July 7 – July 13, 2024
Level up your string playing at a beautiful Maine getaway!
Rob Flax’s Summer Strings Retreat is a special chance for in-person instruction with a master improviser and multi-instrumentalist, helping you to unlock new potential in your playing. Explore new techniques, expand your harmony knowledge, experiment with new sounds, and get your jam on in a variety of styles (bluegrass and other traditional fiddle styles, plus jazz, blues, rock, funk, and more…). All this in a beautiful Maine getaway, exploring nature and recharging your spirit.
Each day at the Summer Strings Retreat will be full of workshops, classes, and other activities and ideas for inspiration and developing your personal style. In addition to group sessions and one-on-one instruction, there will also be plenty of time for hiking and swimming!
Photos by Olivia Moon
Rob Flax is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator from Evanston, IL with a playful heart and an open mind. He has performed nationally and internationally with groups of many different styles, including opening for B.B. King and Tower of Power, playing viola and violin with the Trans Siberian Orchestra and YouTube star Jacob Collier, upright bass in an Argentine tango ensemble, mandolin and fiddle in various bluegrass bands, electric violin in several rock bands, collaborations with modern dancers, and more. As a composer Rob has written music for choreographers, film (including work on projects for James Franco and Anthony Bourdain), and several original projects. Rob is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, and he currently lives in Boston, MA.
In his “One Man Band” shows, Rob uses a looper pedal and other effects to transform his violin into an entire symphony of sounds, as well as use other instruments like piano, guitar, and percussion. As a singer Rob draws influences from a long list of vocalists including Nat King Cole, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Harry Belafonte, Reggie Watts, and Bobby McFerrin. His songs are sometimes humorous, and like his hero Tom Lehrer Rob also has a degree in mathematics. Rob’s favorite composer is Fred Rogers, and like Mister Rogers Rob strives to create a better world using his musical gifts to spread light and joy.