Jordan Dodson, described by Performance Today as “one of the top young guitarists of his generation,” is a musician and educator. A passionate advocate of contemporary music, Dodson has given the premiere of hundreds of new works. In 2013 he was the first guitarist to graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music’s new guitar program. In the same year he won Astral Artists’ National Auditions and was selected to be Young Artist in Residence on American Public Media.
​
He recently appeared as soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with the premiere of Andrea Clearfield’s new concerto, Glow. He plays in several New York City chamber ensembles including the Metropolis Ensemble and the New York City Guitar Quartet, and frequently collaborates with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Curtis on Tour, the American Modern Opera Company, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and Contemporaneous. He has performed alongside such musicians as Roberto Díaz, Anne Marie-McDermott, and Ransom Wilson.

Dodson has appeared on several commercially available recordings including Jason Eckardt’s Subject. His most recent recordings are Elliot Cole’s Nightflower and Journals, vol. 1. As collaborator with American Modern Opera Company, he has helped create the guitar part for a new arrangement of John Adams’ El Niño, which will receive its premiere in France in 2024.

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Dodson is on faculty at EzraGuitar and The Smith School in New York City. He has given many masterclasses and lectures and holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Cincinnati, and his teachers have included Clare Callahan, David Starobin, and Jason Vieaux. 

Jordan is endorsed by Oasis strings and plays a Gary Lee guitar.

______________

GRAMMY-Nominated classical and electric guitarist Dr. Tom Clippinger has been described as “one of the finest young players I’ve heard,” and “someone to watch” (Oren Fader, guitarist and faculty at Manhattan School of Music and SUNY Purchase). As an advocate for new music, Tom frequently works with composers to expand the classical guitar repertoire, and in this process has been the dedicatee of several new works by composers such as Donald Grantham, Celil Refik Kaya, José Maria Sanchez-Verdú, Nailah Nombeko, and Kile Smith. Most recently, he was the guitarist for the world premiere tour of Damien Geter’s critically acclaimed opera, “Loving v. Virginia” with Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony Orchestra.

Tom first pursued his formal classical guitar studies at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He then pursued his Masters degree at Florida State University, where he served as a teaching assistant to esteemed pedagogue Bruce Holzman, and was invited to perform at the TEDxFSU conference in Tallahassee, FL in 2018. Finally, he achieved his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021.

Additionally, Tom was a founding member of the Austin Guitar Quartet. In 2019, they performed and recorded Nico Muhly’s “How Little You Are” with the Texas Guitar Quartet, and the GRAMMY Award Winning groups, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Conspirare. In 2021, Tom left the Austin Guitar Quartet, and started the New York City Guitar Quartet, a group dedicated to new music.

Tom has studied with Ray Chester, Bruce Holzman, Adam Holzman, Matt Palmer, Oren Fader, Sharon Isbin, and Magnus Andersson. He has attended Le Domaine Forget International Music Festival, The Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Institute, and Mostly Modern Festival.

Tom plays on a Glenn Canin guitar, is an Ex-Aequo Artist, and is endorsed by Augustine Strings, GuitarLift, Chase Bliss, Wampler Pedals, TourGear Designs, and MONO Creators. He currently serves on the faculties of Christopher Newport University, Virginia Wesleyan University, and The Governor’s School for the Arts.