Guitar Lessons in Eugene, OR

Kevin was born and raised in Newark, Delaware. With encouraging parents who are fans of Motown, Soul, and Rock & Roll, he caught the music bug early. He started playing guitar as a child, and began studying seriously as an early teen. In high school he participated heavily in the school’s performing arts department, while also studying music theory privately with his choir director. He then went on to major in classical guitar at the University of Delaware. While there he also studied jazz and folk guitar, and taught guitar lessons at the school’s Community Music Program and at a private music studio in Elkton, MD.

Kevin first came to Eugene in 2007 on a trip with a college friend, and fell in love with Oregon immediately. He moved here soon after, and shortly after that met the renowned guitar maker Ralph Novak of Novax Guitars. He began working for Novax, and with Ralph’s guidance learned the craft of guitar making. Since then he has built dozens of guitars for the company, as well as a few personal builds and countless repairs and setups for customers throughout the region. All the while, he has performed as a founding member of three different bands, and has toured up and down the west coast.

Kevin lives in South Eugene with his partner Carrie, and their two adopted cats, Zuul and Ash. Together they enjoy running, hiking, camping, skiing, and long road trips (the cats usually stay at home). Kevin and Carrie play music together, and also enjoy acting in independent films with their local filmmaker
friends.

Termed, ‘a prominent guitarist,’ by the New York Times, David Rogers maintains an active solo and ensemble performance career as a classical guitarist and performer on early plucked strings. The Washington Post has praised his ‘astonishingly florid’ improvisations. He has been called a ‘modern master’ of the classical guitar by 20th Century Guitar. Classics today.com has praised his ‘first rate instrumental artistry,’ and the Lute Society of America Quarterly has called his technique ‘formidable.’ He is an endorsing artist for Aquila Strings and his music has been featured in major guitar magazines such as Fingerstyle Guitar in the United States and Akustic Gitarre in Germany.

David holds a Bachelor of Music from Wayne State University, Detroit, MI a Master of Music from Oakland University, Rochester, MI and has studied at the Music Academy of Basel, Switzerland and has pursued Doctoral studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.

David enjoys teaching classical/jazz guitar and lute to all ages and levels of previous experience. Beginners are welcome.

David was a musician with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 18 years and taught at Southern Oregon University for 13 years.

Eli Hansen is an upright and electric bassist, synthesist, audio engineer and educator from Roseburg, Oregon. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the Jazz Studies program at the University of Oregon and is an active member of the Pacific Northwest music scene. After completing his undergraduate degree and winning outstanding jazz performer in the area, he was awarded a graduate teaching fellow position in the jazz and popular music areas. He currently serves as a teaching assistant, jazz and popular ensemble director, and instructor of electric bass for the popular music area. 

As a freelance musician and composer, he has worked with artists such as Julia Logue, Neil Gregory Johnson, Joe Manis, Roger Woods, Ehren Ebbage, Nick Gamer, Golden Boy, Braxton Cook, BendreTheGiant, and The Graduating Class. Additionally, he has been featured in groups such as the University of Oregon Wind Ensemble, the Oregon Jazz Ensemble, JazzArts Oregon, and the Eugene Concert Choir.

Hansen has studied classical and jazz bass with Tyler Abbott, and he has studied jazz composition with Keith Brown, Paul Krueger, and Steve Owen. He has studied briefly and/or participated in master classes with Remy LeBoeuf, Braxton Cook, Adam Larson, and Dezron Douglas.