South Petherton

After 3 highly successful years, Jesper is returning to South Petherton for the 4^th Annual Mandolin Workshop.Whether you’re an established mandolinist or have only been playing a relatively short time, this is the workshop for you!

Jesper’s fun and engaging style ensures everyone has a great time learning a variety of engaging tunes and musical styles. During this two-day workshop, participants will be introduced to a number of different playing approaches and song forms.

Drawing on a mix of traditional tunes and Jesper’s own modern arrangements, players gain new insights into both rhythm and improvisational playing, allowing them to stretch out and take their playing in new directions.

Even if you’re never improvised before, Jesper will provide you with the insights and tools you need to get you started – and make you sound great right from the very first note.

This year the workshop will be held at the Over Stratton Village Hall (TA13 5LL), less than a mile from South Petherton and just off the A303 roundabout.

The course is limited to only 16 places, ensuring Jesper can give all participants personal instruction and feedback. There will also be two short breaks each day for refreshments (e.g. coffee, tea and homemade cakes) allowing participants to share ideas or even have mini-jam sessions. Although not included in the course, there is an option to have a group lunch at the New Farm House restaurant.

Don’t miss this opportunity to study with one of Europe’s leading mandolinists! Numbers are limited, so be sure to book your place today!

Sunday: Workshop in the morning and afternoon (until about 5pm). Lunch in the village.

Perhaps someone on the course who lives in the local area would be willing to make his/her spare room available, if possible. Should anyone be willing to do this, please make this known during registration. Thank You!

Please send an email to wmhelton@gmx.com if you would like to register for this course. All applications will be processed in the order in which they are received and will be confirmed by Will Helton via email. Should more applications be received than there are places available on the course, we will set up a waiting list.

The closing date for applications is 01 August, 2017. Please ensure that you have paid/transferred the course fee by the above deadline to the account listed in your confirmation email. Once your payment has been received and confirmed your place on the course will be guaranteed.

If we have not received enough bookings by the closing date, we will, unfortunately, have to cancel the workshop. Should this be the case, all payments received will, of course, be refunded.

Should you not be able to participate in the course, we will try to fill your place with someone from the waiting list. In such cases, your registration fee will, of course, be refunded. But even if we cannot find a replacement, we will endeavour to find a mutually acceptable solution for all parties.

Jesper Rübner-Petersen was born on the 8th of July 1969 in Aarhus, Denmark, where he grew up with bluegrass and acoustic music, to which he was exposed by his banjo-playing father. At the age of 12 Jesper began playing the guitar and very soon was playing in different oldtime and bluegrass bands, performing at gigs and festivals all over Europe. Besides playing bluegrass, Jesper decided to follow the jazz programme at the "American Institute of Music" in Vienna (Austria), which he completed in March 1993. In 1994, after years of intensive guitar playing, Jesper bought himself a mandolin so that he could try out a second instrument - a purchase that changed his life. In July 2000 Jesper moved to Southern Germany, where he also started a professional career as a guitar and mandolin teacher. At the same time, he started teaching at Beppe Gambetta's Summer Workshop, the International Workshop Musique Acoustique in Belgium, the mandolin workshop at the New Acoustic Gallery and other local workshops. Also, Jesper’s book on Bluegrass improvisation (released by Mel Bay in spring 2010) has been a great success, with more then 5,000 copies sold.

Jesper is devoted to developing his own style and sound while playing everything from traditional and modern bluegrass to swing and jazz.