Victor Wooten in Residence April 6–8

The Grammy-winning bassist will team up with banjo great Béla Fleck and deliver the keynote at Berklee's 17th annual Liberal Arts Symposium.
March 29, 2011

Five-time Grammy Award–winning bassist Victor Wooten will be in residence at Berklee College of Music April 6–8. On April 6, Wooten will team up with banjo great and Flecktones bandmate Béla Fleck for a master class, and on April 8 he will deliver the keynote at Berklee's 17th annual Liberal Arts Symposium. These events are not open to the public. Members of the media may attend by request.

The master class with Béla Fleck takes place Wednesday, April 6, from 1:15 to 3:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, 136 Massachusetts Avenue. Fleck is at Berklee April 5–6 for the American Roots Music Program's Banjo Masters Residency, which brings world-renowned banjo players to the college to give students private and ensemble-based instruction.

Berklee's 17th annual Liberal Arts Symposium takes place Friday, April 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at David Friend Recital Hall, 921 Boylston Street. At the event, Wooten will discuss his book The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music. The book is being used in the Berklee Liberal Arts Department's Artistry, Creativity, and Inquiry Seminar, and it illustrates that musical gifts mirror those from life, and that each movement, phrase, and chord has its own meaning.

Wooten is known for both his solo career and his work as a member of the Flecktones. He is a five-time Grammy Award–winner and has been named Bass Player magazine's Bass Player of the Year three times. Wooten has recorded with David Grier, Paul Brady, Bootsy Collins, and Branford Marsalis's Buckshot LeFonque, among others. He is also a skilled naturalist and teacher, published author, magician, husband, and father of four. He began his musical career early. At 3, his brother Regi taught him to play bass, and at 5 he made his stage debut with his four older brothers in the Wootens, playing regional tours and opening for acts such as Mayfield and War. For more information, visit victorwooten.com.

Béla Fleck is one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players. He has won 11 Grammy Awards and has been nominated in more categories than any other musician in Grammy history. Best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, he has performed or recorded with Ginger Baker, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews Band, Edgar Meyer, Phish, Doc Watson, and countless others. A New York City native, he picked up the banjo at 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt and Scruggs. While still in high school he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo, mentored by fellow banjo renegade Tony Trischka. For more information, visit belafleck.com.