixture of NYC’s hot jazz community, frequently featuring in the house band for the long-running Mona’s Tuesday Night Hot Jazz jam session hosted by multi-instrumentalist Dennis Lichtman, and performing with such artists as Bria Skonberg, The Hot Sardines, Jon-Erik Kellso & The EarRegulars, Cynthia Sayer, and Danny Jonokuchi & The Revisionists.…
Tyler Jackson
Tenor Banjo
Tyler Jackson is a world renown tenor banjoist and upright bassist. Under the tutelage of Buddy Griffin, Tyler quickly learned the ukulele, tenor banjo, and electric bass. Tyler went on to study the double bass at the University of North Texas under Lynn Seaton and began to fine-tune his skills as a professional bassist.
Dennis Lichtman
Mandolin
Dennis Lichtman is a multi-instrumentalist (clarinet, mandolin, fiddle, and more) who has been living, performing, composing, and teaching in New York City since 2002. He is a Selmer Paris Artist as an endorser of their Signature Clarinet. His music was recently used in director David Simon’s The Plot Against America (HBO) and he has appeared this year as a clarinetist on Succession (HBO) and The Blacklist (NBC).…
Dale Morris, Jr.
Violin
Dale Morris, Jr. began playing violin at age three. By the time he was ten years old, he began his professional career performing with the Bar-D Wranglers at the Bar-D Chuck Wagon Supper and Western Show in Durango Colorado. He performed there for the next three summers alongside his father, Dale Morris, Sr.…
Maxwell Poulos
Mandolin
Maxwell Poulos is a New Orleans-based, internationally recognized multi-instrumentalist performer and music teacher. Specializing in mandolin and banjo, Maxwell began his training in California and then spent several years busking professionally in New Orleans’ city streets and night clubs, integrating himself into a rich and diverse array of musical styles including jug band, ragtime, jazz and little-known catalogue of traditional Italian mandolin music.…
Molly Reeves
Guitar
Raconteur of song Molly Reeves is a performer and adorer of early 20th-century American music. Molly is known globally for her enigmatic approach to rhythm guitar and her ability to invoke the idiomatic tone and language of 1920s and 30s acoustic guitar players. A crooner by nature, her dynamic and warm vocal stylings echo popular singers and storytellers of yesteryear.…
Don Vappie
Banjo
Don Vappie, musician / composer / educator, is the 2021 Steve Martin Banjo Prize Winner and was inducted into the Banjo Hall of Fame in 2022. In addition, he has received awards for his contributions to the preservation of New Orleans Creole Culture through music and film. He has produced 7 of his own albums, co-produced and starred in a PBS documentary, performed as a featured artist with orchestras on movie and television soundtracks, and at concerts and festivals around the world.…
Craig Ventresco
Guitar
Craig Ventresco is a San Francisco-based guitarist and revivalist of early 20th Century jazz, pop, and folk material. He grew up in Maine, but established himself as a guitarist specializing in older styles of American popular music by playing on the street every day for tips in San Francisco, beginning in the late 1980’s.…
Jeremy Wakefield
Steel Guitar
Jeremy Wakefield is a steel guitarist and composer living and working in Portland, Oregon. He first discovered the sound of the steel guitar coming out of a thing called a radio, on the kitchen table of his grandparents’ South Dakota home. Jeremy has recorded and performed live with a multitude of Western Swing, Country and Lounge artists , but is probably most known for his background compositions in the SpongeBob SquarePants series. He also enjoys writing descriptions of himself in the third person.
Workshop
Participants learn “knee-to-knee,” intimate sessions with diverse instruments and artist faculty. Daily classroom instruction covers traditional hot jazz styles, songs, as well as technical skills and how to play well with others. Each evening, participants enjoy faculty concerts, chats, and jam sessions.
Most artist faculty teach two one-hour instrument sessions daily. Sessions are in various styles and techniques and focus on certain traditional methods. Instrumentation includes guitar, mandolin, violin, bass, banjo, and steel guitar. Ensembles gather in the afternoon.
At the end of the week, the artist faculty take to the stage and share in performance a festive celebration of the traditions they carry as well as their own music and styles. Your tuition includes a front row seat at this performance.
Schedule
2026 Schedule
You have your choice of four daily one-hour class sessions on Thursday and Friday. Ensembles practice in the late afternoons. In the evenings, artist faculty present special topics and performances. Toward or on the weekend, ensembles perform, and on Saturday evening, artist faculty present a public performance. Playing music together happens in between everything else, sometimes replacing sleep.
Here is how you’ll spend your time:
FIRST DAY
4–5:30pm – Check-in, Centrum office
6–8pm – Dinner
8pm – Orientation
THURSDAY-SATURDAY
Most artist faculty teach two one-hour instrument sessions on Thursday and Friday and one on Saturday. Sessions in various styles and techniques focus on certain styles and Tradition Bearers. Instrumentation includes guitar, mandolin, violin, bass, banjo, and steel guitar. Evenings include events and performances, planned and spontaneous jams.
Newcomers
There is no age or skill restriction however, to get the most out of the intensive, one should be familiar with your instrument and be able to move about at a good clip.
Workshops are created for guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin, steel guitar, and upright bass players.
Kids & Teens
Most of our workshops are family events, and we welcome musicians of all ages and abilities to participate. Our programming has annually evolved to meet the needs of very young musicians, and we devote considerable resources to this end.
Info for Parents of Under-18 Participants
If under 18 and participating in the workshop, a parent or guardian over 21 years old must register and accompany the minor. If the parent or guardian is not participating in the workshop, there is a registration type for guardian with no cost. However, if the minor is staying on campus in the dorm, the parent or guardian will need to also stay on campus in the dorm, and there are costs associated with those accommodations.
Costs
Centrum has a variety of ways to be able to attend our workshops even if you’re on a budget. If you need financial assistance, Centrum has a robust scholarship program awarded on a first-come, first-served; and as-needed basis.
COSTS
- Tuition: $540. (non-refundable deposit to hold your place $100)
- Tuition Under-18: $440. (non-refundable deposit to hold your place $100)
- Room & board: $565.
- Meals only: $290.
- Airport shuttle (optional): $120. round trip or $60. one way
Workshop tuition includes admission to everything including great seats at the public performance on Saturday night. Your meal ticket is good for three meals per day starting with dinner Wednesday, May 13, ending with breakfast Sunday, May 17.
To get the best musical community experience, we encourage you to stay in either a quiet dorm room in Building 225, or a jam dorm room for those who wish to keep the music going. Both options have private rooms and shared bathrooms.
All rooms come with linens, blankets, and towels, but you should plan on bringing soap and personal toiletry items.
FAQ
RED HOT STRINGS - FAQ
Scholarships
Apply online as you register. Please note that except in rare cases, scholarships are available for tuition only. Centrum requires a $50 deposit of scholarship applicants, which is fully refundable before April 8, 2026, if you are unable to attend. If you are interested in volunteering, or a work trade position, please contact Mary Hilts at mhilts@centrum (dot) org.
Cancellation/Refund Policy
Full payment is due by April 8, 2026. If your full payment is not made by April 8, 2026, your registration will be canceled; $100 of your deposit is nonrefundable.
Any fee that includes a room: no refunds available after April 8, 2026.
Meals
If you have purchased a meal plan, meals are served at Fort Worden Commons. The first meal is dinner on Wednesday, May 13; the last meal is breakfast on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Red Hot Strings Shuttle Schedule
ARRIVE – Wednesday, May 13, 2026, pick-up at Sea/Tac airport, 2:00pm, Pacific Time.
(book your arriving flight to land no later than 1:00pm)
DEPART – Sunday, May 17, 2026, depart Centrum, 9:00am sharp, Pacific Time.
(book your departing flight to leave no earlier than 1:00pm)
If we haven’t answered all of the questions you may have, please contact Mary Hilts at 360-385-3102, x116, or mhilts@centrum (dot) org.
PERFORMANCE
2026 RED HOT STRINGS CONCERT
Saturday, May 16, 2026
7:30 p.m.
Wheeler Theater
Featuring: Artistic Director Matt Munisteri, guitar; Craig Ventresco, guitar; Dennis Lichtman, mandolin and clarinet; Dale Morris Jr., violin; Jeremy Wakefield, steel guitar; Maxwell Poulos, mandolin; Don Vappie, banjo; Molly Reeves, guitar; Tyler Jackson, banjo; Grant Gordy, guitar; and Jen Hodge, bass.
PAST ARTIST FACULTY
Dave Biller
Faculty
Dave Biller has toured and recorded with Wayne Hancock, Dale Watson, and Deke Dickerson and is mostly known as a professional pedal steel player, but his record, Hot Guitars of Biller & Wakefield, captured the ears of music lovers everywhere.
Charlie Burnham
Violin
Charlie Burnham is an American violinist and composer. He has a unique highly imaginative style that crosses genres, including bluegrass, delta punk, free jazz, blues, classical and chamber jazz. He often performs with a wah-wah pedal. He initially became renowned for his work on James “Blood” Ulmer’s Odyssey album. The musicians on that album later performed and recorded as Odyssey the Band, sometimes known as The Odyssey Band.…
Albanie Falletta
Guitar
A native of Monroe, Louisiana, Albanie Falletta was in their formative years exposed to the local music of Louisiana: the sounds of cajun, zydeco, blues and gospel musics at festivals and backyard parties. After relocating with their family to San Marcos, Texas at the age of nine, Albanie began taking guitar lessons. They began their love and study of early American Jazz when hey were exposed to the Parisian Romani guitarist Django Reinhardt.…
David Grisman
Special Guest Instructor
In the course of a career that has spanned more than six decades, David Grisman has had an immeasurable impact on American acoustic music. A trail-blazing instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and creator of a living musical genre, David has influenced contemporary string players from Bluegrass to Pop and Jazz. We are delighted that he will be joining us on Saturday May 17th to present a workshop on arranging, and to participate in a moderated conversation about his music and his vital work as a conservator of string traditions.…
Zoe Guigueno
Upright Bass
Zoe Guigueno (GIG-an-oh) is a bassist and songwriter headquartered in New York City. While jazz trained, she can also often be found playing klezmer, Americana, or indie-rock. She has performed with Steve Martin, busked in a pink gorilla costume, and played upright bass while whitewater rafting. Her most recent solo album, We Were Radar Stations, came out on Fiddlehead Records in October 2022.
Tyler Jackson
Tenor Banjo
Tyler Jackson is a world renown tenor banjoist and upright bassist. Under the tutelage of Buddy Griffin, Tyler quickly learned the ukulele, tenor banjo, and electric bass. Tyler went on to study the double bass at the University of North Texas under Lynn Seaton and began to fine-tune his skills as a professional bassist.
Dennis Lichtman
Mandolin
Dennis Lichtman is a multi-instrumentalist (clarinet, mandolin, fiddle, and more) who has been living, performing, composing, and teaching in New York City since 2002. He is a Selmer Paris Artist as an endorser of their Signature Clarinet. His music was recently used in director David Simon’s The Plot Against America (HBO) and he has appeared this year as a clarinetist on Succession (HBO) and The Blacklist (NBC).…
Mikiya Matsuda
Steel Guitar
Mikiya Matsuda is a steel guitarist and sometimes string bassist living in San Francisco, CA. He is the leader of the Alcatraz Islanders, a swing-era Hawaiian group, and a regular sideman with various traditional jazz and western swing dance bands in the Bay Area.
Matt Munisteri
Artistic Director, Red Hot Strings
Guitarist, singer, songwriter, and Brooklyn native Matt Munisteri grew up with early interest in American folk music that led him from finger-style Country and Ragtime guitar, through Blues, to Tin Pan Alley and Jazz. His own compositions, and lauded guitar playing, accurately reflect this life-long immersion in the history of American Popular Song; linking rural and urban, long-gone with contemporary.
Jerron Paxton
Guitar
Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Paxton’s music is steeped in the rich cultural heritage of the Great Migration. His family’s journey from Shreveport, Louisiana, to the Athens neighborhood of South LA in the 1950s laid the foundation for his appreciation of Southern Black culture. As an only child, he spent much of his upbringing absorbing the culture his family had taken with them to California from the South.…
Maxwell Poulos
Mandolin
Maxwell Poulos is a New Orleans-based, internationally recognized multi-instrumentalist performer and music teacher. Specializing in mandolin and banjo, Maxwell began his training in California and then spent several years busking professionally in New Orleans’ city streets and night clubs, integrating himself into a rich and diverse array of musical styles including jug band, ragtime, jazz and little-known catalogue of traditional Italian mandolin music.…
Evan Price
Violin
Evan Price is a versatile violinist and composer best known for his work with the paradigm-shifting chamber ensemble, The Turtle Island Quartet, and with The Hot Club of San Francisco, the most venerable gypsy jazz band in North America. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he grew up studying classical violin while mixing with folk and jazz musicians of all stripes, learning to fiddle and improvise in various styles as well as teaching himself to play numerous folk instruments.…
Molly Reeves
Guitar
Raconteur of song Molly Reeves is a performer and adorer of early 20th-century American music. Molly is known globally for her enigmatic approach to rhythm guitar and her ability to invoke the idiomatic tone and language of 1920s and 30s acoustic guitar players. A crooner by nature, her dynamic and warm vocal stylings echo popular singers and storytellers of yesteryear.…
Eva Scow
Faculty
Eva Scow is an American mandolinist and violinist from Fresno, California. She began studying music at a young age, starting on the piano and violin at age 4, and later adding the mandolin at age 8. Growing up she played in Classical orchestras and bands, exploring different kinds of music from Bluegrass to Brazilian Jazz.
Katie Shore
Faculty
Like many fiddlers, Katie was inspired at a young age by her grandfather. At six years old she told her parents she wanted to “play music you can clap your hands and stomp your feet to”. Hailing from Ft. Worth “Cowtown”, Tx, Katie grew up playing in a world of strong fiddle traditions, attending fiddle contests, music camps such as Mark O’Connor’s and Johnny Gimble’s, and with some classical training, was part of the Ft Worth Youth Orchestra
Whit Smith
Guitar
Whit Smith is a guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of the highly acclaimed Western swing trio, The Hot Club of Cowtown. He is known by guitarists for his driving rhythmic style, and for his ability to move through chord progressions employing endlessly creative variety harmonies. After nearly 30 years of vigorous touring, performing and recording, Whit has arrived at a style that pays clear homage to a variety of influential guitarists from the 1930’s and 40’s, while serving as the perfect vehicle for his own bracingly original ideas.…
Don Stiernberg
Faculty
Don Stiernberg has been a professional musician for nearly 50 years. Along the way he has been involved in performing, writing, recording, producing, and teaching but is best known for his mandolin playing. His path was set very early on as he grew up north of Chicago. Emulating his older brother, he experimented with playing various stringed instruments, finally landing on the mandolin.
Jonathan Stout
Guitar
Los Angeles-based guitarist and bandleader Jonathan Stout is well-known to swing dancers everywhere for the wonderful dance orchestra he leads, but any fan of swing guitar currently stalking the internet knows him for the beautiful touch he brings to relaxed swinging versions of standards played chord-melody style on an array of prized old archtop guitars
Craig Ventresco
Guitar
Craig Ventresco is a San Francisco-based guitarist and revivalist of early 20th Century jazz, pop, and folk material. He grew up in Maine, but established himself as a guitarist specializing in older styles of American popular music by playing on the street every day for tips in San Francisco, beginning in the late 1980’s.…
Jeremy Wakefield
Steel Guitar
Jeremy Wakefield is a steel guitarist and composer living and working in Portland, Oregon. He first discovered the sound of the steel guitar coming out of a thing called a radio, on the kitchen table of his grandparents’ South Dakota home. Jeremy has recorded and performed live with a multitude of Western Swing, Country and Lounge artists , but is probably most known for his background compositions in the SpongeBob SquarePants series. He also enjoys writing descriptions of himself in the third person.
