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June 15, 2015

Announcement: 2015 Creative Strings Workshop & Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – download Press Release HERE

For More Information Contact:                                                                                                                 Christian Howes – 614.332.8689 – chris@christianhowes.com

 

SOUNDS OF STRINGS SATIATE CENTRAL OHIO

Violinist Christian Howes brings home 13th annual Creative Strings Festival June 29 – July 3

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a musical coup of sorts, Central Ohio will soon be surrounded again by the sounds of violins, violas, and cellos. Traveling from across the country and around the World, over 100 professional and amateur string players will pack up their instruments, bows, and quivers, making their way to the 13th Annual Creative Strings Workshop and Festival, which runs from June 28th – July 4th.

 

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Columbus native Christian Howes will lead 100+ musicians from around the world in weeklong music performance and educational festival.

Founded by one of America’s most celebrated jazz violinists, Columbus native Christian Howes, the Creative Strings Workshop and Festival consists of jam sessions, ensemble coaching, professional development and educational workshops, and over 30 live public performances at more than a dozen venues in Central Ohio. (Complete schedule of performances available here.)

 

“What truly sets the Creative Strings Workshop apart is the opportunity for string players of all ages to perform improvisational music in the community alongside seasoned veterans,” says Christian Howes. Over a dozen world-renowned artists will team up to provide masterclasses and small group instruction on topics that range from free improvisation to composition to the nuanced differences in rock, latin, blues, jazz,  Appalachian, and other contemporary musical styles. Says Howes, “Developing musical creativity is as much about performing as it is practicing.”

 

Operating simultaneously with the Creative Strings Workshop, the Creative Strings Festival provides over thirty performances in Delaware, Clintonville, and Columbus – mostly free and open to the public. The Creative Strings Festival is made possible through collaboration with businesses around Central Ohio that include Mozart’s Cafe, J Gumbos, Natalie’s Coal-Fired Pizza, The Loft Violin Shop, Global Gallery, Rambling House Soda Pop, and Crimson Cup.  Additional performances will be presented at Ohio Wesleyan University, the Delaware “First Friday” street festival, the William Street Methodist Church, local assisted living facilities and libraries.

 

“Beyond serving adults seeking continuing professional development, we provide local youth an opportunity to keep their chops up between school years,” says Howes. Local middle school and high school students receive separate instruction in an affordable half-day track.

 

Having performed with artists as diverse  as Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Buffett, Les Paul, Lalah Hathaway, members of the 2015 CSW faculty have been featured in jazz, country, gospel and bluegrass venues worldwide. (More information about the faculty available here.)

 

Prospective participants can register online at christianhowes.com/education, or call 614-332-8689 for more information. The event is supported by Music Loves Ohio, the Loft Violin Shop, Yamaha, D’Addario, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the city of Columbus.

 

About Christian Howes

As an educator, performer and composer, Christian Howes has gained notoriety and respect from critics and fellow musicians alike. Recently awarded honors in the Jazz Times, Downbeat, and Jazz Journalists Association annual critics polls,  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. He recently received the Residency Partnership Award through Chamber Music America and the USArtists award from the Mid Atlantic Foundation, and he has partnered with the US State Department twice in the past year, touring in both the Ukraine and Montenegro as a cultural ambassador.

 

A former Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music, Howes conducts master classes around the world and founded  the Creative Strings Academy, an online school for improvising string players with a large worldwide membership. He endorses Yamaha violins and D’Addario strings. He founded “Creative Strings” as a non-profit 501(c) (3) foundation to promote music education and performance.

 

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For more information, visit www.christianhowes.com/education or www.creativestrings.org

For more information and interview requests, please contact:

Christian Howes

614-332-8689

chris@christianhowes.com