The Frank Vignola Trio Comes to Morristown

The Frank Vignola Trio, known for their instrumental wizardry in many genres, will headline at the Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series on Saturday, June 16 at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown. Harmony-driven folk quartet Windborne will open.

The event is part of the Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series, sponsored by The Folk Project most Friday evenings at the Fellowship. Admission is $10.00 per adult at the door. Children 12 and under are free. For further information, call 973-335-9489, or visit www.folkproject.org. The Folk Project website also offers music samples of Minstrel performers: http://www.Minstrel.folkproject.org.

Frank Vignola, one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today, was scheduled to play The Minstrel in 2017 but had to cancel after a near fatal ATV accident. He is now fully recovered and has decided to grace The Minstrel with his first New Jersey appearance since his injury! Joining Frank in the trio will be Vinny Raniolo on guitar and Gary Mazzaroppi on bass, reuniting the same line-up that first played The Minstrel ten years ago.

Frank's stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List” for the Wall Street Journal. Vignola’s jaw- dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest stars of the guitar.”

With hundreds of engagements every year, Frank Vignola has become one of the most popular and sought-after guitarists on the international music scene. His dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 14 countries on three continents, performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues, including the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Carnegie Hall, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, New York’s Lincoln Center and the world’s oldest indoor concert hall, Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy.

Often heard on National Public Radio, Frank has also become a familiar figure on public television, featured on three popular shows, including “Tommy Emmanuel and Friends.” On his own 2015 PBS special, “Four Generations of Guitar,” Frank was joined by special guests Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Craven and Tommy Emmanuel.

Vignola has recorded more than 30 CDs, 7 DVDs and has been a guest on hundreds of recordings. Vignola has written more than 18 music books for Mel Bay Publications. He has also produced 15 full length video teaching courses for TrueFire for all levels. His on-line “One on One” private lessons and workshop courses continue to thrive with hundreds of enrolled students. He conducts clinics, master classes and workshops at universities across the globe, most recently coaching guitar ensembles at The Juilliard School of Music in New York City.

Internationally acclaimed folk band Windborne is a group of vocal chameleons who specialize in close harmony singing, shifting effortlessly between drastically different styles of traditional music within the same concert. Their musical knowledge spans many continents and cultures, but they remain deeply rooted in American folk singing traditions. Praised for “the purity of their voices, strength of their material, and attention to detail in their arrangements,” Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan, Lauren Breunig, and Jeremy Carter-Gordon share a vibrant energy onstage – their connection to each other and to the music clearly evident. They educate as they entertain, telling stories about the music and explaining the characteristics and stylistic elements of the traditions in which they sing.

The Folk Project is a non-profit 501(c)(3) Corporation whose mission is to present high caliber folk music performances and instructional workshops for the public and members; to encourage development of musicianship and performance skills in the northern New Jersey area; and to provide interesting social and learning activities relating to traditional and participatory folk music and dance.

Funding has been made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.