John Doan, one of the few masters of the rare twenty-string harp guitar, has performed with a diverse range of artists including pop star Donovan, folk legend Burl Ives, jazz ace Larry Carlton, as a member of the New Christy Minstrels with Randy Sparks, among others and his virtuoso playing and arranging has attracted praise from no less a guitar luminary than Chet Atkins.  He recently was featured in a PBS special titled "Primal Twang - the Legacy of the Guitar alongside various guitar luminaries such as Doc Watson, Dan Crary, Mason Williams, Albert Lee, Doyle Dykes, Andrew York, etc.  He also recently contributed a chapter to "Between the Strings - the Secret Lives of Guitars" a veritable compendium of the world's greatest guitarists with introduction by B.B. King. 

 

John has appeared in numerous publications including the Washington Post and Billboard Magazine as well as staring in two much-loved television specials produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting: "A Christmas to Remember With John Doan" (seen on PBS) and his Emmy nominated "A Victorian Christmas With John Doan."  His latest recordings on Hearts O' Space Records have been nominated for "Best Celtic Album of the Year" with Eire - Isle of the Saints winning that title.  His music has also been featured on numerous prime-time television and movie productions including Walt Disney, among others.  His latest video project is a ninety-minute documentary that he wrote and starred in titled "In Search of the Harp Guitar." 

 

Born and raised in Venice California John began playing guitar at the age of eleven.  His early performance experience started with surf and rock music and he began teaching guitar at the age of sixteen in a local music store.  He began his serious guitar studies at California University at Northridge in their school of music that was rated at the time in the top five music schools in the nation.  There he was one of the early graduates of the guitar program and moved to Oregon at a time when he was the only musician with a degree in guitar in the state.  He has taught at numerous colleges and universities in the region to include Western Oregon University, Linfield College, Lane Community College, Oregon State University, Chemeketa Community College and Willamette University were he is an Associate Professor of Music and has worked since 1977.  In addition to his guitar classes and studio teaching he conducts a lecture course "Music of America" where he explores content and meaning of America's music.  He recently hosted an International Harp Guitar Festival at the University where he has given numerous recitals and lectures.  He lives near Salem with his wife Deirdra atop of an extinct volcano overlooking the Willamette Valley (he is hoping his view will not be enhanced in the coming years).

 

Credits:

John Doan is a recording artist and concert performer as well as a professor of music at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.  He is known as one of the world's leading harp guitarists and recently hosted the International Harp Guitar Gathering in Salem, Oregon. 

 

Awards (highlights):

Emmy-Nomination for "Best Entertainment Special of the Year" for "A Victorian Christmas with John Doan."

"Best Celtic Album of the Year" - NAV Awards for "Eire - Isle of the Saints".

Nomination for "Best Celtic Album of the Year" - NAV Awards for "Wayfarer - Ancient Paths to Sacred Places".

"Visionary Award" for "Farewell" on "Celtic Twilight" on Hearts O'Space Records.

"Salem's Favorite and Best Musician Award" - Statesman Journal, Salem, OR.

 

John's; Television, Movie and DVD Credits (highlights):

Tapestry Productions "A Celtic Pilgrimage with John Doan."

Fisher-King Productions "In Search of the Harp Guitar."

HBO Movie Special "Baby", music by Jeff Dana, John Doan harp guitar.

PBS "Rufus Jones a Luminous Life" - a PBS DVD and television production.

OPB "A Christmas to Remember with John Doan" seen on PBS.

OPB "A Victorian Christmas with John Doan" seen on PBS.

Vestron Video "Inner Workout" starring Shirley McClane.

 Walt Disney's "Dreams on Ice - The Nancy Kerigan Special."

 

John's Interviews on National and International Radio (highlights):

NPR "All Things Considered - Evening Edition"

NPR "Echoes" Interview and performance with John Diliberto

NPR "Performance Today" Interview with Fred Childs

Radio Kerry FM 97, Tralee, Ireland Interview with Moira Begley

BBC Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland

Radio France "Evening Show" - performance and interview

 

Published Interviews in Print (highlights):

Music Making Magazine, London, England

"Hybrid Guitars" Fingerstyle Guitar

"In Tune With The Past" Victoria Magazine (Hearst Corp.)

Acoustic Guitar Magazine, San Anselmo, CA

"Musical Instruments From Another Time" The Chronicle of Higher Education

Sforzando Music Magazine, Portland, OR

"Windows In Time" American Lutherie (The Guild of American Luthiers)

 

John's Published Articles (highlights):

"Between the Strings - the Secret Lives of Guitars" introduction by B.B. King

"The Renaissance of the Harp Guitar" - Frets Magazine

"Exploring Guitar Notation" - Soundboard Magazine (GFA)

""The Inevitable Harp Guitar - Recurring Cycles in Guitar Evolution" - Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine

 

Record Reviews in Print (highlights):

Washington Post

Billboard Magazine

Jazziz Magazine

Acoustic Guitar

 

National Performances (highlights):

St. John the Divine Cathedral - New York, NY

University of Wisconsin - Madison WI

Fairbault Arts Association - Minneapolis, MN

Harp Guitar Gathering - Williamsburg. VA

Sandpoint Arts Association - Sandpoint, ID

MCT Center for the Performing Arts - Missoula, MT

Pensacola Arts Center - Pensacola, FL

Tulane University - New Orleans, LA

Doane College - Crete, NE

McCabes - Santa Monica, CA

The Hult Center, Eugene, OR

Portland State University, Portland, OR

 

Music Festivals (highlights):

Folklife Festival, Seattle, WA

Bethlehem Folk Festival, Bethlehem, PA

Port Jefferson Irish Festival, Port Jefferson, NY

 

Performance Reviews: (too numerous to mention - a sampling follows):

The Globe-Times, Bethlehem, Pa.

The Oregonian, Portland, OR

Daily Star-Progress, La Habra, CA

 

Lecture Demonstrations (Highlights):

"Something New From Something Old - Serious Creativity Connects The Future With The Past," Keynote address - The American Association for Creativity at Duke University, Durham, NC

"A New Style For An Old Instrument- Composing And Performing On The Harp Guitar," Portland Guitar Fest, Portland, OR

"Harp Guitar: An Instrument with a Forgotten Past and an Intriguing Future" Willamette University, Salem, OR

"What We Did Before Radio And TV- American Parlor Music", Oregon Council for the Humanities  "Chautauqua" Program

 

Classical Guitar and Lute Studies:

California State University at Northridge B.A. Music/Performance Guitar

Western Oregon State University M. Music Ed.

Various Master Classes with Oscar Ghiglia, Michael Lorimer, Toyohiko Satoh, Paul O'Dette, among others.