All checks, registrations and audition tapes should be mailed to: 

Tim Trawick, 1740 John Bryant Drive, Conway,  AR  72034

Schedule information

Instructors  

Tim Trawick, 2007 Arkansas State Fiddle champion, has been performing and teaching stringed instruments since his teen years. A multi-instrumentalist (mandolin, guitar and fiddle), Trawick toured with Christian band “Forerunner” in the early 80s. In 1988 he crossed the ocean and performed for thousands in Europe on tour with the bluegrass band “Wildfire”.  Trawick has participated in a number of recording projects including a mandolin/guitar piece that was used on tv and radio commercials for a number of years in central Arkansas. Trawick has been married to Jeanne since 1980 and their two sons are both accomplished musicians. A passionate project of Mr. Trawick’s is his church work with kids teaching Bible memory songs. 

Jed and Harry Clark are turning heads in bluegrass circles, having played at many festivals, contests and local venues. Jed, 18, is a stellar guitar player with impeccable rhythm and driving bluegrass lead picking. Harry, 16, plays mandolin with superior dexterity, clarity and varied improvised expression. Jed is the current Arkansas champion on flatpick guitar and Harry is state mandolin champion, each having won at the 2009 Arkansas State Pickin’ Championships in Little Rock. (A note of interest here: Harry won second place in flatpick guitar and Jed won second place in mandolin!) Their band won first place in the 2010 National Youth in Bluegrass Contest at Silver Dollar City, Missouri, as well as 3rd place in the National Single Mic Contest. Jed and Harry will be visiting the Arkansas Fiddle & Strings Camp this year, and will present their talents as part of an improvisation workshop. Jed and Harry’s band performs regularly at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. Jed learned in March of this year that he has been accepted into the School of Music at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, for the fall 2010 semester. Harry is continuing his homeschool education and is very interested in pursuing a career in music.

Ellen Appleton began playing violin at age 3. She served as Concertmaster in the Jackson Symphony Youth Orchestra for six years and was a two time first place winner in the Memphis Beethoven Club Young Artist Strings competition in the Junior and Senior divisions, a winner in the Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree, and a two time winner of the Jackson Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto competition. She has been Concertmaster for All West String Orchestra in 2007 and the Senior Orchestra in 2008. In 2007 and 2008, Ellen won first place in the Irish musical competition in the Memphis Feis. She received several first place awards in Irish Step Dancing in the 2008 Memphis Feis. In summer, 2008, she received a full scholarship and teacher apprentice award for 2009 at the Randy Elmore Fiddle Camp in Texas. In summers, 2008 and 2009 she worked with the Annie Moses Band in their fine arts academies in two states, teaching and performing, and will again work with the Annie Moses Band’s Fine Arts Academy in Nashville, TN, summer, 2010. Ellen has worked in several studios doing back-up violin and mandolin for other artists. She has several original compositions of fiddle music, folk music, and an original composition of praise and worship music. Ellen enjoys playing a variety of music—classical, western swing, jazz, old time fiddle, Celtic, and gospel bluegrass. She featured this variety of music on her first CD released in 2004, at age 11. She had her second CD released December, 2006, which features Will Tell, a newgrass band which she co-founded, encompassing music of the Celtic style. Will Tell also released another CD, Nobody, which features some of Ellen’s original compositions.

Chuck Hughes will be teaching guitar, banjo and mandolin. Chuck obtained a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Henderson State University as a Percussion major and also holds a Masters Degree in Instrumental Conducting from UCA in Conway. Chuck has taught both High School and College since 1986, including three years as band director at Lyon College and several years at Ozarka College in Melbourne. In addition to teaching, Chuck brings a wealth of performing experience to our camp. Chuck has shared the stage with Charlie Rich, Jim Nabors Phyllis Diller, Charo, Barbara Eden and Grandpa Jones and he has also performed at theme parks including Silver Dollar City and Opryland, USA. Chuck has performed in Europe on three different occasions as a soloist and with bluegrass band Wildfire. He currently performs with the folk music group The Leatherwoods and with Posey Hill which is a family bluegrass band. Chuck also operates a private recording studio in Mountain View. Chuck was a National Finalist on banjo at Winfield, Kansas in 1983 and also won the 1986 Arkansas State Banjo Championship. Chuck currently lives in Mountain View, Arkansas with his wife Michelle and daughter Jazmin and teaches music at Calico Rock School District.

Annalisa Crosmer began violin lessons at the age of five, and within a few years she was winning awards in competitions around central Arkansas. By the time she was eleven she was the Arkansas State Junior Champion Fiddler, an accomplishment she repeated the following year. In addition to these titles she has won numerous other old time fiddling awards, including first places in the Junior Division of contests in Leslie and Clarksville, Arkansas. Annalisa has advanced in classical violin as well. She was a member of the Conway Symphony Orchestra for several years and was selected as a substitute section violinist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. A skillful and observant instructor on the violin, she relates well to students of all ages, one of whom achieved All State status this year. Annalisa is a National Merit Scholar and was awarded the Governor's Distinguished Scholarship. She will be attending Hendrix College in the fall and plans to double major in music and biochemistry. She is also a talented pianist who can be heard regularly on Sunday mornings as the church musician at Salem United Methodist Church. In 2004 Annalisa played her fiddle on "A Prairie Home Companion" with her sister Charlotte when Garrison Keillor brought the popular radio show to Hot Springs, AR.

Sam Trawick is a violinist who will be a sophomore at UCA in the fall on an academics as well as a music scholarship. Having played violin since he was five, Sam made All-Region Orchestra every year seventh through twelfth grades, and made All-State Orchestra all three years he was eligible. In 2009 he made second chair, first violins in All-State, and served as concertmaster for the Conway High School Orchestra. He performed the outstanding violin solo Praeludium and Allegro by Kreisler in January of 2009. No stranger to fiddle contests, Sam is a fourth generation fiddler, and taught at the first two Arkansas Fiddle and Strings camps.