CROWN OF THE CONTINENT GUITAR FOUNDATION - The History of the Crown 2010 2015
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CROWN OF THE CONTINENT GUITAR FOUNDATION
The History of the Crown
2010 – 2015
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation was launched in
August of 2009 because David Feffer dreams big. Not content to just
hike and travel in his retirement, David wanted to improve his classical
guitar playing. In the summer of 2008 he went to the east coast and
took classes at the National Guitar Workshop in New Milford, Connecticut
with teachers Andrew Leonard and Ben Verderey. The following summer
Feffer invited Leonard to his home in Montana for continuing lessons,
to perform at a fundraiser for two local youth educational groups and
to enjoy the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park.
Following the Sunday fundraising performance, an ambitious workshop David Feffer practicing his passion: The Guitar.
concept was hatched late that night over a bottle of bourbon shared
by Leonard, Feffer, his son William and his brother-in-law Mark Noonan. Number one for the workshop dream
was a commitment to promote the artistry of the guitar across all genres in a non-competitive community
environment. Second was providing a place for guitarists to draw creative inspiration from the spectacular
natural beauty of northwestern Montana. They then talked about who would be their dream-come-true
teachers. “Why not Pat Metheny?” asked one. “How about Scott Tennant, or Alex de Grassi?” queried another.
“Our goal from day one was to establish the Flathead Valley as an internationally regarded center for the
guitar,” Feffer recalls. “If artists and students could come with their families and stay at a top-notch location,
this could be a workshop like none other. This would be an opportunity to bring world-class musicians and
people of all levels with a passion for playing the guitar to Montana and introduce them to the unparalleled
experience of the Flathead Valley and Glacier National Park,” he continued.
Was this a hair-brained idea or something that could be successful? The group sought input from business,
music and community leaders throughout the Flathead Valley. After describing the concept, Feffer implored
people to “please tell me why this is not a good idea!” They also sought input from people involved in guitar
workshops and music festivals across the country. Universally, the responses were positive and encouraging.
THE DREAM NEEDS A NAME
Glacier National Park was celebrating its 100th birthday that year and had long been referred to as the ‘jewel’
in the Crown of the Continent region. Focusing on the importance of nature in the workshop they titled their
venture the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation (COCGF), and its inaugural Guitar Workshop was
slated for the week of August 29 to September 5, 2010. Now they just needed the perfect location.
Feffer called on Doug Averill, owner of Flathead Lake Lodge, a stunning four-star dude ranch situated along
the spectacular shoreline of the 28-mile long lake, to see if he would be willing to provide the facility for the
event. Averill liked the idea and in
December of 2009, Feffer gathered a
group of people willing to commit to
joining a board. Together, they began
the process of forming a nonprofit
foundation and finding top-notch artists
The Crown of the Continent mountains
are ‘dreaming of guitars.’
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and faculty to teach and perform at the signature workshop.
Very quickly Feffer and Leonard realized they needed a
partner familiar with the music business, and they asked
Dave Smolover, an expert in the guitar education field, if
he would help them. Smolover agreed, saying “Who wouldn't
want to teach or study guitar in one of the most beautiful
places in the world?”
Through Smolover’s connections, pioneering jazz guitarist
and multi-GRAMMY® award winner Pat Metheny was
soon booked, along with Grammy-winning classical artist
Scott Tennant and fingerstyle maestro Alex de Grassi. To
complete this incredible line-up of talent, they pursued
Grammy-winning, multi-genre, jazz/rock virtuoso, Lee
Ritenour, who said he could only spare two days. Auspiciously,
The Flathead Lake Lodge shoreline and wooded grounds. his presence has led to a delightful six-year collaboration.
With an elite teaching staff that included Jody Fisher, jazz, Mark Dziuba, blues, Doug Smith, acoustic and beginner,
Andrew Leonard, classical, and Matt Smith, rock, the workshop was ready to go.
Forty-eight participants joined the inaugural event. “We made a great start, aiming for everyone to have a 10+
experience,” remembers Feffer. Comments from students that first year indicated that the workshop greatly
exceeded their already high expectations. They were surprised by the relaxed informality of the surroundings,
the sense of community, the spontaneous jam sessions
on the lawn overlooking the lake, and being able to
share meals together in the main lodge with some of
their most admired artists.
“I loved the intimacy and smaller numbers, it was less
overwhelming, and I absorbed so much. The setting at
Flathead Lake Lodge is classic.”
– Kate McLaughlin, Kalispell MT
SCHOLARSHIPS AND MORE
As part of their mission the newly formed COCGF
board developed a scholarship program for students
and teachers. “We wanted to provide an opportunity
for guitar students of all levels and means to study with
outstanding guitar artists, with the intention of advancing
their playing skills while also creating a lasting impact
on guitar music in Flathead Valley,” stated Cheryl
Richmond, a founding board member. Lee Ritenour with workshop students on stage at the Carriage House.
That first year eight deserving recipients – three students and five guitar instructors – received full scholarships
worth over $2,500 each. The winners were chosen via an application to the North Valley Music School, a
Whitefish nonprofit that collaborated with the COCGF.
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Faculty and guest artists perform at the 2010 Guitar Extravaganza on the lawn overlooking the lake, giving birth to the Crown Guitar Festival.
To extend the reach of the Workshop, four free community guitar clinics were also given during that week in
nearby Whitefish, Kalispell, Bigfork and Columbia Falls, offering guitarists of any age a 90-minute experience
with the superb instructors from COCGW event.
“The whole week was a phenomenal nurturing experience for me as a musician and music/guitar teacher.
I felt like a sponge, soaking it all in.” – Tim Torgerson,Whitefish MT, guitar instructor and scholarship-winner
A FESTIVAL IS BORN...
With so many fantastic musicians converging on Flathead Valley, it only seemed logical to provide some public
concerts for the greater community to enjoy and the COC Guitar Festival began. During the first year, five
concerts were held. The first was in Whitefish with Alex de Grassi, the second in Bigfork featuring Alex de
Grassi and Montana native son, pianist Phil Aaberg. A third night featured Pat Metheny performing in the
Carriage House at Flathead Lake Lodge, followed by a fourth concert there with Scott Tennant. The public
concert highlight came at the end of the week with a grand Guitar Extravaganza finalé that brought all the
instructors and many regional Montana performers onto a stage overlooking the lake at sunset. That magical
night still resonates with the nearly 400 attendees who were lucky
enough to catch the very first Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival,
and the actualization of the Flathead Valley as a guitar mecca was on
its way.
2011: SECOND VERSE SAME AS THE FIRST?
“Great instruction. Great camaraderie with the staff, instructors, and
fellow guitar players. Fantastic concerts.” – Mark Cattral, Alberta CAN
Buoyed by the success of the first Workshop and Festival, a second
event was a foregone conclusion. Keeping the event on the last week
of August each year seemed to work and August 27-September 3,
2011 was secured at Flathead Lake Lodge. Planning began almost
immediately, and Scott Tennant agreed to return. The course instructors
also re-upped, citing the awesome learning environment and the fun
time they all had.
Lee Ritenour’s enthusiasm for the Crown of the Continent Guitar
Foundation also gave it a huge boost in 2011. He was so impressed Scott Tennant performs at the Carriage House.
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by the caliber of the workshop that he decided
to bring the world finals of his newly formed
Yamaha Six String Theory Guitar Competition
to Bigfork.. This competition is an international
program to help launch the careers of aspiring
young guitarists. They would compete on
stage at the Bigfork Center for the Performing
Arts, with all of the finalists receiving
scholarships to attend the COC workshop.
“It was the most unique, inspiring workshop
I’ve been involved with. It combined great
teachers, great students and incredible
atmosphere that kept everyone motivated
and creative. There is nothing like this, that I
Faculty artist Dennis McCumber teaching his advanced blues students. know of, in the world.” – Lee Ritenour
A Grammy winner and multiple nominee with a career spanning 50-plus years as a cross-genre session musician
and recording star, Ritenour provided the cachet and artist connections to move the workshop/festival up a
notch toward its goal as an internationally recognized event. He invited longtime close personal friend, rock
guitarist and multi Grammy winner Steve Lukather, along with young blues guitar great Joe Bonamassa, to come
enjoy the easygoing Montana hospitality of the workshop. He also brought along rhythm musicians who have
played on many of his albums: drummer Dave Weckl and bassist Melvin Lee Davis. Joining them as Artists in
Residence were classical artist Scott Tennant and popular singer/songwriter David Wilcox.
Highlights of 2011:
• 95 guitar students attended, selling out the workshop.
• 14 Scholarships were awarded to seven students, five teachers and two performers.
• The World Finals of the Yamaha Six String Theory Guitar Competition was held at the Bigfork Center for
the Performing Arts. Among the judges were Scott Goldman, vice president of the GRAMMY Foundation,
and Ken Dapron, Director of Yamaha Guitar Artist Services. Winner of the competition was David Browne-
Murray of Belfast, Ireland. The six finalists came from South Africa, Italy, Sweden, Seattle and New York City,
winning out over 500 entrants.
• A large tent was set up on the grounds of the lodge to accommodate the public Festival performances by
the Artists in Residence, accompanied by the rhythm musicians and faculty musicians. Five concerts were held
Joe Bonamassa holds an impromptu blues guitar clinic out on the lawn at the lodge.
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with total attendance estimated at more than 3500 people.
• Two fundraising events were held to bring awareness of the
COCGF and solicit support. Singer/Songwriter Livingston Taylor
was the featured artist at an April 2011 soiree. In June an outdoor
“summer celebration” concert was held at the Saddlehorn Trapper
Cabins above the town of Bigfork.
clinics were held at Flathead High School, Columbia Falls community
center, North Valley Music School in Whitefish, and Marina Cay
Resort in Bigfork.
• National media attention was rising with articles about the
Workshop and the Six String Theory winners in national guitar
magazines. Regional media included a special television segment
on Spokane Public Television that aired across Washington, Idaho,
Montana and Western Canada.
2012: THIRD TIME’S A CHARM
“This was truly a memorable experience and one that we will
repeat as long as you hold the event!!”
– Nick and Ken Porcaro, New Jersey
Year three of the Crown of the Continent Guitar Workshop and Enjoying a quiet stroll to the Main Lodge.
Festival was set for August 26 through September 1, 2012. Ritenour
expressed his delight with how well the Six String Theory competition had worked in Bigfork and asked to
bring the event back in 2012, this time including the semifinals. “The Guitar Workshop provided a wonderful
educational opportunity for the competitors and created an environment that brought everyone together in
all the positive ways,” he commented.
With Ritenour’s help, the process of engaging Artists in Residence began. Eventually seven of the world’s leading
guitarists signed on. They were: classical and flamenco guitar master Dennis Koster • up-and-coming young
jazz master and Grammy nominee Julian Lage, with his drummer Tupac Mantilla and bassist Jorge Roeder •
Sonny Landreth, a Louisiana bluesman and slide guitarist supreme • Patty Larkin, a self-described “guitar-driven
songwriter” • and the duo of Grammy winner Chris Hillman, a founding member of The Byrds, and Herb
Pedersen, both country rock icons.
A new workshop for bass players was added
along with clinics for guitar players to work
with master keyboard, drum and rhythm
players. Ritenour asked his longtime friend,
pianist and composer Dave Grusin, a 12-
time GRAMMY-winner, to help judge the
Six String Theory Competition and teach
a keyboard clinic. A special rhythm clinic
was taught by bassists Melvin Lee Davis,
Clipper Anderson and Jorge Roeder, and
drummers Sonny Emory, long-time drummer
for Earth, Wind and Fire, and Tupac Mantilla
of the Julian Lage Trio.
The Festival tent, meadow and pond at sunset before an evening performance.
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Evening social hour just before another delicious homestyle supper.
Highlights of 2012:
• Winner of the Yamaha Six String Theory Competition finals held at Bigfork Center for Performing Arts, was
classical artist Karl Marino, of Laval, Quebec. Other finalists came from California, Washington, Israel, Hungary
and Minnesota. In addition, seven semifinalists, hailing from Canada, California, Virginia and France, also received
scholarships to the workshop.
• 16 additional scholarships were awarded, three for teachers, two for performers and 11 for students. Two
Classical Youth Scholarships were also provided for promising young artists wishing to pursue a guitar career.
One was awarded to a 17 year-old from Tokyo, Japan who was selected by the Guitar Society of Japan. The
second was awarded to a 16 year-old enrolled in the Juilliard Youth Program.
• Free community guitar clinics were held during the week in Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Kalispell.
• A special fundraiser, ‘Guitar Night for Glacier National Park Fund,’ was held in Whitefish on the Friday before
the workshop began. It featured Bill Mize on acoustic acompanied by Beth Bramhall on accordion, followed
by RIO, a bossa nova jazz quartet.
• Fundraising events included a second annual ‘Summer Guitar Celebration’
in June featuring 2011 Six String Theory winner David Browne-Murray
and faculty artists Doug Smith and Jody Fisher.
• The Guitar Festival tent was expanded once again with over 800 seats
for the audience to enjoy five evening concerts from the Artists in
Residence and rhythm musicians.
2013: CELEBRATING THE LOVE OF GUITAR
“I was completely blown away by the whole experience… The sense
of mutual support, camaraderie and absolute JOY IN THE GUITAR AND
MUSIC among staff, participants, instructors, artists in residence – even
the spouses and host families and audience members – was astonishing.
Thank you from the bottom of my fingerpickin’, flat pickin’ heart!”
– Deni Llovet, Missoula MT
Inspired by the COCGF tagline of Celebrating the Love of the Guitar in
the Magical Splendor of Montana, the ‘Crown,’ as it was now affectionately
called, became an even bigger affair in year four with 14 highly acclaimed
musicians on the docket for the week of August 26-31, 2013. The Pat
Metheny Trio and multi Grammy nominee Robben Ford led the astounding Student Andre Floyd, along with his Performing
line-up of Artists in Residence along with Lee Ritenour, Grammy winner Musician workshop classmates, spends a day
at nearby SnowGhost Music recording studio.
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Daryl Stuermer, Country Music Songwriters Hall of Fame
member Mac McAnally and Livingston Taylor. Scott Tennant
returned, bringing his fellow performers in the Los Angeles
Guitar Quartet. Five stellar rhythm musicians also came including
Metheny’s award-winning jazz trio mates, Larry Grenadier
on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. Ritenour’s all-star entourage
included high-octane drummer Sonny Emory, renowned bassist
Abraham Laboriel and keyboardist extraordinaire John Beasley.
Highlights of 2013:
• The Festival venue became the ‘Crown Festival Tent’ and
was enlarged to now accommodate 900 seats. Two video Pat Metheny playing his Manzer ‘Pikasso’ guitar at the Festival.
projection screens were installed on the ‘Crown Festival Stage’
to provide the audience better viewing of the action on stage.
• All five concert nights sold out in advance. A VIP area was designated backstage to provide a place for
sponsors and patrons to socialize and meet the guest artists.
• The Pat Metheny Trio performed for the first time ever in Montana.
• Renowned luthier, Linda Manzer came from Toronto to share her expertise and stories with the students.
She is most famous for building guitars for the stars – including the unusual three-necked, 42-string ‘Pikasso’
for Pat Metheny.
• Six student, six teacher and five performer scholarships were awarded to Montana residents. Also awarded
were scholarships in the following categories: Chairman’s Young Artist, two National Youth Gifted in Classical
and Jazz, and an Artist in Residence Selection.
• There were 89 workshop attendees.
• Free community guitar clinics were held in Whitefish and Columbia Falls.
• COCGF brought singer/songwriter Chuck Suchy to the Flathead Valley to present four workshops in area
schools, one community workshop and a public performance.
• Four fundraising events were held including two house concerts in April with Diego Figueiredo and two in
August with Dennis Koster.
• In June, the third annual Summer Guitar Celebration fundraiser was held in Bigfork.
• New national sponsors joined including Musician’s Friend, True Fire, La Bella Strings, Fender Guitar and
Martin & Co. Guitars.
• A study supported by Northwestern Energy and the Flathead Economic Development Authority documented
that the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation contributed over $3 million dollars to the local economy
during the first three years. In year four that number rose to over $5 million.
Five of the 14 Artists in 2013: Blues icon Robben Ford groovin’ and Lee Ritenour, Daryl Stuermer, Abraham Laboriel and Sonny Emory rockin’ out.
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2014: THE KEYWORD
FOR YEAR FIVE:
COLLABORATION!
“The collaboration that everyone
participates in is just insane. That is what
makes this a unique experience!”
– Dweezil Zappa
Crown Artist in Residence 2014
John Beasley, Mike Stern, John Oates, Abe Laboriel, Lee Ritenour and Sonny Emory
In year five The Crown Guitar Workshop
and Festival hit it out of the ballpark. Sold out workshops were crowned by sold out concerts and the music
just kept coming. The schoalrship program and workshop participants were outstanding with incredible
collaboration between students, artists and teachers.
The Guitar Festival opened on Sunday night with local musical legend Rob Quist, founding member of the
Mission Mountain Band, who was joined by his daughter Halladay Quist. Then, Grammy-winning guitarist
Dweezil Zappa took the microphone, and introduced his band mates Scheila Gonzalez on sax/keys/vocals,
Kurt Morgan on bass and Ryan Brown on drums. It was a stellar launch for the six-night music festival.
Monday's concert featured the incomparable Ana Popovic. The five-time nominee as “Female Blues Artist
of the Year” who won the award in 2014, showed her chops in a fiery performance of blues guitar licks. She
was preceded in the concert by another guitar legend, Mike Stern, whose versatile jazz style won him the
2012 award as “Best Jazz Guitarist” by Guitar Player Magazine. That came after six Grammy-nominees over
his long career.
Tuesday night's concert featured two powerhouse women singer/songwriters, Emily Elbert and Shelby Lynne.
Elbert opened the show, performing a series of her original jazzy ballads. She had first come to the Crown
Workshop in 2013 as the recipient of the Chairman's Scholarship and returned in 2014 as an Artist in Residence.
Her 2014 appearance resulted in introduction to a major recording company.
Shelby Lynne brought her slide guitarist Ben Peeler to perform with her, creating the
soulful style she is known for. At the end of her set she invited all the Artists in Residence
guitarists on stage in a grand musical collaboration. Perhaps John Oates describes it
best: “It was all pretty spontaneous. We got on stage with like18 guitarists (including
the scholarship winners and backup musicians)… and everyone took a solo…you know,
these are moments that may only happen once in a lifetime,” commented the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame artist.
Lee Ritenour, back for his fifth year with the Crown, brought the house to its feet
more than once with his high-octane team of John Beasley on keyboards, Abraham
Laboriel on bass and Sonny Emory on drums. To finish off the 'hump day' concert,
Mike Stern, Ritenour's long time friend and musical compatriot, jumped on stage, along
with his wife and world music guitarist, Leni Stern, adding another layer of excitement
to an already jammin' night of jazz
But it wasn't all rock n' roll collaborations. On Thursday, classical master guitarist, David
Leisner, performed solo guitar pieces and then invited a string quartet from the Glacier
Blues diva Ana Popovic
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Symphony to the stage to play the Boccherini Quintet with him. This was followed
by a show featuring the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame master, John Oates. His hummable,
memorable repertoire of music was backed up by members of his band; Shane
Theriot on guitar, Michael Jude on bass and John Michel on drums, all accomplished
musicians in their own right. Oates then invited Shelby Lynne, Ben Peeler and
Dweezil Zappa to join him on stage in a grand guitar finale.
The week wrapped on Saturday with the “Guitar Extravaganza” that began in the
afternoon with solo and small ensemble performances by the students at various
locations on the Flathead Lake Lodge campus, and culminated in a huge musical
bash featuring the talented Crown workshop faculty, and the AIRs who stayed on
for the whole week.
Highlights of 2014:
• Dweezil Zappa's family offered a signed, commemorative, Frank Zappa guitar to be auctioned off to support
the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation's scholarship program.
• In a new collaboration with Montana Public Radio the Wednesday night concert with Lee Ritenour and his
band was rebroadcast on the following Friday night.
• On Friday night a free musical jam was presented on the Brookies Cookies stage in downtown Bigfork that
featured over 30 of the workshop participants and some faculty members.
• 79 students enrolled in the Crown Workshop.
• Two special scholarships were awarded by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Winners were “King”
Solomon Hicks, a teenage prodigy whose website proclaims he is “carrying on the torch of the blues,” and
Willie Moore III of Jacksonville, FL. A week before the Workshop started, Solomon Hicks did a performance
tour around the Flathead Valley, stimulating interest in the Festival. The week after the workshop, Willie Moore
became a student at Berklee College of Music.
• A new relationship with the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) provided a scholarship to John Bogan
(16), winner of the GFA International Youth Competition. Josh Achiron received the AIR scholarship on
recommendation of Lee Ritenour. All the scholarship winners were featured in short solo performances at
each Festival concert.
• 16 scholarships were awarded to local Montana guitarists.
• In June, the fourth annual Summer Guitar Celebration was held at BruMar Estate near Bigfork and featured
“Zen Cowboy” Chuck Pyle and the John Floridis Trio, winners of a 2013 NW Emmy® award.
• A collaborative effort between COCGF and Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts resulted in a February
benefit concert featuring guitar master Diego Figueiredo of Brazil, and singer/songwriter Chucky Suchy.
• As a result of his 2013 appearance, Pat Metheny has been commissioned to write a major composition for
the L.A. Guitar Quartet, which will be premiered at the 2015 festival.
“Just the general feeling of the whole situation is really special to me. I dig teaching, first of all. But in this setting
it's paradise. Obviously, you know, the weather and the location is just off the hook. It's amazing.”
– Mike Stern - Jazz/Fusion, Crown Artist in Residence 2014
Dweezil Zappa shares his equipment, set-up and playing secrets during his two-hour Rock workshop.INTO THE FUTURE
“In six short years the Guitar Foundation has put Bigfork and the Flathead Valley on
the international Guitar map!” exclaims Feffer. “We started with big dreams and have
achieved many of them far sooner than we had expected. We’ve created a special and
unique celebration of the guitar, one that’s building a community of people with a
passion for this most universal of all musical instruments. We are proud and excited
about our future and we humbly invite you to share this magical journey with us.”
DWEEZIL ZAPPA BRETT DENNEN
LEE RITENOUR MADELEINE PEYROUX
DAVID GRISSOM SHANE THERIOT JON HERINGTON
L.A.G.Q. ROMERO LUBAMBO
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Photography: Michael Roessmann, Brenda Ahearn, William Feffer, Chris Gill, Steve Pickel, Monty Sanford, Gravity Shots, John Stalowy ProductionsYou can also read
