Muskegon, Michigan, October 27, 2022—Chet Atkins declared her worthy of national recognition. The Reporter dubbed her “the premier female fingerstyle guitarist today.” Les Paul called her “one hell of a great player.” Audiences will have a rare opportunity to experience the awe-inspiring sound of a unique artist on a unique instrument—along with a backdrop of stunning visuals—when composer and guitarist Muriel Anderson brings her 21-string harp guitar to The Block at 7:30 pm Friday, November 18.
Anderson’s artistry embraces world music, played with a sense of grace and joy and infused with humor. Her multimedia show takes the audience on a musical tour of the world and stars set to breathtaking images by photo-artist Bryan Allen. Of Finnish background, she comes from a long line of musicians; her grandfather was a sax player in the John Philip Sousa band. Anderson fell in love with the guitar at an early age and learned every style available to her, beginning with folk, bluegrass, and jazz. She received a degree in music from DePaul University and went on to study with classical virtuoso Christopher Parkening and with Nashville legend Chet Atkins. She has performed with Atkins, as well as with Tommy Emmanuel, Earl Klugh, Les Paul, and Doc Watson, among others. Her 2020 release is Acoustic Chef, a CD and cookbook with music to accompany each recipe. Her CD Nightlight Daylight won 11 awards, including Global Music Award’s Best Instrumental Composition for “A Bakers Dozen.”
Anderson has released more than a dozen solo albums, instructional CDs, and DVDs through TrueFire and Homespun, and songbooks published by Hal Leonard, Mel Bay, and Zen-On Japan. Books of her original music include “New Classics for Guitar and Cello,” music from which has been performed by the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and Chicago’s Vox Caelestis. She is the founder of the Music for Life Alliance charity and Muriel Anderson’s All-Star Guitar Night®. Her music can be heard in Woody Allen’s film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Her album Heartstrings accompanied astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery.
The harp guitar encompasses many forms as a guitar-based stringed with a traditional fret-board and any number of additional unstopped strings. Anderson usually plays a Doolin custom 21-string harp guitar which has both nylon and steel strings.
Single tickets are priced at $48 for table seats, $32 for floor seats and, $10 for students with ID. To order, call 231.726.3231, visit www.TheBlockWestMichigan.org or in person at The Block, 360 W. Western Avenue, Muskegon.