Mandolin Camp North is a weekend-long celebration of the Mandolin in Bluegrass, Old Time, Irish, Scottish, Jazz, Cape Breton, and New England styles! World-class Mandoliners make up our full-time and "adjunct" faculties. We have invited several top flight banjo and guitar players to teach about playing with other instruments and jamming, and to be on hand to help make those all-night jams something special.

Mandolin Camp North will be held at Prindle Pond Conference Center, a beautiful wooded setting in Charlton, Massachusetts. There are two campuses -- MCN will be using the Hilltop campus. Buildings are heated, so you don't have to worry about our unpredictable New England weather, but you must bring your own towel, pillow, blanket, and linens or a sleeping bag; Prindle Pond does not provide them. At the Pondside campus, each building has several rooms, most of which have 2 to 4 bunk beds; there are shared baths. In addition there are a few single rooms with private baths. There is no smoking allowed in any of the buildings.

Driving Directions: Prindle Pond's Hilltop Campus address is 19 Harrington Road, Charlton, MA.

1. From Auburn near the junctions of Route 12, I-290, I-90 (Mass Pike) or I-395: Take Route 20 West for approximately 10 miles. Turn left onto Route 169...
2. From Sturbridge near the junctions of Route 131, I-84, I-90 (Mass Pike), take Route 20 East for approximately 7 miles. Turn right onto Route 169...
3. From either direction: Take Route 169 3 1/4 miles to Brookside Road (the third left turn). Turn left onto Brookside Road and go to the end of the road. Turn left onto Harrington Road. After 1 mile, take a right into Prindle Pond Conference Center.
4. For a photo of the layout of the Hilltop Campus, click here.

Off site residence: Local accommodations are available in nearby Sturbridge for those who want to bring the family, or just prefer more privacy.

Meals: Meals are provided as part of the tuition package, and vegetarian meals are available. Dinner will be served promptly at 6 PM Friday. The meals schedule for the rest of the weekend will be announced in the program book at camp time.

Camp will open Friday at 12:30 PM for registration, jamming, and instruction. Registration will occur beneath the West Building in the Sassafrass room -- look for the giant banjo. We'll have hands-on workshops, round robin demonstrations and guided jam sessions for three days, a Friday night "meet the faculty concert," a formal concert Saturday night, and lots and lots of time for jamming and getting to know each other. Our resident instrument specialist will be there from 12 PM on Friday and all day Saturday. Lecture-demonstrations about setup will be offered. Instrument vendors and makers, plus recordings, accessories and books will be on sale in our market area. Attendees are encouraged to bring Mandolins and stringed instruments for sale or trade. Camp ends at about 3:00 PM on Sunday

Thursday night lodging is available for those traveling a long way, whether driving or flying to FCN. Since people arrive at widely different times, only housing, no food, is available. Jamming with students and faculty invariably breaks out, and just hanging out is a nice, relaxing time between the work-a-day world and the intensive training at FCN. Our goal is learning -- but having a good time doing so.

The Beginners' Track provides instruction for absolute beginners (those who haven't played before), and those who can play a little bit, but still can't play with other people or pick out tunes on their own. Click below for more information.

Advancing Beginners and Intermediates will find classes geared to their levels and needs. Advancing beginners may still only play a few phrases and chords, but they have some basic mandolin experience. In general intermediates know some tunes but aren't able to play up to speed yet. They are still working on rhythm. They may already read tab or notation, but can use help playing by ear and learning to arrange a tune or song on their own. Classes at the Advancing Beginners/Intermediate level have included Learning To Play What You Hear, Playing Slow Tunes, Controlling The Pick, Choosing Your Next Mandolin, Bluegrass Mandolin Monroe Style, Introduction to Modern Bluegrass Style, Old Time Mandolin -- Brothers Music, Translating Fiddle Tunes To The Mandolin, What To Do When Another Instrument Has The Lead, Accompanying Singing, and many more. At Mandolin Camp the emphasis is on minimal on tab use - just enough to get you started playing.

For the Advanced Players, there have been classes in Arranging Tunes or Songs For The Mandolin, Introduction To What It Takes To Be An Effective Sideman, Playing For A Living, Playing And Composing For Commercials, and more.

The weekend will include approvimately 100 class hours plus guided jams at all speeds and levels. After each evening program there will be plenty of time for free jams, again at various levels. Most of the classes are hands on, practical learning situations. A few are demonstrations or mini-concerts, but even in these classes the intention is for you to take something away that you may want to learn or speak with the instructors about later. You are encouraged to bring a recording device of some kind.

The "Coaching Sessions" for all campers has proved to be very popular. They are limited to 4 campers each. We'll have sign-up sheets at dinner where you will be able to pick the instructor of your choice, first come-first served. Each sheet will have room for only 4 campers. Each camper may sign up for one session only. Each camper will determine the topic and level for his or her time with that instructor, and work with the instructor individually but in the small group setting so that all can benefit from the attention given to each. All 4 students will be present for the whole period and the hour and fifteen minutes will be divided equally among those attending.

The "Fiddle Track" includes 4 of our MCN/FCN Staff who are multi-instrumentalists and excellent teachers. They are Skip Gorman, Neil Rossi, Alan Kaufman and Martin Grosswendt. Among them they cover a variety of fiddle styles, including Bluegrass, Old Time, Blues, and Ethnic styles. Further, many of the mandolin classes on repertoir will be very useful to advancing players. There will be more than enough for you to learn, and the small size of the classes will guarantee personal attention. At any level, the guided jams, which are run by professional musicians, will be invaluable to your progress.

MCN & FCN 2013 STAFF Some multi-instrumentalists will do double duty at MCN & FCN

Barry Mitterhoff has been a mandolin teacher and performer for many years. He has toured and/or recorded with Peter Rowan, Tony Trischka, Hazel Dickens, Steve Martin, The Lynn Morris Band, and many more. He currently performs with Jorma Kaukonen, Hot Tuna (acoustic & electric), Silk City, plus Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mt Boys. He has performed in 49 states and 5 continents. Barry studied a variety of mandolin including Jethro Burns, Tiny Moore, Venezuelan mandolinist Cristobal Soto and others. Mitterhoff has taught at over 10 music camps like MCN in 3 countries; in addition to Bluegrass, he has taught swing and western swing, and Klezmer music. Mitterhoff's mandolin has been heard on TV jingles, films, on Broadway and of Broadway with the Metropolitan Opera and the NYC Ballet.

Mike Compton Mike Compton is originally from Mississippi, with Nashville his adopted home. He is one of Nashville's top on-call session musicians, in constant demand by Nashville's country stars. As mandolin player for the Nashville Bluegrass Band, his performance schedule has kept him from coming to MCN in the past, but we are pleased he can join our staff. Mike is an excellent teacher as well as performer and has participated in countless seminars and camps.

Sharon Gilchrist, mandolin, upright bass and vocals, makes her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has played with many a household name including the Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet, the all-female, old-time collective that is Uncle Earl, her own progressive bluegrass infused collaboration Mary & Mars. Sharon received a Bachelor's Degree in Mandolin Performance from Belmont University. She also composes music for art shows and film, writes a pretty song and teaches privately and in music camps around the country.

David Surette is highly regarded throughout New England and beyond for his work on the mandolin, guitar, and bouzouki; Sing Out Magazine wrote that Surette's playing is always inventive, and sets a new standard for traditional instrumentalists. As part of a duo with his wife, singer Susie Burke, they have performed regularly together for 20 years, recording several albums and building a reputation as one of New England¹s top folk duos. Surette was a founding member of the Airdance band with fiddler Rodney Miller, with whom he recorded four albums and toured nationally. He has also released five critically-acclaimed solo CDs; his most recent solo release, Sun Dog, is a collection of original guitar solos. He coordinates folk music programming at the Concord Community Music School and is the artistic director of their March Mandolin Festival.

Skip Gorman has played old time and bluegrass styles of mandolin for 46 years. For two years he has had the distinction of being selected to be among the first mandolin instructors at the International Bluegrass Museum's Bill Monroe Weekend in Owenboro KY. Ken Burns, has used Skip's mandolin music in his PBS series Baseball. A nationally recognized fiddler and singer of cowboy ballads, Skip has recorded for Rounder, Folk Legacy , Columbia and Old West recordings. His latest projects are Mandolin In The Cow Camp and Old Style Mandolin, Vols. 1 & 2.

Mike Holmes (MCN Director) is best known as publisher of Mugwumps Magazine now Mugwumps Online. He is the former chairman of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, and the National Folk Festival, and is widely regarded as an expert on the history of American stringed instruments. Mike has performed acoustic music on the North American and international circuit, and appeared on recordings of traditional and contemporary musicians. He is equally proficient on mandolin, guitar, and old time banjo; he also sings. His Smithsonian/Folkways book & CD set is titled Mandolin Instruction, Old Time, Country & Fiddle Tunes; it has recently been chosen for inclusion on iTunes. Mike is also director of Banjo Camp North, an annual event, held in May.

Tony Watt, award-winning flatpicking guitarist and mandolinist, has performed throughout the United States and Europe, on the Grand Ole Opry, and elsewhere. Tony currently performs with his band, Southeast Expressway, and with Laura Orshaw & The New Velvet Band. He has taught privately for over 15 years, and now teaches courses in bluegrass guitar and mandolin for the Boston Bluegrass Union's Bluegrass Academy, as well as jamming classes as a certified Wernick Method jam class instructor. He has also taught workshops and Kids' Academies at bluegrass festivals including Grey Fox, Joe Val, Thomas Point Beach, and many more. Tony currently teaches lessons, classes, workshops and jam sessions in Albany, NY, Cambridge, MA, and points in-between.

Neil Rossi is a multi-instrumentalist who is best known for his fiddle and mandolin work. He is sought after as accompanist in both Bluegrass and Old Time settings. Beginning in 1960 when he heard the Osborne Bros, he spent hours every day learning banjo, three-finger picking. Later, he bought a mandolin and, in 1964, began learning fiddle. In 1966 he formed The Spark Gap Wonder Boys, and over the years has gravitated more to the fiddle and mandolin as his primary instruments. He has played those with The David Bromberg Band, The Yankee Rebels, Diamonds In The Rough, and Bob Yellin & The Joint Chiefs Of Bluegrass, among others. Neil currently plays mandolin and sings baritone with the Vermont based, traditional, bluegrass band Big Spike Bluegrass.

Phil Zimmerman developed his multi-instrumentalist chops as a solo performer, and has won regional contests for bluegrass and clawhammer banjo, guitar and mandolin. He’s a founding member of Connecticut’s ground-breaking eclectic string band, Last Fair Deal.. For ten years, Phil played mandolin and sang lead with Connecticut’s premier traditional bluegrass band, Traver Hollow. Phil also performs Old-Time music in Heroes of Tradition, a duo with Stacy Phillips, and recently he joined with Phil Rosenthal and Bruce and Kelly Stockwell to perform Bluegrass as North By Northeast. Phil is the Music Director of both Mandolin Camp North and Banjo Camp North, and has taught mandolin and banjo workshops at the Joe Val Festival every year since 2006.

Richard (Richie) Brown has been a part-time bluegrass musician in the Boston area since the mid-sixties. Richard has played with several prominent New England bands and occasionally filled in with nationally known bluegrass artists, as well. He has done mandolin workshops with Ron Thomason, Dave McLaughlin, and Lou Martin at the Joe Val Memorial Bluegrass Festival and other events for the Boston Bluegrass Union, and with Mike Holmes at the New England Folk Festival. Richard's playing is heavily influenced by Bill Monroe's style and "old style" mandolin players. He currently plays mandolin and sings in the Boston-based Reunion Band with Dave Dillon, Richard Underwood, Margaret Gerteis and Art Schatz.

Alan Kaufman has performed Old Time Music for more than 30 years. A fine player on mandolin and guitar, Alan is author of Beginning Old Time Fiddle published by Music Sales. He currently is responsible for starting and leading well-received Old TIme Music jams in the greater Boston area. At camp he will teach mandolin, primarily with the novice and beginner track, repertoire, and lead jamming sessions. Alan will also teach Old Time mandolin, using fiddle tunes and duet-style playing in the Monroe and Blue Sky Boys tradition, among others.

Lorraine Hammond is best known for her Appalachian dulcimer playing and recordings. She is also a fine singer and teacher. Lorraine teaches instrument styles as well as classes in songwriting and basic music theory at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. She also organizes two annual music festivals at the Center: The Blacksmith House Folk Festival held each November and the Blacksmith House Dulcimer Festival held each May. Since 1986 Lorraine has performed and toured extensively at home and abroad with guitar virtuoso Bennett Hammond. They married on Thanksgiving Day 1991. Together they run Great Acoustics.

Martin Grosswendt has played old-time and blues mandolin since 1970. Known as a musician’s musician in a variety of genres, he also plays guitar, Dobro and bass, and is a powerful singer. He is a veteran of countless recording sessions and produces recordings for other artists as well as his own. His first album, Dog on a Dance Floor, was released on the Philo label in 1980; his most recent recording is Call and Respons, a collection of pre-war acoustic blues released in 2004. Martin has performed and taught at festivals and at WUMB’s Summer Acoustic Music Week and has been a Master Artist’s assistant at the Augusta Heritage Workshops.

Dave Howard started playing mandolin, guitar & banjo in the early 1960’s starting with Old-Time & Bluegrass and has since branched out into traditional Country, Western & Eastern Swing, New England & French Canadian dance music, Honky-Tonk, and what he calls “Smoochy” songs. His versatility as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist keep him in constant demand as a utility player, and he regularly performs with Walach & Howard, The Rick Lee Trio, Please & Thank You Stringband, and Lazy Aces. His latest release is Southern Schoolhouse Rascals, and he is currently recording his first solo album.

Bill Walach's chosen voice has been the mandolin for more than 30 years. In his musical journeys he has played folk, folk rock, contra-dance, country, old timey, blues, standards, swing, jazz-world-music fusion and classical music. He has commissioned and premiered pieces from such diverse composers as Vaclav Nelhybel and Ornette Coleman. Bill writes music both for mandolin and larger ensembles. He is a strong advocate for the idea that the mandolin has its place in all music, both acoustic and electric.

Glenn Nelson, resident instrument specialist, has been building, restoring and repairing instruments for 20 years. Glenn and his wife Barbara started Mockingbird Music in Berlin, Massachusetts, where they build custom stringed instruments and specialize in the repair and restoration of vintage instruments. At MCN he will be available to do minor setups & repairs on site, and to accept instruments for more extensive work. Charges will apply for materials and time spent. Glenn will also participate in some jazz and modern playing workshops.

Mike Rivers has played old time music since 1960. He perfomed with the Greasy Run Toad Trompers, one of the first of the eclectic string bands who played a mixed bag of Southern, Northern, Western, swing, ragtime, and Celtic music on string band instruments. As a recording engineer and producer, Mike has recorded albums of various artists for Folkways, Folk Legacy, Rounder, Troubador, Flying Fish, among others. He has run concert sound for the Smithsonian, National, and Lowell Folklife Festivals. Mike will teach backup guitar and conduct seminars in sound production and recording.

More info to come... Come back later to see class proposals and schedule.