The Troubadour Series

The Troubadour Series at Wofford is named after Carl Sandburg, who was called "the Old Troubadour" by Frank Lloyd Wright. Sandburg's home is located in Flat Rock, N.C., and he visited the Wofford campus on more than one occasion. He was an avid guitarist who wrote several poems inspired by the guitar and guitarists. On his deathbed in 1967, he requested to hear one of the Segovia recordings he had listened to since the 1930s.

All Troubadour Series concerts are free and open to the public.

For more information about Sandburg, click here. For more information about The Troubadour Series, please contact Dr. Jhon Akers.

Spring 2013 Performances

"Sandburg and the Guitar" - John Akers

Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 7 p.m.
Leonard Auditorium, Main Building

John Akers’ niche in the guitar world is that of interpreter of Carl Sandburg’s love of the Spanish classical guitar. He has performed twice as the featured artist for the Sandburg Days Festival in Galesburg, IL, and three times at the annual Memorial Day Folk Festival at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock, NC—the only classical guitarist to ever perform at the event. Other venues in recent years include the Philadelphia Free Library, Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, SC, the University of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute, the North Carolina School of the Arts, the University of South Carolina’s School of Music, Davidson and Middlebury College.

He began his guitar studies as a sophomore at Middlebury College and has completed the PhD in Hispanic Languages and Literatures at UCLA. He has two short books on Sandburg and his guitar-inspired writings; he recently recorded a CD of International Christmas music with Wofford soprano Emily Conrad. He teaches in the Department of Foreign Languages at Wofford.

Masters of the Celtic Harp: William Jackson and Grainne Hambly

Monday, April 8, 2013 at 7 p.m.
Leonard Auditiorium, Main Building

Quite simply, Gráinne Hambly and William Jackson are two of the foremost harpers of Ireland and Scotland. Combining their extraordinary talents on harp as well as concertina, tinwhistle and bouzouki, The Masters of the Celtic Harp, have been performing all over the country and dazzling audiences with their artistry. With demanding solo careers that often have them performing on different continents, their Two Sides of Celtic show is a special treat.

James Manuele and Two Guitars of Spain

Friday, April 12, 2013 at 7 p.m.
Leonard Auditorium, Main Building

Born in Downey California in 1965, James began playing the guitar at age eleven. At fifteen he auditioned and ultimately studied with Celin Romero. He has performed in master classes for Pepe Romero, George Sakelariou, Bartolomeo Diaz, Benjamin Verdery and John Duarte. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree at Mansfield University under Pablo Cohen, where he also studied voice and viola, receiving the SAI/Schmits Award for best performance in 1996. Later, he earned his Masters of Music in Guitar Performance at Portland State University under composer/guitarist Bryan Johanson. James is an active guitar instructor and has taught at the Creative and Performing Arts, San Diego; Beacock’s Music Education Center, Vancouver; Washington Urban Music Center, Portland, Oregon; and presently teaches at both Clark College Vancouver, and at Concordia in Portland Oregon. As a soloist and an ensemble performer, James has performed in concert series, music festivals, and concertos with local orchestras throughout the United States.