Brian Henke

Years at Winfield: 

Brian Henke composes and performs his music like a painter putting images on canvas, drawing his inspiration from the world around him. An avid hiker, he often brings his guitar along to create a spontaneous response to his outdoor settings. Mother Earth (Terra) as artist has given an immense living gallery from the humbling spectacle of her natural wonders to the simple, beauty of a treetop against a blue sky. Her majestic legacy and the magical feeling of awe and peace inspire the compositions of this award winning virtuosic fingerstyle guitarist. Brian’s four CD’s, “Many Waters”,” Love Song for Terra”, “Force of Nature”, and his recently released” The Nature of Light”, are a cornucopia of sonic vistas. He celebrates a Grand Canyon sunset, the fireside magic of an American shaman, playful waterfalls, the color of the wind and the light of dreams to name a few. His live DVD, “Live at Cuyahoga Community College” gives listeners and viewers a chance to enjoy a front seat in an intimate concert setting with a half hour interview afterwards giving the viewer a deeper understanding of where his music comes from. His unique guitar style has been called everything from Folk to New Age to Neo-Classical to Pastoral or as Brian likes to call it “a big stewpot of everything stirred up, simmered and served to taste.” His music appeals to anyone who likes their music, lyrical, thought provoking and performed with virtuosity. Through it all is an undercurrent of spirituality and mysticism that Brian says is very much apart of the creative process. Because of this he has received radio air play on shows as varied as WKSU’s “Folk alley” and John Dilberto’s “Echoes”. He has also shared the bill on the concert stage with acts as diverse as “Yes”, “Linda Ronstadt”, “Steve Morse”, Yngvie Malmsteen”, “Robin and Linda Williams”, “Ritchie Havens”, “Christine Lavin”,”The Kingston Trio”, “Glen Yarborough”, “Alison Brown”, “Adrian Belew” and many of the best acoustic guitarists in the world including “Pete Huttlinger”,”Alex DeGrassi”, “Stephen Bennett”, “John Doan”, Beppe Gambetta”, “Dan Crary” and many, many others. A winner of several Northeast Ohio Music Awards, he has also been a finalist in the National Fingerstyle Contest in Winfield, Kansas and the National Guitarmageddon regional finals in Boston. “Elegant and emotional” – Dirty Linen Magazine “Brian Henke’s music displays both amazing technique and a wonderful sense of calm.”- Pete Huttlinger (National Fingerstyle Champion 2000)