The Blue Ridge Center for Music & Creative Arts, located amongst Virginia’s Shenandoah Mountains in Madison County, is completing its first year of operation, providing opportunities for creators and students to work and learn together.
Founded in the summer of 2023, the 501(c)(3) organization launched operation this year with a stated goal to prepare young students in all areas of the arts, with bluegrass and traditional mountain music high among their priorities. The Center served only 33 students in this inaugural year, but has big plans for ’25, and has assembled a team of artists on the faculty to “accelerate learning, skill development, and creative expression, and prepare students for lifelong involvement and careers in music and the creative arts.”
Executive Director Earle Martin says that the Center took as its model the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity in Alberta, Canada, which started as a drama school and now offers training and mentorship in all areas of the arts.
“Located in Madison County amid the spectacular natural backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and surrounded by rolling Virginia Piedmont, pristine natural waterways, and tranquil pastoral landscapes, the Center offers an attractive destination site for professional musicians and artists who visit to work on projects or serve as faculty. We provide resort style food and lodging, workspace, studios, practice facilities, performance venues, exhibition space, and supporting services. We currently have approximately 25 musicians and a dozen artists, sound engineers, vocalists, and photographers on our faculty.”
Already scheduled for next year is an event billed as Bluegrass Master Classes in Excellence for June 23-25. The program will accept students aged 13-21 who are already proficient on either bluegrass vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, mandolin, fiddle, or songwriting. Only three students will be accepted into each section, and the classes will be held at the Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, VA.
Faculty for the master classes will be:
- Valerie Smith – songwriting and vocals
- Joe Zauner – banjo
- Doug Marshall – bass
- Lisa Kay – mandolin
- Wally Hughes – fiddle
Registration is a competitive process, as all costs for the classes, including room and board, are covered by the center, with all accepted students attending on scholarship. Of course they welcome donations from any families in a position to do so.
Martin says that they hope to reach future professionals at an early stage in their careers, and help them with aspects of the business of the arts that are so crucial to success.
“Students have opportunities to learn from nationally recognized musicians and artists. Programs include summer camps, art and music workshops, exhibitions, music jam sessions, and live performances. The programs are supplemented with training in skills that complement musical and artistic careers such as vocals and backup singing, sound engineering, live performance management, exhibition management, photography, and video production.”
Also scheduled for 2025 are a Music & Mindfulness program for advanced high school orchestral students, Workshops in Creative Music to help talented orchestral players transition to commercial music formats, Advanced Sound Engineering, Visual Arts Workshops, and Vocal Workshops.
Director Martin says that community involvement is a big part of their mission, as there are many talented aspiring artists in the region, but lacking the sort of “extra help” more readily available in urban environments.
“Resources available to high school students include participation in band, drum corps, and local music and art training classes. For those with demonstrated talent and potential, there are limited options for advanced training.
We meet the needs of advanced students through our workshops and offer mentorship programs, and working one-on-one with professional musicians and artists.
We help junior high and high school age students identify and strengthen their creative potential, prepare for successful auditions for admissions to colleges and music conservatories, and obtain scholarships and other financial aid based upon their talent.”
It may not be long before talented young artists are headed to Madison County to study, just as they do at Banff.
Full details about the Blue Ridge Center for Music & Creative Arts and the 2025 Bluegrass Master Classes in Excellence can be found on the Center’s web site.
