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National Guitar Workshop Closes Its Doors; Litchfield Jazz Camp Offers Places At 50% Off.

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Kent. CT: On Monday, July 9 Litchfield Jazz Camp learned of the impending bankruptcy of the National Guitar Workshop, a three-decades-old program that at the height of its activities served up to 6000 students annually, according to David Smolover, its owner and founder. Litchfield Jazz Camp’s artistic director, Don Braden, and its founder and executive director, Vita Muir, met with Smolover on Monday and offered their help so some of the 400+ students who found themselves out their tuition and their hopes for a summer music experience could be served.

Litchfield’s camp is held at Kent School in Kent CT. It is the teaching arm of the award-winning Litchfield Jazz Festival which will make its 17th appearance this summer at the Goshen Fairgrounds. The camp, which added a 5th week to its traditional month-long program this year and has, as of this writing, 480 students, had some available spaces in its mid-session weeks. So it offered the adrift NGW students places for 50% off, a price at which Muir calculated her non-profit could break even. She hoped that those who could afford a little more after their monetary loss might be able to take advantage of the offer.

Litchfield Jazz Camp has a limited number of places in its second, third and fourth sessions (July 15- August 3; no space is available in its final session) and are accepting NGW students to participate in their jazz classes. LJC will also try to serve students who had registered for a songwriting workshop with NGW. Muir thought the proximity of her program’s site, Kent School, to the Canterbury School, where NGW’s students were slated to reside, would be convenient.

The 50% discount offer is available only to NGW registrants who have had to forfeit their tuition payments as a result of the impending bankruptcy. Boarding students may attend for $685 per week plus a small charge for their linens and music books. Day students, who receive meals, may attend for $533 per week.

Litchfield Jazz Camp personnel expressed the hope that this accommodation would be helpful. In fact it has already received dozens for calls, and registrations have begun. Those who qualify and are interested are encouraged to contact our registrar Kaitlin Kurdziel at 860-361-6285 as soon as possible for information and an exclusive registration code. Litchfield Jazz Festival and Camp are produced by Litchfield Performing Arts, a not-for-profit founded by Vita Muir in 1981.

Litchfield Jazz Camp receives major support from the CT State Department of Education Interdistrict Grants and additional support from The Joe Williams Every Day Fund, NAMM Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Berklee College of Music, Exploring the Arts, The Allen Family Fund at The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz’d 4 Life, Nassau Music Educators Association Scholarship Account, The Sinclair Family/ GE Foundation, The Turley Family/McCall MacBain and LPA members.

For information, to enroll for a remaining Litchfield Jazz Camp session or to purchase tickets to the Litchfield Jazz Festival visit our website or call 860-361-6285.

Photo of Litchfield Jazz Camp faculty performing by Adam DePaz.

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