John Lehmann-Haupt

I've played guitar since I was five, and have built a unique solo repertoire in which I interweave classical pieces with my own arrangements of popular and traditional songs. I have performed throughout the Northeast in concert and at top venues; my 12-year engagement at Windows on the World, atop the former World Trade Center, was cited for musical excellence by The New York Times. I've released two critically acclaimed solo CDs, Songs of the Guitar and Songs of the Guitar II ("He makes the guitar sing." - The Audiophile Voice), and I was a staff instructor at the American Institute of Guitar from 1982 until its closing in 2008. I've written extensively on music and the guitar for The New York Times, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar World, and other publications, and my song arrangements have been published by Mel Bay. I have served on the Board of Directors of the New York City Classical Guitar Society since 2006.

I accept concert engagements and present a program in which I interweave classical works with my own song arrangements, with commentary along the way. On occasion I will accept an engagement to provide background music for a social event.

I am currently accepting a small number of private students. I teach acoustic fingerstyles (classical, pop, folk, blues) and the fundamentals of theory and song arranging. As a 26-year veteran of New York's former American Institute of Guitar, I have deep experience in understanding individuals' needs as they find their voice on this marvelously expressive instrument. I emphasize sonority and an approach to technique that builds fluidity and great dynamic range. For those interested in theory, I discuss melody and harmony in terms of their relationship to the natural laws of sound.