The Denison University department of music is presenting a weekend of concerts and workshops featuring award winning Nashville vocalist Kathy Chiavola, Grammy winning guitarist David Grier and champion fiddler Andy Carlson. Two concerts will be held, the first at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 5) and the second at 3 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 6) in Burke Recital Hall (240 W. Broadway, Granville). The Kathy Chiavola Band, The Andy Carlson Band and Grier will play at both concerts.

Chiavola last appeared at Denison in February 2003 for a Valentine's Day concert.

Band members from each group also will be offering workshops to area musicians. On Saturday (Feb. 5) beginning at 1 p.m. in the Burke Rehearsal Room there will be a banjo workshop with Richard Bailey and Greg Earnest, at 2 p.m. a mandolin workshop with Michael Smith and Carlson, and at 3 p.m. a guitar workshop with Grier and Casey Cook. Carlson also is teaching intermediate and advanced fiddling classes to students from the Denison Suzuki Program and the Capital University Suzuki Program starting at noon in the Burke Rehearsal Room. On Sunday the students will follow the workshop with a performance at 2:45 p.m. in the Recital Hall. Both concerts and the workshops are free and open to the public, and CDs will be available for sale throughout the weekend.

Grier, Richard Bailey on banjo, Todd Cook on bass, and Carlson on fiddle, will join Chiavola. The Andy Carlson Band members include Casey Cook on guitar, Greg Earnest on banjo, Keith Morris on bass, and Michael Smith on mandolin.

Chiavola is a premier voice in bluegrass and acoustic music. Her award-winning style reflects both her extensive popular and classical music backgrounds. After earning both bachelor and master degrees in vocal performance at the Oberlin Conservatory, and completing two years post-graduate study at Indiana University, Chiavola has spent 25 years touring internationally and releasing three critically acclaimed albums.

Her latest album, "From Where I Stand, A Personal Tribute," is dedicated to deceased world champion fiddler Randy Howard. The Chicago Tribune named it one of the top ten bluegrass albums of 2002. "Stunning, emotional ... beautifully compelling ... Kathy's vocal style and range fill a huge gap in today's world of female bluegrass singers ... an inspiring and courageous album to be treasured," said Bluegrass Unlimited magazine.

Chiavola is one of the leading session singers in Nashville and has recorded with Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, Chet Atkins, Mark O'Connor, Garth Brooks, Tony Rice and Bill Monroe. She is a voice instructor at Belmont University, a regular soloist with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and serves on the board of directors for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Grier is the most award-winning guitarist in recent memory. For the past several years, he has been named as best guitar player of the year by the members of the International Bluegrass Music Association. He has also appeared on two Grammy-winning recordings "True Life Blues - A Tribute to Bill Monroe" and "The Great Dobro Sessions."

Among those included in the book "1,000 Greatest Guitarists," Grier's inspiration to learn guitar came from exposure to Bill Monroe while his father, Lamar Grier, played banjo for the Blue Grass Boys in the mid-1960s, Grier' first solo recording, "Freewheeling," appeared on Rounder Records, as did his acclaimed 1991 duet project "Climbing the Walls" with mandolinist Mike Compton. "Lone Soldier" is listed in Acoustic Guitar Magazine's "100 Essential Acoustic Guitar Recordings of All Time."

Grier's most recent release is "Panorama." His work is also captured on a Homespun video called "Building Powerful Solos." In addition to touring solo, he also appears as the guitarist for Psychograss.

Carlson began learning fiddle tunes at age five from his grandfather Earl Murphy. He has won numerous fiddle contests and has twice been named the Georgia State Champion Fiddler. Carlson was also named the 2000 Ohio Grand Champion Fiddler. He has earned both a bachelor's degree (B.Mus.) and master's degree (M.M.) from the University of Georgia, and holds a doctorate (D.M.A.) in performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa. While there, he was the recipient of the Iowa Performance Fellowship and the Pelzer Competition Fellowship.

As a studio musician and string arranger Carlson has recorded for companies including Warner Bros., Atlantic, Elektra, Geffen, Polydor, and Capricorn. He has appeared with artists including R.E.M., Nanci Griffith, The Cowboy Junkies, The Vigilantes of Love, and Billy Bragg. Carlson composed the "Suite for Fiddle and Orchestra" and premiered the work with the Southeast Iowa Symphony in 1996 and has since performed the work with many other orchestras.

Carlson also is an active teacher. He has served as a faculty member at Morehead State University and the Preucil School of Music. He joined the Denison faculty in 1999 and teaches violin and music history. He directs the orchestra and serves as chair of the music department. Carlson has authored a book for Mel Bay Publishers entitled "A Guide to American Fiddling."

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Bluegrass Festival workshops from 1 p.m. until 3:45 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 5) in Burke Hall Rehearsal Room (240 W. Broadway, Granville). Free and open to the public. Contact: (740) 587-6220 to confirm information.

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Bluegrass Festival workshops from 12 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 6) in Burke Hall Rehearsal Room (240 W. Broadway, Granville). Free and open to the public. Contact: (740) 587-6220 to confirm information.

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Bluegrass Festival concert featuring The Andy Carlson Band, David Grier (solo guitar) and The Kathy Chiavola Band at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 5) in Burke Recital Hall (240 W. Broadway, Granville). Free and open to the public. Contact: (740) 587-6220 to confirm information.

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- Bluegrass Festival concert featuring The Andy Carlson Band, David Grier (solo guitar) and The Kathy Chiavola Band at 3 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 6) in Burke Recital Hall (240 W. Broadway, Granville). Free and open to the public. Contact: (740) 587-6220 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575