Stephen enjoys a vibrant career as Associate Professor of Music at the University of Louisville, where he directs classical guitar studies. His students have won top prizes in international competitions and serve in teaching positions at high schools and colleges. He is a member of the Kentucky Arts Council Performing Arts Directory and has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Silesian Guitar Autumn in Poland, the Panamá Guitar Festival, the Tampere Festival in Finland, the Guitar Foundation of America Convention, and the Iserlohn Guitar Symposium in Germany, among others. more

As a Classical Guitarist, Vocalist, Composer, Pedagogue, Producer, Audio Engineer and Author Thomas Kikta is a versatile artist who has been the director of the Classical Guitar and Recording Arts and Sciences at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. for thirty years.  He has performed around the country, including collaborations with the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, Ricardo Cobo, and Manuel Barrueco.  He is also videographer and editor of the 3-volume Shearer Method (Alfred Music), and Classic Guitar Technique I.

Guitarist/educator/composer Alan Hirsh wrote the music for the three-volume Shearer Method (Alfred Music) and Learning the Classic Guitar by Aaron Shearer (Mel Bay) and is the author of Classroom Shearer: a Teacher’s Manual, The Shearer Method Book IV: Guitar Harmony, and The Shearer Method Book V: Learning the Fingerboard Supplement.  Alan is a frequent guest conductor at festivals around the country including the Long Island Guitar Festival and the ASU Guitarfest and has an extensive online catalogue of his guitar compositions and arrangements at GuitarEnsembleMusic.com.