Crown Guitar Foundation awards scholarships to 13 local Montana residents

From the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation

Thirteen deserving guitarists will spend a week honing their musical chops this August with some of world’s best guitarists thanks to a special scholarship awarded to them to attend the Crown Guitar Workshop on Aug. 28 to Sept. 4, at Flathead Lake Lodge. These guitarists, ranging in skill level from aspiring teenagers, to polished performers, to veteran instructors will come from across the Flathead Valley and Missoula areas.

The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation (COCGF) is offering the awards to it’s seventh annual workshop and festival. Over the past six years 129 scholarships have been awarded. Crown Development Director Diane Kautzman says the goal of the foundation is to build an outstanding education and mentoring program for dozens of recipients each year, making a critical difference in advancing their artistic and music career development.

The students will spend the week surrounded by a host of master guitarists, immersing themselves in daily classes, sharing meals with the artists and relaxing on the lawn overlooking the lake at Flathead Lake Lodge. Karl Ross, a 2014 scholarship winner from Whitefish says the experience was life changing. “I can thank the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation for helping my dream of being a musician come to fruition.”

“The relationship between our communities and the scholarship recipients is so powerful and heartwarming.” says Kautzman “We strive to nurture a unique, life-changing experience that dramatically enhances their guitar expertise and nourishes their creative spirit in a relaxed, supportive, non-competitive atmosphere,” she says. “Over the years it has become obvious that we are making a positive difference in their lives.”

To learn more about the scholarship program contact Diane Kautzman, at 406-270-1559 or via emaildkautzman@crownguitar.org

2016 Northwest Montana Crown Guitar Workshop Scholarship Winners

Port Nugent, 15, a junior at Whitefish High School. He started playing at age 9 and now focuses on electric guitar. He plays in the Jazz Band at Whitefish High School.

Joseph Torgerson, 13, Whitefish, studied Jazz at Crown Workshop in 2015. He performs jazz and rock and with his family’s band, Creation Highway.

Michelle Lynn Tribble, a Eureka teacher performs regularly around Montana playing country, folk, bluegrass and fingerstyle guitar. She will release her first solo album in June.

Chauncey Allison, a performer in Kalispell, is a singer/songwriter who has performed with Rob and Halladay Quist.

Julie Tiehen, a singer/songwriter performer from Bigfork, began teaching herself 18 years ago and has been writing and performing for 13 years.

Dan Dubuque, of Polson has spent eight years performing on the Weissenborn (slide) guitar and has studied with Greg Boyd in Missoula.

Tommy Edwards, a Lakeside a singer/songwriter and performer for 10 years taught himself using online guitar lessons. He enjoys pop and rock styles.

Emily Freudenberger, 16, a Whitefish High School junior, began playing guitar at age 12 is a country singer/songwriter and has performed at The Craggy Range, and Whitefish Golf Course.

Randi Tunnell, a teacher at Bigfork High School, started the BHS “Guitar Fundamentals” course three years ago.

Annika Gordon, 18, a senior at Whitefish High School, is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who recently recorded her first album.

James Wallace, a teacher of rock, blues, jazz, folk, pop, and classical guitar at Morgenroth Music Center in Missoula.

Ian Velikoff, a Missoula perfomer who has studied guitar, jazz, rock and blues, and acoustic at the University of Montana. He is a composer, performer, and teacher.

Sean Burress, of Missoula, has been performing fingerstyle and jazz guitar for 11 years with Missoula bands Mezosoic Mafia, Red Onion Purple and Off in the Woods.