Gary joined the music faculty at L’Ecole Française du Maine in 2012 as Suzuki teacher of classical guitar. Gary has been delighting audiences of all ages for over 25 years, performing and teaching music on five continents worldwide. He has represented the United States three times: twice as a Kennedy Center/U.S. State Department Jazz Ambassador and once as a Fulbright Grant recipient. He holds degrees from Berklee College of Music and Washington State University. A popular clinician, Gary regularly presents guitar workshops at the K-12 and college-level throughout the United States. He currently teaches music at Bowdoin College and The University of S. Maine School of Music. As a performing guitarist, Gary works in many contexts from solo guitar to larger ensembles. His arrangements of traditional Blues/Folk Americana for solo guitar have been performed worldwide and can be heard on three of his CDs. He is a member of the New York-based Trio WAG, and also performs Latin music with several bands in the northeastern United States. He has traveled to Ecuador six times, performing Latin music and his original compositions, and has recorded 2 CDs with tuba legend Howard Johnson. He received a Maine Arts Commission Grant in 2006 and continues to compose, perform and record worldwide. A specialist in the music and life of Thelonious Monk, Gary has presented concert/lectures on Monk at some of the most prestigious music schools in the world including Berklee College of Music (Boston), The New School (New York), The Guild Hall School of Music (London), The Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory (St. Petersburg), and Indiana State University (Bloomington). His book, “Thelonious Monk for Guitar”, published by Hal Leonard, continues to be popular throughout the guitar playing world. Additional articles written by Gary have been published in Guitar Player Magazine, Coda, and the International Association of Jazz Educators Journal. A friend of the Monk family, Gary has performed for Mrs. Nellie Monk and been interviewed on the radio with Thelonious Monk, Jr. More info can be found at www.garywittner.com