One of the best bluegrass banjo players in the business, Kristin Scott Benson, will be a featured performer at the 27th annual Bluegrass Masters Weekend held at Lutsen Resort Nov. 3-5.
Celebrate, make music, learn, and listen at the North Shore Music Association’s 27th Annual Bluegrass Masters Weekend: three days of jamming, a full day of instrumental workshops, and an evening concert by our featured group make for a pickin’ weekend in a relaxed setting where all are welcome. No matter the featured instrument or your skill level, the ensemble nature of bluegrass makes it an excellent time for all.
This year’s featured instrument is banjo, and our featured performer and instructor is Kristin Scott Benson of The Grascals. One of the top banjo players on the bluegrass scene today, Kristin is also a gifted and generous teacher with a rare interest in the banjo as a lyrical instrument. A four-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) “Banjo Player of the Year” and member of Grammy-nominated and two-time IBMA winners The Grascals since 2008, Kristin has earned her laurels.
Larry Nager writes in Bluegrass Unlimited, “There was one grass ceiling no woman could cut through—until Kristin Scott Benson came along… Until then, no woman had ever been hired to play one of the most defining of the bluegrass instruments in an A-list, festival headlining, all-male band… Kristin takes the banjo where no woman has taken it before.”
Kristin’s Saturday banjo workshop topics include “Basic Right- and Left-Hand Techniques”; “The Chord Scale, Improvising and Composing”; “Emphasizing Vocal Melody in Solos”; and “Backup.” Beginner through advanced level — all welcome from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration is at event only, no participant maximum.
The Saturday evening concert (tickets for sale at event only) will feature the Kristin Scott Benson Trio, with Kristin on banjo, Danny Roberts on mandolin, and Chris Jones on guitar and lead vocals.
The festival runs from Nov. 3-5. Saturday workshops cost $7 each or $30 for the full day. Registration will take place in person at the event. There is no limit of participants and all levels are welcome, beginner through advanced.
The Saturday concert begins at 8 p.m. Cost is $20 for adults and $10 for youth (12 and under). Tickets are for sale in the Lutsen Resort lobby all day Friday and Saturday, and at the ballroom door starting 7 p.m. on Saurday.
For lodging information, call Lutsen Resort at 1- 888-752-2399, 5700 or go to www.lutsenresort.com. “three days for the price of two” special, for Bluegrass Masters Weekend attendees only. Call (888) 752-2399 for reservations.
For full event information, visit www.northshoremusicassociation.com/bluegrass.php. Call 218-387- 1272 or e-mail music@boreal.org.
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