Instructors

Kristy Cox

Kristy Cox is a multi-award-winning bluegrass and country artist known for her unique voice, sincere songwriting, and deep love for traditional acoustic music. Originally from Australia, Kristy is currently based in Nashville. She has built an international career with tours and performances at major festivals in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Kristy has released 10 albums that frequently topped the charts and collaborates with the most respected musicians in bluegrass and roots music. As a seven-time Golden Guitar Award winner, Kristy passionately shares her knowledge of bluegrass vocals, harmonizing, songwriting, and stage presence. She loves helping musicians connect with the core of the music while simultaneously boosting their confidence.

Jason Bailey

​Mandolinist Jason Bailey has been performing and teaching professionally for over 25 years. Originally from Birmingham (Alabama), Jason relocated to Nashville shortly after completing his third solo album release, ‘Mandolbug’, in 2010. This record, produced by mandolinist extraordinaire Matt Flinner, expresses Bailey’s talents in New Grass, jazz and Celtic inspired genres. Jason currently has five album releases. Jason is also a founding instructor for the Alabama Folk School’s Bluegrass and Gees Bend camp that is approaching its 20 year anniversary. You can also see Jason on the stage with acts like Kristy Cox, Barry Waldrep, Taylor Hicks, Jimmy Hall and more.

Carter Lester

​Carter Lester is a banjo player from Glade Spring, Virginia, and a student at East Tennessee State University, where he studies finance. He previously performed with Seth Mulder and Midnight Run, building a strong foundation in traditional bluegrass.

Ellie Hakanson

​Ellie Hakanson has played bluegrass all her life, performing with her family band, various regional groups. She toured internationally for five years with Jeff Scroggins and Colorado (including at La Roche) and nowadays plays with Missy Raines and Allegheny (in La Roche en 2022).
In January 2019, Ellie released her first full length album and was nominated for several IBMA Momentum awards: in 2017 for Instrumentalist of the year, in 2018 for Vocalist of the year, and in 2019 for both Vocalist and Instrumentalist.
In addition to performing, Ellie has been teaching private fiddle lessons and workshops at festivals since 2003, and currently teaches fiddle and vocals at camps and in individual lessons.

Tyler Griffith

Tyler Griffith comes from a musical family and began performing with a family band at the age of four. He plays an arsenal of instruments, but in his professional career, he has focused primarily on double bass, electric bass, and guitar. Tyler has played internationally in various professional and semi-professional bands. The most well-known groups he played in are Jeff Parker and Colin Ray, the Farm Hands, the Tennessee Bluegrass Band, King Springs Road, and Seth Mulder & Midnight Run. Tyler toured with Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper for eight years and played bass on Mike’s album ‘On Down the Line’ and on the Grammy-winning album ‘Tall Fiddler’. With Flamekeeper, he won three IBMA awards for ‘Instrumental Group of the Year’. Recently, Tyler released his first solo single, ‘Please Stay’, on all music platforms. Although he was born and raised as a ‘Hoosier’ in Avon, Indiana, Tyler currently lives partly in Piney Flats, Tennessee, and partly in Drachten, the Netherlands. He lives there with his Frisian wife, Nienke, who also plays bass.​

Ondra Kozák

​​Ondra Kozák is one of the main figures of the Czech and European bluegrass music scene. He is a singer and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, violin, mandolin, bass, dobro), composer, studio engineer and a sought-after collaborator and teacher. He has been actively involved in music since 2000 and professionally since 2016.
He has recorded two solo albums ("Ataman" en 2014 and "Overtones" en 2019) and contributed to more than 30 other studio albums. Ondra won the title "Guitarist of the Year" 5 times in the Czech Bluegrass Music Association poll. With various bands, he has won the prestigious competition for European Band of the Year at the French La Roche Bluegrass Festival 4 times and has collaborated with prominent figures of the world music scene, e.g. Mike Marshall, Bill Evans, Casey Driessen, John Reischman, Dale Ann Bradley, Steve Gulley, Cia Cherryholmes, Mike Compton, Radim Zenkl, etc. Ondra organizes several music camps in the Czech Republic and often appears as a guest lecturer at camps in Europe and the USA. He is the author of several publications, a podcast and other materials, which he publishes on his own teaching platform "ATAmusic".

Raphaël Maillet

We’ll shift the mindset from:
"I don’t know the melody, I don’t have sheet music, so I can’t play with you" to :
"I don’t know the melody, but I understand some key elements, so I can play with you."
This fun, adaptable, and highly educational approach will encourage musical exchanges at all levels.

Patrick Peillon

This workshop will provide you with all the fundamentals needed to learn how to improvise and build your own solos.
We will work on arpeggios, cross-picking, and scales, and explore how to apply them to create Bluegrass improvisations that stay true to the melodies.
Expect plenty of practical applications and exercises to understand and improvise on fiddle tunes.​

Prerequisites: 
Be comfortable with using a flatpick and playing Bluegrass rhythm guitar.

Dorian Ricaux

Program:

• Right hand: Position, attack, tone, and speed
• Left hand: Simple and complete shapes (transposition, chord construction)
• Rhythm (chops), backup (adapting your playing to the context)
• Learn traditional tunes
• Start improvising: How to begin (arpeggios, scales, simple tools to embellish melodies)

Thierry Loyer

Explore the instrument, Bluegrass techniques, and other styles, both as an accompanist and improviser.
If you have a resonator guitar or a similar instrument, whether you’re a beginner or experienced, and want to learn, share, improvise, accompany, or refine your skills, this workshop is for you.

Christian Labonne

First, bring your banjo, fingerpicks, and a desire to learn.
A workshop offers the opportunity to meet banjo players, allows you to take your first steps in playing with others and provides a chance to share a relaxing moment (and not feel too alone when that dumb little finger refuses to land on the right fret !)
The topics covered adapt themselves to requests but generally include things like :

• Revisiting the most well-known rolls and discovering new ones,
• Working on right-hand dynamics (left-hand if you are left-handed),
• Playing in keys other than G,
• Working on harmony,
• Adapting songs from other repertoires into bluegrass.

Marie Clemence

Discover and practice the various accompaniment styles typical of bluegrass music.
Understand the role of each instrument within a group (groups will be formed on-site).
Depending on participants' requests, we can cover any questions related to technique in general, how to manage self-learning and practice, an introduction to improvisation, how to pick out a melody by ear… (non-exhaustive list).
Optional opportunity to play on stage, with no obligation.

Prerequisites:
Bring your own instrument, pick, capo (for guitarists), and tuner.
Be able to form chords with your left hand and use a pick.

Gilles Rézard

• ​Become familiar with the specific vocabulary of bluegrass banjo.
• Learn and practice rolls and automate them.
• Be able to play a simple rhythm over standards.
• Find a melody by ear and play it on the instrument.
• Gain confidence and enjoy learning to play in a group.
• Opportunity to perform on stage, with no obligation.

Prerequisites :
Have your own instrument, fingerpicks, capo, and tuner.
Be able to form chords with your left hand and use all three fingerpicks.