We had a very special guest at the gallery last week, Don Ross, who has been a dear friend of Paul’s for the last 25 years. Don gave an intimate performance for a small group of us. Through the performance, Don also speaks candidly yet humorously about the ups and downs of his life with his family, and takes us through the peaks and valleys of his incredible musical journey. We are tremendously grateful for Don’s generosity, and for his extraordinarily beautiful music and stories that filled the gallery.

Don is a Canadian master fingerstyle guitarist, he is a true innovator of guitar composition and technique. Don is one of the most respected musicians in Canada and one of the top guitarists in the world. He is the only person to win the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship twice (1988 and 1996). Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with fingertips, figernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to plucking individual notes with a “pick”. Don’s music borrows from blues, funk, jazz, folk, and classical music, creating a style that he describes as “heavy wood”. He tours extensively around the world.