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Minnesota State College Southeast

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Contact: Katryn Conlin, Communications Director
651-385-6364 (1-877-853-8324, ext. 6364)
[email protected]

For Immediate Release

May 9 Student Guitar Show at MSC Southeast in Red Wing showcases the sights and sounds of newly-built instruments 

Student Guitar Show 2017 Red Wing, MN (April 17, 2017) -- Newly-built acoustic guitars and mandolins as well as electric guitars and basses will be on display at Minnesota State College Southeast on Tuesday, May 9 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on the Red Wing campus. Three professional guitarists -- Chris Silver, Phil Heywood and Mike Cramer -- will give concerts featuring the finished acoustic instruments, giving students the thrill of hearing their instruments played on stage by expert musicians.

STUDENT GUITAR SHOW
Minnesota State College Southeast, Red Wing campus
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
11:00 am to 1:00 pm
308 Pioneer Road, Red Wing, MN

As the 2017 school year comes to a close, students in the college's lutherie programs are completing an array of beautiful new instruments:

  • In the first year Guitar Repair and Building program, all students build a flattop steel string guitar. They also have the option to build an electric guitar or bass. 
  • In the second year Guitar Development and Production program, students build at least one arched instrument -- such as an archtop guitar or a mandolin -- as well as acoustic and electric instruments of their own design. Many of their instruments feature complex finishing techniques and inlay work. 
  • In addition, students in the Violin Repair program have the option to build a violin; though they will not yet have finish applied, some of their instruments may be on display "in the white."

For more information and high-resolution photographs, please contact Katryn Conlin, 1-651-385-6364 or [email protected].

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About Minnesota State College Southeast

Minnesota State College Southeast is a two-year technical and community college that prepares students for a lifetime of learning by providing education for employment, skill enhancement, retraining, and transfer, to meet the needs of students and the community. The Winona campus opened in 1949, merging with the Red Wing campus in 1992 and updating its name to Minnesota State College Southeast in 2016 with the change of mission to offer both technical training and the associate of arts degree. The college's signature band instrument repair, violin repair, and guitar repair & building programs draw students from across the United States and around the world, many with advanced education and performance degrees. Minnesota State College Southeast is a member of Minnesota State. For more information, visit www.southeastmn.one.

About the Musicians

Mike Cramer

Guitarist Mike Cramer is a music major from the University of Northern Iowa. His award-winning flatpicking technique has earned him championship titles in both the Minnesota State Fair Flatpicking Competition and Wisconsin's Upper-Midwest Flatpicking Contest. A fluid and powerful guitarist, Mike is as comfortable playing jazz standards as he is playing Bill Monroe instrumentals. He currently plays guitar in The Good Intentions with Chris Silver.

Phil Heywood

Fingerstyle guitarist Phil Heywood has been based in Minneapolis-St. Paul since the mid-1980s, performing locally and regionally while also establishing himself in the greater guitar and acoustic music world. In 1986 he won the National Fingerpicking Championship, and followed up in 1987 by winning the American Fingerstyle Guitar Festival Competition. He plays with a bluesy swing and tone, lyricism, and groove.

Chris Silver

A veteran of top bluegrass bands including Stoney Lonesome, Tangled Roots, and the Kate Mackenzie Band, Chris Silver now plays with The Good Intentions. He is an award-winning flatpicking guitarist and an accomplished fiddle and mandolin player. Chris is featured on many recordings that showcase his ability as a guitarist, stretching beyond the boundaries of traditional bluegrass into jazz, blues, roots, and global music.