I was extremely excited to be invited to participate this year with the first-ever Appalachian State Alumni Guitar Orchestra during the 2023 App State Guitar Festival, which is under the artistic direction of Dr. Adam Kossler, Professor of Guitar at The Hayes School of Music.  Retired Professor Emeritus, Dr. Douglas James, was invited to guest conduct the alumni guitar orchestra, which was comprised of graduates from as far back as 1995 (I'm Class of '09).  The Appalachian State Guitar Festival is an annual guitar competition hosted at The Broyhill Music Center on Appalachian State University’s campus, attracting guitarists of various ages and levels from all over the world.  

The App State Guitar Festival is an annual event that features a full weekend of competitions that accumulate to cash prizes and other incentives for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd winners of each division, including guitars provided by the 2023 sponsor, Altamira Guitars. The festival included master classes and performances by faculty and world-class guest musicians from various locations around the world.  

The alumni guitar orchestra performed on the final day of competition, as winners were announced.  We were provided the music with a little over a month to prepare the material for the performance, and two rehearsals before the performance on Sunday, April 2, and may I say that we did a great job bringing it together.  It was a wonderful experience to visit Appalachian State campus once again, and see the faculty mentors that influenced my musical education experience, along with former classmates during this fantastic event.  Of course, any opportunity to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains is always a welcomed adventure, especially when it involves music!  

My thanks and gratitude to Dr. James and Dr. Kossler for the invitation, and coordinating this amazing event.  I certainly look forward to the next opportunity!  

For more information on the App State Guitarfest, please contact Dr. Adam Kossler, Professor of Guitar at The Hayes School of Music, and visit this link: 

https://music.appstate.edu/guitarfest

Please check out the performance footage of the alumni guitar orchestra on the media page: /media

(From L to R: myself, Dr. Douglas James, and Adjunct Professor Andy Page)