Join us in 2024!
Keep reading to learn about all of the programs on offer throughout 2024. Links to registration and more information can be found below.
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Fingerpicking Guitar Getaway: May 3-5, 2024
Tygart Hotel, Elkins, WV
Level up your guitar skills with this weekend of fingerpicking workshops. Classes will be geared towards intermediate guitar players, although students may be new to fingerpicking as a style. Each instructor will teach two classes during the weekend that will each meet twice (on Saturday and Sunday) so students can build on skills over the course of the weekend. Styles addressed will be blues, old-time and folk.
Instructors: Jesse Milnes, Justin Golden and Caroline Herring
Summer Heritage Workshops: July 2024
Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV
Jump to… Cajun & Creole | Classic Country | Bluegrass | Vocal | Blues | Old-Time | Folk Arts for Kids | Craft
Augusta’s programming on Davis & Elkins College campus attracts participants from across the world who want to immerse themselves in traditional music, dance, art and culture. Each theme week features a different cultural genre and participants can pick classes from all of the offered genres that week. Dig deep into one style or choose from everything that is on offer while you are on campus.
Cajun & Creole Week: July 7-12, 2024
Advisor: Jane Vidrine
There’s never a dull moment at Augusta’s Cajun & Creole Week. Learn fiddle, accordion, guitar or cooking all day. Dance, jam, eat (!) and soak in the culture all night.
Instructors: See info page for the full list of instructors and classes!
Classic Country Week: July 7-12, 2024
Advisor: Ginny Hawker
Do you love Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn? Well then, you’ll fit right in at Classic Country Week! Learn all about how the great country artists made the music you love and also how to make those sweet sounds yourself. Dancing, jamming and a whole lot of laughing round out the week.
Instructors: See info page for the full list of instructors and classes!
Bluegrass Week: July 14-19, 2024
Advisor: Ira Gitlin
Bluegrass Week brings together some of the most incredible musicians on the bluegrass circuit today with students of all levels to share a week of learning, playing and deep listening. From the classes to the jams to the staff concert featuring electrifying collaborations from world-class musicians, there’s something for every bluegrass enthusiast at Augusta.
Instructors: Tyler Grant, Ned Luberecki, Becky Buller, Mike Compton, Dede Wyland, Matt Flinner, Grant Flick, Murphy Henry, Sarah Larsen, Greg Blake, Greg Cahill, Neel Brown, John Seebach and more!
Vocal Week: July 14-19, 2024
Advisor: Flawn Williams
Whether it’s the rich harmonies of the all-group sings, the intricate stylings of solo singing learned in a class, or a serendipitous collaboration with a new singing buddy in a jam, Vocal Week offers a diverse range of musical delights for singers of all interests.
Instructors: Flawn Williams, Laurelyn Dossett, Kari Sickenberger, Abigail Washburn, Kathy Bullock, Matt Watroba, Annalee Koehn, Penny Anderson & more!
Old-Time Week: July 21-26, 2024
Advisor: Becky Hill
Old-Time Week is the perfect place to learn not only your next favorite tune AND some new techniques to work on for the coming year, but to connect with other musicians who want to learn the tunes and the history of this rich musical style. Dancing and singing are both big parts of this week, alongside instrument classes in fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass and more.
Instructors: Becky Hill, Rachel Eddy, Jake Blount, Evie Ladin, Bruce Molsky Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, Sophie Wellington, Justin Robinson, Nelson Williams and more!
Blues Week: July 21-26, 2024
Advisors: Phil Wiggins and Joan Fenton
Augusta Blues Week celebrates the quintessentially American genre of blues through workshops in guitar, harmonica, piano and singing as well as gatherings centered on music, dance, food and fellowship.
Instructors: Phil Wiggins, Joan Fenton, Sunpie Barnes, Dominic Turner, Hubby Jenkins, Judy LaPrade, Joe Filisko, Eric Noden and more!
Folk Arts for Kids: July 7-12; July 14-19, and July 21-26, 2024 | Teen Augusta: July 21-26, 2024
Augusta Folk Arts for Kids participants (ages 5-11) explore visual arts, dance and crafts through the creation of a variety of artworks and explorative experiences. Participants will paint, sketch, dance, sing, weave, bind, mold, sew, experiment and more as they learn about how crafts are connected historically and to the world today. Each week will have a different focus and set of lessons to engage participants that may enroll for a single week or for multiple weeks. Augusta Teen Week participants (ages 12-15) take these same ideas to the next level. Teen Week is a great option for a young teen who likes to try new things and has varied interests.
Traditional Craft and Visual Arts: July 7-12; July 14-19 and July 21-26, 2024
Traditional craft classes at Augusta offer a way to be immersed in all of the Augusta music and dance activities on campus during the week while engaging your creative side through visual art workshops. Specific classes will be announced soon!
Swing Retreat: September 12-15, 2024
Elkins, WV
This event is a reimagining of our beloved swing programming at Augusta. It will pack in lots of dancing alongside workshops for musicians. More details coming soon!
Register today at a discounted rate. When full registration opens in Spring 2024, you will receive a discount code to officially register and add housing, meals, etc., with your tuition already paid at the lower rate!
October Old-Time Retreat: October 16-20, 2024
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
Advisor: Rachel Eddy
Join us for Augusta’s October Old-Time Retreat at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park in Cass, WV. The event will take place in this authentic West Virginian timber town which has been turned into a beautiful WV State Park. Stay in newly renovated houses that were once homes to the many workers and tradesfolk that lived in this area during its bustling heyday. Classrooms include the company house living rooms, mayor’s office and the company store. Share meals in the old Masonic lodge, dance in the community hall, enjoy the train whistle echoing through the hollers, and jam on the many front porches overlooking the Greenbrier River.
Register today at a discounted rate. When full registration opens in Spring 2024, you will receive a discount code to officially register and add housing in our shared company houses, meals, etc., with your tuition already paid at the lower rate.
Augusta rents a block of houses for participants to stay in together while at camp, with a mixture of private rooms and shared rooms. If you choose to purchase housing through Augusta, you will be in one of those houses. If you are interested in renting an entire house at Cass, we recommend doing that as soon as possible as the houses will sell out in peak leaf season! Call Cass Scenic Railroad State Park at 304 456 4300 to make your reservation.
Augusta Irish Retreat: November 14-17, 2024
Blackwater Falls State Park
Advisor: Brenda Castles
At the Augusta Irish Retreat, you will choose from many dynamic sessions centered around learning Irish songs, traditions, and music. From your classrooms in the newly renovated Blackwater Falls Lodge, look out on some of the most idyllic scenery West Virginia offers. In this beautiful setting, you’ll be treated to learning sessions and authentic Irish music played by esteemed master artists. Celebrate the culture you love with good friends, great music, and incredible instructors. The concept of this weekend was dreamed up by Augusta Irish Week founder Mick Moloney along with Emily Miller and Seth Young, just before Mick departed this world too soon. The vision is being carried forward brilliantly by Brenda Castles and the Augusta team. Come and join us as we continue to learn from Mick, a true pioneer of traditional arts education.
Instructors: Brenda Castles, Alan Murray, Eimear Arkins, David Mckindley-Ward and Joey Abarta
Register today at a discounted rate. When full registration opens in Spring 2024, you will receive a discount code to officially register and add meals, any guest passes, etc., with your tuition already paid at the lower rate! To book housing for this event, please call Blackwater Falls State Park at (304) 259-5216 and mention that you are booking for Augusta’s event. Lodge rooms and cabins are available.
Local Community Programs
Elkins, WV
Lift Your Voice Choir (Spring and Fall 2024) ; Director: Emily Miller
Voices of Augusta Choir (Spring and Fall 2024); Directors: Kaitlin Exline and Olivia Perske
Augusta Strings Program (Spring and Fall 2024); Teachers: Jesse Milnes, Seth Maynard and Kaitlin Exline
Foodways Classes Series (Spring 2024)
SAVE THE DATES for 2025!
Spring Sing: April 10-13, 2025