Alfonso Ponticelli, Bandleader/Guitar
A gypsy flamenco guitarist as well, Alfonso has been to Cordoba, Spain to study with the great flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo. Alfonso is a multi-instrumentalist, having won the 1994 U.S. National Mountain Dulcimer Championship, and playing both banjo and guitar with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. He brings a wide and colorful repertoire from his many adventures in Spain, Italy, France, and all over the United States, including the Iridium in New York, where the legendary Les Paul invited Alfonso to play as a special guest with his trio. Alfonso is also a music educator in Chicago and introduced Django's music to the midwest United States nearly a decade ago, when he began teaching a weekly Django Guitar Styles Class at the Old Town School of Folk Music, one of the largest and most renowned folk music centers in the U.S. Alfonso is often invited to teach his popular workshops at festivals around the country.