Kevin Carlson is a long time guitar instructor and professional player in the St. Cloud area.
He has enjoyed a life long career of guitar driven performance, teaching and liturgical music. His latest recordings are “The Guitar Can Do It,” and “Inside the Heart of a Musician,” in addition to a new demo of Electric Guitar Ensemble music. He also authored the MN Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Pickers and Pluckers Guitar Syllabus in 2005 which is still in use today.
Kevin earned a BMus, (Summa) from the University of MN, Minneapolis, MN (1987), as well as a Professional Guitar Degree from Musicians Institute (GIT), Los Angeles, CA (1988).
Kevin plays in local musical events year round. He plays at weddings, nursing home events, and numerous community events. Recently he played as part of Great River Chorale’s “What Sweeter Music”, Crusade Choir’s Christmas Concert and with the Northern Star Duo for their twentieth year at the Landmark Center’s Annual Holiday Bazaar in St Paul, MN. He also performed in a six-day Guitar Heroes tour with the Fabulous Armadillos in April 2017. Kevin also enjoys volunteering his time to play solo guitar in the lobby of the Coborn’s Cancer Center at the CentraCare Health Plaza in Sartell.
In addition to performing as a freelance soloist and ensemble guitarist, Kevin directs the Childbloom / PMI Guitar School and the Great River Guitars (middle school) and St Cloud Bella Corda (high school) guitar ensembles in St. Cloud, MN.
Kevin is an active member of Guitar Foundation of America and the MN Guitar Society and the only Childbloom Guitar Director in MN. He also served as the MMTA Vice President for Voice and Instrumental Programs Board of Directors from 2009 – 2013.