Columbus-born and internationally recognized violinist Christian Howes will be marking the 16th anniversary of his annual Creative Strings Workshop and Festival as it returns to central Ohio on July 1-6.
The event draws over 100 string players from around the world and will provide over 20 musical performances for the community of greater Columbus.
The workshop and festival is an intensive week filled with educational clinics and live performances, providing string players of all ages the opportunity to be coached by and play alongside world-class artists. This year’s guest artists include leading performers and educators, including acclaimed guitarist Rez Abbasi, leading multi-genre fiddlers Alex Hargreaves and Jason Anick; Miami-based singer and violinist Nicole Yarling, Columbus’s own Cedric Easton (who now works in NYC for Jazz at Lincoln Center) and many more local and internationally established musicians.
In addition to the daily educational activities, the event will bring over 20 performances to the area during the week through three days of an intense schedule of performances, including the Columbus Music Hop July 3, a marquee performance at the United Methodist Church For All People July 5, and a Delaware Music Hop culminating in a final concert at William Street United Methodist Church, 28 W. William St. in Delaware, on July 6.
“We’re excited to have new partnerships this year allowing us to provide concerts to more segments of the community, and especially to areas where residents don’t get the chance to hear as much live music,” Howes said. “In 2017, we had a great experience with our second large-scale ‘highlight concert’ in collaboration with Cedric Easton and the Church For All people. It was a real success in terms of reaching out into the community, and this year we look to build on this with a repeat visit to Church For All People, which includes a free meal for all attendees in an attempt to specifically reach the south side community.”
About Creative Strings
In 2013, Christian Howes founded “Creative Strings”, a 501 (c) (3) organization with a mission to expand music education through the creation of online curriculum, an annual summer conference, and outreach programming in over 70 schools annually. A graduate of Delaware Hayes High School, Howes has won awards in Downbeat, Jazz Times, the Jazz Journalist Association, Chamber Music America and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
