Celebrating the Guitar

Concert Details

Celebrating the Guitar is a concert and display honoring 50 years of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, the renowned Phoenix-based guitar-building and repair school.

The concert will feature national touring musicians playing more than 50 one-of-a-kind guitars currently being custom-built by acclaimed Robert-Venn graduates. Each guitar is being crafted from the school’s treasured supply of historic Nicaraguan rosewood and mahogany, which Roberto-Venn cofounder John Roberts originally brought to Phoenix in the late 1960s. The show will also feature guitars built by many of the world’s premier guitar-making companies, including Fender, Gibson, Taylor, Paul Reed Smith, Collings, and Santa Cruz Guitars, all of which employ Roberto-Venn graduates.

Among the more than a dozen musicians slated to celebrate Roberto-Venn and the glory of the guitar are English musician Laurence Juber, National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship winner Muriel Anderson, and four-time Grammy nominee and Roberto-Venn cofounder William Eaton. Eaton and Rich Walter, MIM’s senior curator and curator for United States / Canada, will provide insight and commentary during the performances.

William Eaton—Director of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, designer of unique harp guitars, and a four-time Grammy nominee

Laurence Juber – A world-class fingerstyle guitarist and all-around guitar great who has played with Paul McCartney and Wings and many other notable musicians

Muriel Anderson—A harp guitarist and national fingerstyle guitar champion

Hans Olson—A legendary blues musician and member of the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame

Walt Richardson—An iconic Arizona singer-songwriter and a member of the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame

Hannes Kvaran—A talented guitarist who has played duo gigs with Walt Richardson for decades

Will Clipman—A world percussionist and seven-time Grammy nominee

Bill Dutcher—A guitarist and harp guitarist who hosts MIM’s Extreme Acoustic Guitar series

Allen Ames—A luthier and consummate violinist and guitarist

Maryanne Kremer-Ames—A talented classical guitar player who plays with Allen Ames in the duo Lyra

Patrick Ki—A guitarist and ukulele virtuoso

Jimi “Primetime” Smith—A Chicago blues icon mentored by Jimmy Reed and other legends

Bob Corritore—A member of the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, blues harp legend, and host of a blues show on KJZZ

Bart Applewhite—Assistant director of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery and custom bass builder

John Reuter—Director of training at Roberto-Venn and leader of the Grateful Dead cover band the Noodles

Kim Ladd—An early Roberto-Venn graduate and member of the Noodles

2025 Concert Series sponsored by

Sanderson Lincoln

PNC Bank

COUNTRY Financial