Two world-class masters of the acoustic guitar – Don Ross with special guest Sean Hall – will dazzle patrons of The Carleton on Thursday, January 18th. Show time is 7:30 PM and tickets are $30 + HST.

Don Ross was born and raised in Montreal and has lived in various parts of Canada over the course of his life. The son of a Mi’kmaw Indigenous mother and a Scottish immigrant father, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music) degree from Toronto’s York University and started working full-time as a musician in 1988. That year he won the US National Fingerpick Guitar Championship for the first time, and also played with his quartet Eye Music at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

Signing a solo recording contract with Duke Street Records that same year, he went on to release two CDs of solo guitar music for the label in 1989 and 1990, as well as a third CD for the label featuring vocal music, full band arrangements, and solo guitar tunes in 1993.

Concentrating his touring primarily in Canada at the start of his career, Don went on to sign with Sony Music/Columbia Records (Canada) in 1994, releasing three CDs for the label. US-based Narada Records also licensed two pieces for the Masters of Acoustic Guitar CD in 1997. Meanwhile, Don won the US National Fingerpick Guitar Championshipfor the second time in 1996. To this day, he is still the competition’s only two-time winner. Don began touring more internationally at this point in his career, concentrating especially on Germany and other central European countries.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Don went back to university, completing a Master of Arts degree in Orchestration through the University of Chichester (UK) and ThinkSpace Education, and graduating in early 2021. He immediately started working extensively in the world of scoring orchestral and electronic music for video games, films and television.

In addition to his solo performances and recordings, Don also heads his quartet Don Ross Louder Than Usual, which focusses on his more jazz-leaning repertoire.

In 2021, Don won the prestigious Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Award winning Candyrat Recording artist Sean Hall is a fingerstyle guitarist from Bellingham, WA. Weaving beautiful melodies with lush harmonies and percussive elements, his performances invite listeners to experience the melodic landscapes he creates. Sean has toured extensively in 48 states and over 20 countries, winning the Epic Records national competition and being featured at The Gorge Amphitheater in Washington State.

Sean is produced by the renowned Antoine Dufour and collaborates regularly with him as well as acclaimed guitarists such as Don Ross, Alex de Grassi and Trevor Gordon Hall. Inspired by trail blazers such as Michael Hedges, Alex de Grassi and Phil Keaggy, Sean strives to continue the legacy of smashing the boundaries of what can be done on the acoustic guitar.