Christopher Becknell

**Playing Since:** Early 90's
**Teaching Since:** 2002
**Favorite Guitarists:** Ma Rainey, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Chuck Berry, Bert Jansch, Davey Graham, John Renbourn, Tony Rice, Norman Blake, Pierre Bensusan, Leo Kottke, Ani DiFranco, Julian Bream, Pepe Romero, Christopher Parkening and John Williams, SRV, and Mark Knopfler.
**Favorite Bands:** So many. Everything from 1920's Big Bands, Hoagy Carmichael, and Hot Club of France to Beach Boys, Stones and Zeppelin, to Van Halen, Iron Maiden, and Dream Theater.

Christopher Becknell is a Twin Cities musician who freelances in many musical styles. An accomplished Classical and Fingerstyle Guitarist, he also performs on Fiddle in a wide range of styles from Classical, Celtic, Bluegrass and Old-Time to Rock and Hot Club Jazz Violin.

He served on the music faculty of Minneapolis Community and Technical College for 7 years and currently runs an Early Childhood and Suzuki Guitar Method Music program for children and their parents at his private studio in Minneapolis.

In 2015, Christopher released an album of Fingerstyle Gospel and Folk song arrangements for solo Guitar called Just Beyond the River; it has received playtime on Minnesota Public Radio, The Current, and KBEM’s Bluegrass Saturday Morning and is available on all major platforms.