Christian Howes’ Creative String Workshop stages concert at White Horse Black Mountain

Press release from White Horse Black Mountain: 

Christian Howes, an internationally-acclaimed violinist, educator and composer who was voted the No. 1 “Rising Star” by a Downbeat and among the top three jazz violinists by the JazzTimes in recent critic polls, will bring his annual Creative Strings Workshop to White Horse Black Mountain for a 7:30 p.m. performance on Sunday, July 14.  It will serve as the culmination of an intensive week of clinics, rehearsals, master classes and workshops in nearby Asheville.

Tickets are priced at $10 in advance, $12 at the door and $6 for students.  Doors will open at 7 p.m.  For more information, go to www.whitehorseblackmountain.com or call 828-669-0816.

Howes, a native of  Columbus, Ohio, performed as a soloist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra at age 16, and later earned his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Ohio State University.  Since then, he has established himself as a world-class jazz violinist and educator. From 2001-2009, Howes became an in-demand violinist on the New York scene, collaborating with a bevy of top-shelf jazz artists, including Les Paul, Greg Osby, D.D. Jackson, Frank Vignola, Joel Harrison, Rez Abbasi, Dafnis Prieto,  Spyro Gyra, and a 4-year chair in Bill Evans’ “Soulgrass” band.

Christian was particularly a favorite of Paul, with whom he worked closely for 11 years. Following a three-year tenure as Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and after establishing his “street cred” in New York City, Christian returned to his hometown in order to be close to family and focus on his own projects.

In 2011, Howes was nominated for the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Violinist Of The Year.” In 2012, he received the Residency Partner Award from Chamber Music America for his educational outreach with school orchestra programs, and in 2013 he performed six nights under his own name at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Howes toured the Ukraine (June 2014) and Montenegro (Spring 2015) at the invitation of the U.S. State Department, and in conjunction with the USArtists award from the Mid Atlantic Foundation.

After releasing a string of independent releases as a leader, he signed with Resonance Records in 2008 and released four critically acclaimed albums. The first, Heartfelt, featuring pianist Roger Kellaway, featured ballads and lyrical works. Out of the Blue, released in 2010, features guitarist Robben Ford, and demonstrates a wide range of sensibilities steeped in the blues. His 2012 release, Southern Exposure, featuring accordionist Richard Galliano, draws from a Hispanic sphere of influence. American Spirit was released in 2015, garnering a “Best of 2015”recognition from the Huffington Post, among other critical acclaim.

In 2001, he founded the Creative Strings Workshop and Festival, which convenes during the first week of July every year in Columbus, Ohio. The annual summer conference is now in its 17th year, and draws participants from all corners of the earth, and it has since expanded into satellite locations around the world. Six events will be held in 2019 in Switzerland, Toronto, Dallas, Lincoln, Neb., and Asheville, N.C.

In 2013, Christian Howes founded “Creative Strings”, a 501 (c) (3) organization with a mission to expand music education through the creation of online curriculum, an annual summer conference, and outreach programming in over 50 schools annually.

As part of Creative Strings Asheville, Howes will be working in collaboration with renowned Asheville-based pianist and composer Michael Jefry Stevens. Participants in the July 14 event at White Horse Black Mountain will showcase improvisation across a variety of styles and formats.

White Horse Black Mountain (105 Montreat Rd.) is a 215-seat music and arts venue that has staged more than 2,500 concerts and other events during its 10-year history. It offers state-of-the-art sound, cabaret-style (table) seating, and bar/concession area that serves beer, wine, Kombucha, soft drinks and snacks.