Charles Evans

Classes

Classical Guitar

Charles Evans is a Chattanooga native. He was introduced to the guitar at age six by a cousin who was an accomplished folk musician. At the age of eight, he began performing in public. He is a graduate of Chattanooga High School where, in addition to his love for the guitar, he played the trombone for six years. In 1975, he began formal guitar studies with Dr. Mario Abril at U-T Chattanooga. He received his B.M. (guitar performance) in 1980 and M.M. (guitar performance) in 1984 and continued to teach at UTC after graduation. Some of his other teachers include Manuel Barrueco (Cuba), Oscar Ghiglia (Italy), Hector Garcia (Cuba), John Holmquist (USA), Christopher Parkening (USA) and Roland Dyens (France).
In 1988, he joined The McCallie School music faculty and for almost 30 years worked tirelessly to build a nationally recognized, classically-based, college preparatory guitar program. With an initial enrollment of 12 students, the program grew to serve over 70 students each year. Additionally, he was twice awarded travel grants to the Pacific Northwest to study the craft of guitar making and in 2017 was the recipient of the Lip Davis Award given to recognize teaching excellence.
Besides teaching, he enjoys anything "out-of-doors" especially hiking, fishing and golf. He is also an avid classical guitar maker. In 2000, he studied the craft with the late American guitar maker, Robert Ruck. Currently, he builds a small number of commissioned instruments each year. His wife, Joni, is a nurse practitioner for two pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at Erlanger Hospital. They have two sons, Houston and Will