Program Recognition
•Bullet: The 194-credit BM Performance concentration in Guitar makes the studio the primary performance discipline, pairing weekly one-on-one lessons with two ensembles per quarter, piano proficiency, sophomore performance proficiency, junior and senior recitals, and the liberal-arts curriculum. The Guitar studio also emphasizes technique, movement, voice, and analysis as tools for expressive playing. Lamont offers an exceptional environment for guitarists, combining individualized instruction with world-class resources and performance opportunities. Our studio is vibrant and collaborative, where guitarists challenge and support one another in pursuit of artistic excellence. Guided by Professors Jonathan Leathwood and Laura Husbands, students engage in intensive private lessons, chamber music, performance class, large ensembles, and masterclasses with renowned guest artists. In Lamont's guitar studio, students celebrate each other's successes and push one another to reach new artistic heights.
Training
•Bullet: Weekly one-on-one lessons, two ensembles per quarter, music theory, musicology, conducting, and music technology make this a performance-first course of study. Lamont's guitar studio offers a rigorous, inspiring, and highly personalized environment where students develop into versatile, expressive musicians. Led by Prof. Jonathan Leathwood, the studio focuses on bringing out each student's best playing-refining technique, artistry, and joyful music-making at every stage of development. Lessons emphasize deep musical understanding, integrating tools like movement, voice, and analysis to help students express music thoughtfully and freely.
Performance & Productions
•Bullet: The BM requirements add piano proficiency, sophomore performance proficiency, and junior and senior recitals to the chosen studio work. Guitarists at Lamont are immersed in a collaborative, performance-rich community in which weekly lessons, studio classes, chamber music coachings, and ensemble rehearsals with diverse instrumentation build versatility and connection. Students work closely with composers, premiere new works, and receive expert training in guitar history, pedagogy, and repertoire. Rooted in the values of both classical liberal arts and practical career preparation, Lamont empowers guitarists to cultivate their artistic voice and shape a distinctive, fulfilling path in today's musical world. If you're looking for a place to grow as a musician, artist, and individual, the Lamont guitar studio offers a vibrant and supportive home.
Facilities
•Bullet: Lamont performance spaces, ensemble opportunities, and the wider liberal-arts university give the intensive performance curriculum room to develop artistic and academic breadth. Guitarists at Lamont study with award-winning artists Jonathan Leathwood and Laura Husbands. Prof. Leathwood is one of the few guitarists to perform on six-string and ten-string guitars, mixing modern and traditional works in his innovative programs. He is an internationally certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and editor of Soundboard Scholar, the only peer-reviewed journal of guitar scholarship in English. Professor Husbands has won top prizes in 11 international competitions and has quickly become a sought-after performer and teacher. She is the artistic director of the Denver Guitar Festival and Competition, which brings internationally known artists to Lamont every year.
