Tommy Emmanuel Guitar Camp Vail is an event for players and music-lovers of all ages, levels, interests, and taste! Whether you are a master player, a beginner, or just an enthusiastic fan, our four day programs offer activities and workshops for you. Our environments are non-competitive and are strictly about immersing oneself in the joys of music and our lovely surroundings!
Tommy Emmanuel Guitar Camp Vail is an event for players and music-lovers of all ages, levels, interests, and taste! Whether you are a master player, a beginner, or just an enthusiastic fan, our four-day programs offer activities and workshops for you. Our environments are non-competitive and are strictly about immersing oneself in the joys of music and our lovely surroundings!
Hello friends! I’d like to personally invite you to join me at my upcoming Tommy Emmanuel Guitar Camp USA at The Lodge in Vail, Colorado, taking place June 13th – 17th, 2019.
As everyone knows, John Denver sang a lot about the Rocky Mountains and made us all aware of the beauty of the scenery, the freshness of the air. I’ve been playing in Colorado since the early 90s and though I don’t ski, I’ve always wanted to go to Vail. That’s one reason this year’s Guitar Camp USA is taking place at The Lodge in Vail, Colorado. There’s nothing quite like the Rocky Mountains in summer, everything about it is going to really make people appreciate nature that much more.
I would have to say Guitar Camp Vail is definitely going to feature my most diverse lineup thus far: Tuck & Patti, Joe Robinson, J.D. Simo, and, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley. The instructors that I’ve chosen to join us reflect such a wide range of styles – jazz, bluegrass, country, blues, fusion, even jam band rock ‘n’ roll. Each one has been carefully selected to bring something totally different to the camp. Each one of them is going to bring something good and unique that should prove to be enlightening for everybody.
All the teachers are incredible live artists so they’re definitely going to bring the importance of performance to the camp on a greater level than ever before. Each one can speak from their real-life experience, the same as I do. I always try to share things from my perspective with the people attending my camps, letting them know what I’ve learned and what I think will genuinely help them become better players. Nothing is ever sugarcoated at my camps. It’s all real. People get the real information.
My Guitar Camp USA at The Lodge in Vail, Colorado will, of course, include four full days of lessons, workshops, and performances, with some very special outings also planned so that we all get a real taste of the Rocky Mountain air.
The Tommy Emmanuel Guitar Camp has evolved in so many ways over the years. Each time we learn something new that makes my next camp even more special. We want to give people the right amount of teaching but also enough time to jam, socialize, and really absorb the information that we’re trying to hand on to them. I think what makes my event stand out from other guitar camps is that we always try to strike the right balance between giving people enough information versus giving them enough space to do their own thing.
I hope you’ll join me for this next Guitar Camp USA. Can’t wait to see you all in Vail!
Tommy Emmanuel CGP
The Camp Schedule is subject to change. You will be provided with an updated schedule upon check-in. Also, we will post the daily schedule in the dining hall in case there are last minute changes.
Topics to be covered by Tommy and the instructors will include a wide spectrum from finger picking, using your thumb and fingers, composition, song arrangements, the blues and improvising, performing as a combo, and much more!
3:00pm
Check-in
4:30pm-5:30pm
Orientation
5:30-6:00pm
Camper Raffle
6:00pm-7:30pm
Dinner
7:30pm
Instructor Preview Concert
10:45pm
Open Mic
7:30am-8:45am
Breakfast
9.00am-10:30am
Tommy Emmanuel Workshop (entire group)
11:00am-11:50am
Group Classes Rotate
12:00pm-1:30pm
Lunch
12:45pm-1:45pm
Optional Mentor Sessions
2:00pm-2:50pm
Group Classes Rotate
3:20pm-4:10pm
Group Classes Rotate
4:40pm-5:30pm
Group Classes Rotate
6:00pm-7:30pm
Dinner
8:00-9:00pm
John Knowles and Tommy concert
10:30pm
Open Mic
7:45am-8:45am
Breakfast
9.00am-9:45am
Tommy Emmanuel Workshop (entire group)
9:45-10:30am
Tommy Emmanuel with Tuck & Patti Workshop (entire group)
11:00am-11:50am
Group Classes Rotate
12:00pm-1:30pm
Lunch
12:45pm-1:45pm
Optional Mentor Sessions
2:00pm-2:50pm
Group Classes Rotate
3:20pm-4:10pm
Group Classes Rotate
4:40pm-5:30pm
Group Classes Rotate
6:00pm-7:30pm
Dinner
8:00-8:45pm
Tuch and Patti concert
8:45-9:00pm
Intermission
9:00-10:00pm
Tommy Emmanuel & Friends
10:30pm
Open Mic
7:45am-8:45am
Breakfast
9:00am-9:45am
Tommy Emmanuel Workshop (entire group)
9:45-10:30am
Tommy Emmanuel with John Knowles Workshop (entire group)
10:50am-11:40am
Group Classes Rotate
12:00pm-1:00pm
Lunch
12:45pm-1:45pm
Optional Mentor Sessions
1:00pm-2:00pm
Break
2:00pm-2:50pm
Group Classes Rotate
3:10pm-4:00pm
Group Classes Rotate
4:20pm-5:00pm
Group Classes Rotate
5:15pm
Group Photograph (attendance is mandatory)
5:30-7:00pm
Dinner
7:00-8:00pm
Autograph & Photo Session
8:15pm
Students & Instructors Show
9:00-9:15am
Tommy Emmanuel’s Camp Wrap Up
11:00am
Check Out
This is Vail at its most iconic. Our intimate, alpine boutique evokes the charm, warmth and old-school allure of Europe’s finest chalets. The first hotel in Vail, it remains the cornerstone of Vail Village, located just steps from Gondola One. Revel in the proximity to the slopes, exceptional dining, shopping, and culture Vail Valley has to offer, all from the comfort of your luxurious home away from home. – Vail Lodge
Vail, Colorado is not just a winter wonderland but a prime summer destination. Breathe in the crisp mountain air of the Colorado Rockies atop Vail mountain. Enjoy an array of outdoor activities including hiking, fly fishing, and mountain biking. If the outdoors aren’t for you, Vail hosts world-class shopping and an array of restaurants!
Trek Vail Mountain to capture stunning views, golf at world-class courses, test your fly fishing abilities in the Eagle River. There are also numerous companies that provide gear rental and outdoor activities to enhance your time in Vail. The possibilities are endless when you’re in Vail!
Two-time GRAMMY nominee Tommy Emmanuel is one of the world’s most respected musicians. With a professional career spanning five decades, Tommy has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide.
His unusual talent and life are common lore in Australia: born into a musical family, Tommy got his first guitar at age 4 and was taught by his mother. He quickly learned by ear, with no formal instruction, and has never read music. By age 6 he was working as a professional musician in the family band (variously named The Emmanuel Quartet, The Midget Surfaries and The Trailblazers). By the age of 10, young Tommy had already played his way across Australia.
In the 1970s, Tommy was in high demand as a session player and sideman: he played on recordings for Air Supply, Men at Work and dozens of other popular bands and artists, as well as thousands of commercial jingles and tunes. Some of his most notable appearances were on the Air Supply hit singles “Lost in Love,” “All Out of Love,” “Every Woman in the World,” and “Now and Forever.” Tommy soon became known as one of the best modern guitarists in Australia. In 1985 he joined one of the decade’s biggest Australian rock bands, Dragon, and recorded the platinum-selling album Dreams of Ordinary Men. It is for his successful solo career, however, that Tommy is best known.
In the 1980s, Tommy finally met and got to play with his hero, Chet Atkins, in Nashville, TN. From that magical moment forward, Atkins took him under his wing, and the influences are evident throughout Tommy’s music: in his personal philosophy, technical precision, virtuosic improvisations and unusually broad repertoire (encompassing not only country and bluegrass, but pop, jazz, blues, gospel, even classical, flamenco, and aboriginal styles). Tommy speaks of his mentor with the love and gratitude of a son, and his dream of recording with Chet Atkins came true in 1996 when the pair made an album titled “The Day The Finger Pickers Took Over The World” for which Tommy received his first GRAMMY award nomination.
Chet honored Tommy with the title of “Certified Guitar Player” (CGP) for his contribution to guitar music, a very rare distinction shared by only four other people in the world. After an amazing performance with his brother Phil at the Sydney Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, the world wanted to know who this mysterious Australian guitar virtuoso was. In 2001, Tommy released his first solo-acoustic album, ONLY and his popularity has grown by leaps and bounds aided by a non-stop touring schedule and increasing exposure in the media.
His album The Mystery earned him another GRAMMY nomination, and in 2008 Guitar Player Magazine and Acoustic Guitar Magazine named him Best Acoustic Guitarist and Gold Medalist in the in the Readers’ Choice and Players’ Choice Awards. Guitar Player’s 2010 Readers Choice awards named him Best Acoustic Guitarist for the second time.
Tommy Emmanuel is an honorary Kentucky Colonel, a CGP (Certified Guitar Player), an Order of Australia Medalist (AM) and the holder of both an honorary Masters Degree (MA) and more recently an honorary Doctor of Arts (DR) from Charles Sturt University in Australia in recognition of his commitment to rural Australia and his contribution to music education.
Commuter Package gets you into all workshops, concerts, and activities. This package does not include lodging or meals. Food will be available on a la carte basis from the resort. Pricing is per person.
Standard Room with two beds and a roommate. You may either name a fellow registrant as your roommate or one will be assigned by Dreamcatcher Events. Roommate matches are based on age and gender. If signing up with a roommate in mind, please enter their name in the “Roommate” field as you continue registration. Pricing is per person.
Standard room with one bed. All attendees must stay at the Lodge at Vail. Pricing is per person.
If you would like to have your loved one join you at the Lodge at Vail but not participate in workshops, we recommend this price point. You both share the accommodations, dine together with the group for all meals, and attend all evening concerts together. The room includes one king bed. Pricing is for one participant and one non-participant.
If you would like to have your loved one join you at the Lodge at Vail but not participate in workshops, we recommend this price point. You both share the accommodations, dine together with the group for all meals, and attend all evening concerts together. The room has two queen beds. Pricing is for one participant and one non-participant.
If you would like to have your loved one join you at the Lodge at Vail and participate in workshops, we recommend this price point. You both share the accommodations, dine together with the group for all meals, attend all workshops and evening concerts together. The room includes one king bed. Pricing is for two participants.
Customer Service – Please call 800-852-9277 if you have any questions
For complete details please see our Registration and Payment Policy
Dreamcatcher Events would like to thank
