Vin Downes began studying guitar at the age of eleven. His early interests were in electric guitar, but this changed when he heard the music of Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke. He was immediately intrigued with the art of fingerstyle acoustic guitar.
Downes went on to earn a degree in classical guitar performance and music education from William Paterson University. Along the way, he has studied classical composition, Indian tabla, and American roots music, while developing a love for jazz and all improvised music.
As well as being a composer and solo artist, Vin Downes is a freelance guitarist who works in Classical, Jazz, Theater, and Popular music settings. He has also been an award winning music educator for the last fifteen years.
Vin Downes' music has received:
~ Outstanding Achievement Award from The Great American Song Contest.
~ 9/10 rating for excellent guitar performance, composition & arrangement by the International Acoustic Music Awards
~ Soundtrack placement in Season 7 of PBS' Roadtrip Nation TV series.
~ Soundtrack placement in independent films.
Read more...