About the Event

Lute Fest will be held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio from Sunday, June 21 through Saturday June 27, 2026.

More details about program offerings and pricing will be available soon.

A list of confirmed faculty for the lute and voice programs is available below.

Scholarships

Applications for scholarships to Cleveland Lute Fest and the Lute Fest Vocal Program are now closed. Scholarships include full tuition as well as some travel expenses if applicable. General scholarships are open to all participants under the age of 35. Applicants must be current members of the LSA in good standing. The scholarship application deadline was April 15, 2026.

Scholarship recipients will be announced soon.

Note: Case Western Reserve University students receive free tuition! No need to apply for a scholarship.

Any questions about scholarships? Contact laudonschuett@lutesocietyofamerica.org.

Would you like to help support scholarships for Lute Fest?

The opportunity for a talented lutenist to attend Lute Fest may never arise due to their financial situation. A musician in a graduate program or just embarking on their career may struggle to find enough money to purchase or rent their own instrument while making ends meet. We know this is a difficult time across the country, with rising rents and higher costs at the market. Travel is more expensive than ever. Economic barriers may keep promising players and player-scholars – perhaps some of the future movers and shakers of the Lute Society of America – from participating in masterclasses with our excellent faculty.

We at LSA truly appreciate any help our members can lend to help such musicians come and shine at Lute Fest. We can only continue to be the premiere organization for the lute if we grow our membership and encourage rising players. We humbly ask you to consider donating to one of our scholarship programs.

Feedback from a previous scholarship recipient

“It was a great time being in the presence of not only like-minded people with an interest in the lute and its repertoire, but be alongside and taught by some of the best performers in the community. The lute fest and its scholarship definitely helped make me feel more connected with the LSA and more confident in my skill as a performer.” –Nick Paraggio, 2024 Lute Fest scholarship recipient

It really does make a difference!

Lute Program

Daily classes:

Brandon Acker: “Demystifying Continuo on the Theorbo”
Robert Barto: Master Class with Baroque Lute Topics
Robert Barto: “Easy Baroque Lute”
David Brown: Tools, Techniques, and Transformations: Lessons With the Lute Doctor
Eduardo Egüez: “Around the Vihuela”
Lucas Harris: “The Elizabethan Broken Consort, From the Inside!”
Danur Kvilhaug: “From Melancholy to Paradise: The Consort Music of Anthony Holborne”
Nigel North: “Twenty Original Sources for Lute Instruction, 1500-1750”
Nigel North: Master Class
Paul O’Dette: Master Class
Paul O’Dette: “Discovering Dowland”
Laudon Schuett: “Improving Your Sight-Reading”
Laudon Schuett: “Composing your First Lute Piece (Renaissance Style)”
Hopkinson Smith: “Technique and Interpretation” 

Pat O’Brien Lecture:

Lucas Harris: “The Collaborating Lutenist” 

Single 90-minute classes:

Eduardo Egüez: “Intabulating a 16th-Century Polyphonic Vocal Work for Vihuela or Renaissance Lute”
Eduardo Egüez: Master Class (X2)
Nigel North: “In Search of Dowland”
Nigel North: “A Guide to Playing 16th-Century Polyphony on The Lute”
Paul O’Dette: “The Antwerp School of Lutenists, circa 1600: An Unexplored Treasure”
Paul O’Dette: “English Lute Music in Germany and The Low Countries”
Mark Rimple: “Contemporary Analysis for Better Musicianship: Parameters and Implications for Interpreting Solo Lute Music”
Laudon Schuett: “Dowland’s Right Hand”
Laudon Schuett: “Nuts and Bolts of Rhetoric”
Hopkinson Smith: Master Class (X2)
Hopkinson Smith: “Seven Passionate Pavans and Six New Solo Works”

More details are available on the Class Description page here.

Festival Director

The Lute Society of America’s Lute Festival is directed by Dr Jason Priset with Assistant Director Danur Kvilhaug.

Lute Program Faculty

The following faculty will be joining us this year for lute instruction and concerts.

Click on the faculty images below to read their biographies.

Lute Doctor

Each year the Cleveland Lute Fest includes an expert luthier on faculty who teaches a class on lute-building and basic repairs, and is able to offer lute repairs to participants and faculty on-site. For this year’s LSA Lute Fest we welcome David Brown for the first time as the Lute Doctor.

Click on the image below to read David’s biography.

Concert Performances

The following artists will be joining us this year for festival concert performances.

Click on the artist images below to read their biographies.

Voice Program

The English Lute Song and Beyond: English Solo Song of the Seventeenth Century

This year, the Lute Fest features a special voice track for singers interested in early music. You will have the opportunity at this workshop to work with lute players in a number of repertoires and situations:

• English lute songs by John Dowland, Thomas Campion, John Danyel and others
• Continuo songs spanning the 17th century from Lanier to Lawes to Purcell
• Broken consort and theater songs
• English madrigals and partsongs

In addition to our vocal program classes, you can also:

• Attend concerts and lectures on a host of topics in classes led by LSA lute faculty.
• Participate in lute classes that incorporate lute and continuo song, allowing more opportunities to explore repertoire firsthand.
• Arrange private lessons or coachings with several of our faculty members for an additional, modest fee (see below).
• Spend your free time collaborating with our many lutenists playing through your favorite lute songs in the evening after classes and concerts.

Singers from the intermediate to pre-professional level are welcome. A limited number of scholarships will be available to help cover tuition (see below).

Voice Program Class List

Daily classes:

Estelí Gomez: Master Class
Estelí Gomez: How to Practice: Interdisciplinary Guidance for Singers and Instrumentalists
Drew Minter: Master Class
Drew Minter: John Dowland’s First Book of Ayres
Nell Snaidas: Master Class
Nell Snaidas: Songs in Shakespeare 

Single 90-minute classes:

Estelí Gomez: Songs of Henry Purcell
Drew Minter: The Feldenkrais Method Applied to Singing and Playing
Nell Snaidas: The Art of Gesture

More details are available on the Class Description page here.

Voice Program Director

The Lute Society of America’s Voice Program at Lute Fest is directed by Drew Minter.

Voice Program Faculty

The following voice faculty will be joining us this year for The English Lute Song and Beyond: English Solo Song of the Seventeenth Century voice program.

Click on the faculty images below to read their biographies.

Classes

Daily classes, single 90 minute classes, Master Classes, and Pat O’Brien Lecture details can be reviewed on the Class Description page here.

Concert Series

Sunday, June 21
Paul O’Dette: “Music from the Antwerp Lutenists, circa 1600”

Monday, June 22
“A Day With Dowland”
Featuring Nigel North, lute; Jeffrey Thompson, tenor; and Joanna Blendulf, bass viol

Tuesday, June 23
Eduardo Egüez: “Iberia XVI”
Works by the most famous Spanish vihuelists of the sixteenth century: Milan, Mudarra, Narváez, Fuenllana, Daça, Pisador, Valderrabano

Wednesday, June 24
Robert Barto: “Early and Late Works of Sylvius Weiss”

Thursday, June 25
“The Queen’s Noyse”
Faculty Lute Quartet and Broken Consort featuring Lucas Harris, Jason Priset, Laudon Schuett, and Mark Rimple

Friday, June 26
Participants and Vocal Program Concert

More details about concerts will be available soon.

Pricing

In-person event pricing is described below. For the online-only event, see the Lute Fest Lite section.

Class Tuition

The full week of tuition for all classes is $685 for active LSA Members and $725 for non-members. If you are not currently a member of the LSA and would like to receive a discount on tuition, you can join or renew your membership here.

Concerts

The full series of 6 concerts is $200. If you are local to the Cleveland area and would like to purchase a single ticket a la carte, tickets will be $40 at the door.

Housing

On-campus housing is conveniently located in proximity of the Lute Fest classrooms and performance spaces. Housing costs include one set of linens (sheets, pillows, towels). All rooms in the premium housing are private rooms containing double beds and are part of a suite that includes a kitchen. (Couples only need to book one room.) Premium housing also includes air conditioning. Budget housing does not include air conditioning, is not in a suite with a kitchen, and includes only single beds. Sign up for the housing option that best suits your needs when registering for Lute Fest.

Housing Pricing Options

Premium housing pricing for the full week will be $650, with the option to purchase an extra night before and after the event for an additional $100 per night.

Budget housing pricing for the full week will be $425, with the option to purchase an extra night before and after the event for an additional $65 per night.

Housing costs include linens (sheets, pillows, towels) for 6 nights, beginning Sunday evening, June 21 and ending the morning of Saturday, June 27.

If you would like to extend your stay, you can purchase an extra night before the event for Saturday, June 20 into Sunday, June 21. You can also purchase an extra night after the event for Saturday, June 27 into Sunday, June 28.

Meal Plan

Meal plan pricing for the full week of breakfasts and dinners will be $146 per person. Please inform us of any dietary restrictions when registering if you are purchasing a meal plan.

Class Schedule

Click on the calendar events below to expand the class title and descriptions.

Click on the “add to Google Calendar” link near the bottom to add the event details to your Google Calendar.

You can also download the PDF version of the full schedule using the link below:

• LuteFest 2026 Schedule in table format

Lute Fest Lite

Can’t attend Lute Fest 2026 in person in Cleveland? Attend online! Lute Fest Lite gives you access to a selection of streamed classes and concerts.

Concerts: All five concerts of the Lute Fest Concert Series will be livestreamed, then professionally edited and made available for additional viewing shortly afterwards.

Classes: Each day, one carefully selected early morning class as well as the late afternoon Pat O’Brien lecture given by Lucas Harris will be filmed, edited, and made available within 24-36 hours. Each day will present a different topic to the viewer. By the end of the week this will include 10 classes available for viewing at your leisure. (Please note: classes will not be streamed live.)

About the Lute Fest Lite Package

The Lute Fest Lite package will include:

Classes

Pat O’Brien Lecture:
Lucas Harris: “The Collaborating Lutenist”

Single 90-minute classes:
Eduardo Egüez: “Intabulating a 16th-Century Polyphonic Vocal Work for Vihuela or Renaissance Lute”
Nigel North: “In Search of Dowland”
Paul O’Dette: “The Antwerp School of Lutenists, circa 1600: An Unexplored Treasure”
Laudon Schuett: “Dowland’s Right Hand”
Hopkinson Smith: “Seven Passionate Pavans and Six New Solo Works”

Concerts

Sunday, June 21
Paul O’Dette: “Music from the Antwerp Lutenists, circa 1600”
Monday, June 22
“A Day With Dowland”
Featuring Nigel North, lute; Jeffrey Thompson, tenor; and Joanna Blendulf, bass viol
Tuesday, June 23
Robert Barto: “Early and Late Works of Sylvius Weiss”
Wednesday, June 24
Eduardo Egüez: “Iberia XVI”
Works by the most famous Spanish vihuelists of the sixteenth century: Milan, Mudarra, Narváez, Fuenllana, Daça, Pisador, Valderrabano
Thursday, June 25
“The Queen’s Noyse”
Faculty Lute Quartet and Broken Consort featuring Lucas Harris, Jason Priset, Laudon Schuett, and Mark Rimple

(Lute Fest Lite does not include the Friday Participant’s Concert, which will not be livestreamed or published.)

All videos (concerts and classes) will remain available for a full month following the end of Lute Fest. Enjoy them as many times as you’d like!

Please keep in mind that this will be a much more condensed version of Lute Fest (hence the term Lute Fest Lite) and is not any attempt to reproduce the full experience of a Cleveland Lute Fest. We understand that there are some situations that make it impossible to make a trip to Cleveland, and this offers a chance for everyone, no matter where you are, to participate in Lute Fest.

Lute Fest Lite Pricing

Cost: $275 for Lute Fest Lite registration. No a la carte options available.

Videos available for in-person attendees too! All in-person Lute Fest attendees will also have month-long access to the Lute Fest Lite videos.

Contact Us

For questions about the Lute Fest Scholarships, contact laudonschuett@lutesocietyofamerica.org.

For questions about Lute Fest events, contact lutefest@lutesocietyofamerica.org.