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Over 100 string players gather for study and performance, featuring daily online streams open to the public
COLUMBUS, OH (JUNE, 2013) — One of America’s most celebrated jazz violinists, Christian Howes, will host the 10th annual Creative Strings Workshop and Festival from June 30-July 5, 2013 at Otterbein University in Columbus, Ohio. The event is expected to attract players and luminaries from across the globe, and will provide over twenty live musical performances throughout the Columbus area.
The workshop and festival is an intensive and inspiring week filled with educational clinics and live performances, providing string players of all ages the opportunity to learn from and play alongside world-class teaching and performing artists, including Christian Howes, Billy Contreras, Jason Anick, Hamilton Hardin, Cedric Easton, Alex Hargreaves, Paul Brown, George Delancey, Cedric Easton, Eli Bishop, and Greg Byers. With live performances at more than a dozen venues across the city, Columbus is set to transform into an international hub of brilliant music.
String players aged 9-70 will take part in an unforgettable week of workshops and master classes in improvisational jazz, fiddle styles, blues, rock, and more. What truly sets the Creative Strings Workshop apart is the opportunity for students to perform alongside seasoned veterans. “Developing musical creativity is as much about performing as it is practicing,” said Howes.
The event’s educational component is split into adult and youth workshops. Emerging and mid-level career performers attend the adult workshop, while local middle school and high school string players attend the youth workshop. This year’s youth program was supported by generous scholarships made possible by Music Loves Ohio.
Throughout the week, participants focus on improvisation in a variety of styles and perform in clubs, cafes, theaters, markets, parks and other venues in the Columbus area. With a faculty to participant ratio of 1 to 3, participants work alongside the world class faculty of performing and teaching artists, connecting with them daily and nightly. This year’s festival culminates on Friday, July 5th in Westerville’s historic downtown with seven free performances at seven different venues between 4:00-9:00 p.m.
Each day, from June 30-July 5th, select classes presented live on Otterbein University’s campus will also be accessible via a live online stream through Google Hangouts on Air, streaming on the Google+ profile of Christian Howes, the Google+ Creative String Players Community page, and Christian’s YouTube channel. For more information on the streaming events, the workshop schedule, faculty, and the festival performances, please refer to http://tinyurl.com/CSWOnlineStreaming
See the full schedule of Creative Strings Festival performances below:
(All performances free unless otherwise noted)
July 1
6:30p – 8:30p – Java Central Coffee Shop (20 S. State St.) (614-839-0698)
10:00p – 2:00a – Dick’s Den (2417 N. High St.) (614-268-9573) – $5
July 2
6:30p – 8:30p – Crimson Cup Coffee Shop (4541 N. High St.) (614-262-6212)
6:30p – 8:30p – Java Central Coffee Shop (20 S. State St.) (614-839-0698)
8:30p – 11:30p – Pro Jazz Jam @ Park Street Tavern (501 Park St.) (614-221-4099)
9:00p – 2:00a – Dick’s Den – Bluegrass Night (2417 N. High St.) (614-268-9573) – $5
July 3
6:00p – 8:00p – The Refectory Restaurant and Bistro (1092 Bethel Rd.) (614-451-9774)
6:30p – 8:30p – Java Central Coffee Shop (20 S. State St.) (614-839-0698)
6:30p – 8:30p – Crimson Cup Coffee Shop (4541 N. High St.) (614-262-6212)
9:00p – 2:00a – Dick’s Den (2417 N. High St.) (614-268-9573) – $5
July 4
12:00p – 1:30p – Java Central Coffee Shop (20 S. State St.) (614-839-0698)
9:00p – 2:00a – Dick’s Den (2417 N. High St.) (614-268-9573) – $5
July 5
4:00p – 8:30p – Westerville Music Hop (See Locations Below)
Enjoy free performances at seven venues along the historic Westerville downtown!
4:00p – Creative Strings Youth Orchestra Concert @ Battelle Hall (Otterbein University) (170 W. Park St.)
6:00p – 7:30p – Java Central Coffee Shop (20 S. State St.) (614-839-0698)
6:00p – 8:00p – Music and Arts – Electric/Rock String Ensemble (43 N. State St.) (614-891-9008)
6:30p – 8:30p – Graeter’s Ice Cream (1 N. State St.) (614-895-0553)
6:30p – 8:30p – Good Vibes Winery (2 S. State St.) (614-392-2202)
7:00p – 8:30p – David Myers Art Studio & Gallery (7 W. Main St.) (614-882-2180)
7:00p – 9:00p – Old Bag of Nails (24 N. State St.) (614-794-6900)
9:30p – 2:00a – Culmination Concert @ Dick’s Den (2417 N. High St.) (614-268-9573) – $5
For more information, visit https://christianhowes.com/education/creative-strings-workshop/
>About Christian Howes
As an educator, performer and composer, Christian Howes has gained notoriety and respect from critics and fellow musicians alike. Recently voted #1 in the Downbeat Critics Poll (“Rising Stars/Violin”), the Minneapolis Tribune called Christian “arguably the most intriguing young violinist in jazz”. His recent release on Resonance Records, “Southern Exposure” earned recognition in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Downbeat, Jazz Times, as well as a six night run at Lincoln Center in April, 2013, and in May he conducted educational outreach in Kansas as a recipient of the Residency Partnership Award through Chamber Music America.
A former Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music, the Columbus native is widely regarded as a leading string educator in jazz and improvisation. Howes conducts master classes around the world, and is the founder of the Creative Strings Academy, an online school for improvising string players with hundreds of subscribers worldwide. He endorses Yamaha violins and D’Addario strings.
For more information, visit www.christianhowes.com.
For more information and interview requests, please contact:
Christian Howes
614-332-8689
chris@christianhowes.com
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