The FHA faculty is comprised of working performers, professional educators, published authors and subject matter experts in the music industry who have mastered their instrument utilizing the Free Hands methodology as their foundation.
Emmett Chapman will be in attendance this year, in addition to a host of other fine players and performers. Our faculty will share their tricks of the trade through group instruction, printed materials and 1:1 personal instruction in the Free Hands technique. Here is a quick glimpse into our lineup for the Summer 2014 program.
Steve is well known not only throughout the Chapman Stick world, but as a very accomplished instructor and educator. He has written instructional publications for the Chapman Stick pressed by music publishing giant Mel Bay and has a double DVD tutorial method produced by TrueFire. Both are resources for multiple techniques and skill explorations for all levels of Stick players. Steve has received accolades from many professional players that have had the opportunity to work and play music with him including Will Lee, Jeff Berlin and Danny Gottlieb.
Dan has been an artist all his life and has been working in the film industry for 26 years. His work as a poster artist has won numerous awards and is included as part of the permanent collection in The Library of Congress. He spent 15 years as a creative executive working in motion pictures advertising for every major studio in Los Angeles. In 2002 he started his own design company. His graphic work can be seen at: http://www.chapman-design.com
While much can be said about Emmett Chapman’s life work as an inventor, it is evident that he is passionate about music. Passionate about everything that comes along with it; practice techniques, theory, posture, improvisation, ensemble work and above all, innovation. His Free Hands technique gave birth to a new means of expression, best interpreted on his weapon of choice, the Chapman Stick. His guidance will be available to students throughout the weekend of events – one that promises to be the opportunity of a lifetime!
With well over 100,000 albums sold and several hundred students to his credit, Bob Culbertson is one of the most influential touch soloists today. His musical style ranges from light jazz with folk and blues flavor to classical with Spanish, contemporary, and traditional influences.
Greg has given many listeners their first taste of The Chapman Stick. He has written multiple publications on best practices for study in the Chapman Stick and is considered among the handful of players in the world to have truly mastered two hand independence. He, like Emmett, is also an inventor. He created the StepAbout pedal, a two-channel preamp and routing matrix specifically for the Chapman Stick. He has lead more seminars on the Chapman Stick throughout his life than any other player on the planet and is a true evangelist for greater adoption and awareness of the Chapman Stick.
Kevin is a renaissance man. He is a gifted multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound engineer and vocalist. He does all of that at an extremely high level of skill. As an engineer and composer, Kevin has worked worked with hundred of artists including Lionel Richie, Taylor Swift and Seal to name a few. He is also a Chapman Stick virtuoso, and in addition to having recorded multiple albums, touring throughout North America and Europe, Kevin was also featured in the most recent Stick Enterprises DVD release entitled. “Stick Night”. Keith will offer up a fresh perspective on how to build a winning Chapman Stick rig as well as giving some insight to his 9-fingered technique.
Dale Ladouceur is one of the pre-eminent Chapman Stick players in Canada. Working the last 20+ years as a soloist and accompanist has taken her across North America and Europe, performing at major festivals and events. She has performed alongside Bruce Cockburn, Angelique Kidjo and Richie Havens, among others.
Diana Lang is a spiritual teacher and counselor and the director/owner of LifeWorks – Center for Growth in Los Angeles,California. She has been teaching meditation and yoga since 1980 and conducts seminars in the United States and internationally on meditation, body awareness, stress reduction, and relationship development. She brings a fresh perspective to ancient teachings that people have been studying and practicing for thousands of years, making these age-old techniques accessible for everyone.
An avid fan of the Chapman Stick, Gene has been playing since 1989 when he purchased his first ironwood Stick. His first two years of studies were with Don Schiff as well as attending three consecutive years at the west coast National Guitar Summer Workshop with Alphonso Johnson, Emmett Chapman and Frank Joliffe. In addition to degrees in Music and Business Administration from Western Carolina University, Gene has recorded albums with Columbia, Chrysalis and Elektra records and performed across North America with the Inclined, as a solo Chapman Stickist in the Temecula area and for TV, including the first Stick performance on the Tonight with Jay Leno. His youtube “Song of the week” channel features live performances of pop, jazz and classical pieces performed on the Chapman Stick. His most recent project, Free Hands Friday, is uniting Stick players from all over the world in the context of a Google hangout. Each episode features a guest / host Stickist which feature enlightening discussions on the Chapman Stick, the Free Hands methodology and related musical topics.
Don has been a professional Musician since 1973 and played the Stick professionally since 1975. Don has since used the Stick in music that was scored for TV, movies and more recently, the web series “The Guild”, now in it’s 6th season. He has a gold album for “Cerebral Man” a song he co-wrote, recorded by Pat Benatar on her Chrysalis release “Wide Awake in Dreamland. He has recorded and/or performed with such artists as Elvis, Tina Turner, Eddie Money, Pat Benatar, Sheryl Crow and Al Green. He continues to record/tour the world using the Stick for new artists as well as established artists and bands.
Larry will be a featured guest this year, sharing with the group his most recent work in composition – Larry was the winner of the Pittsburgh Symphony’s 2014 H. J. Heinz Company Audience of the Future Composition Contest, with his work CHORALE AND FIDDLE TUNE. He’ll be highlighting how to use the Stick as a tool for composition.