I wrote last month introducing a new-to-me music camp in the heart of the Sierra Mountains, the California Autoharp Gathering (CAG), held at the beautiful St. Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center near Dunlap, California.

I told you about how the “CAG” was developed in 2002 in the town of Mendota, California, in Fresno County, and how it has grown since its inception:

History

The California Autoharp Gathering (CAG) was founded in 2002 at the Mendota Unified School District. Students at the school district had the opportunity to take classes in autoharp, guitar, pep band, mariachi, and folkloric dancing. The CAG was established to give these students a chance to go to a fine arts camp; where workshops, concerts, and training would be made available to them. In addition, participants from around the United States were invited to join the CAG to celebrate and enjoy a three-day festival with the autoharp being the primary instrument of study.

In 2006 the CAG created and introduced the new “California Autoharp Gathering Lifetime Achievement Award”, a tribute of appreciation to special artists who have appeared at the CAG.  That year it was awarded to its first four recipients: Jim Snow, Bryan Bowers, Mike Seeger, and Kenny & Marta Hall. These awards were highlighted with rare film footage of the honorees.

As the CAG has developed over the years, artists of renown have joined the ranks of the faculty staff and concert performers.

You can view the gorgeous location at the St. Nicholas Ranch HERE

And you can read a longer version of this history HERE

Here is the site for the entire camp HERE

In 2026, Steve Rankin and I were engaged on the faculty staff for the gathering.  The event had planned to feature John McEuen from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but we were saddened to hear when we arrived that John had suffered an injury and was forced to cancel his participation at the gathering this year.  However, there was so much talent, that the time slots were filled by other standout performers.  In concert and on faculty as well were Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan, Karen Mueller, Bryan Bowers, Ian Ly (National Flatpicking Champion), Rick Fitzgerald, Jeremy Clement, Ray Choi, Meredith Axelrod, Carey Dubbert, Danny Knicely, Geoff Goodhue, Bay Allen, Pete Daigle, Morgan Cochneuer, Les Gustafson-Zook, Charles Whitmer, Eileen Kozloff, Kathy Wieland, and George McCoy and others.

We were also lucky to have a bit of time on our hands as we got to know the students and the teachers, and learned about the featured instrument, autoharp.  It was truly amazing to see the virtuosity on the instrument come alive.

The event hosts a small but fervent student body of 120, and provides comfortable and clean housing, dining hall meals, and a beautiful campus.  And we were told that they have experienced great student loyalty over the years, with folks coming to the event from all over the country, and internationally as well.

We were also surprised to discover that the property is affiliated with a Greek Orthodox Monastery, the Holy Monastery of the Theotokos, the Life-Giving Spring, which rests on a beautiful part of the land adjacent to St. Nicholas Ranch.  We were given a tour one morning by one of the monastic nuns, who lives and works at the monastery.  It was amazing to learn that much of the construction was done by workers and materials imported directly from Greece.  It was officially founded in 1993. The monastery’s main church was built in 2005.  The monastery also features a famous “Barn Church” (St. Nicholas Chapel) built inside a converted redwood barn that dates back to 1891.  Learn more about this beautiful place HERE

Here are some photos  from the California Autoharp Gathering.  Standout performers were flatpicking champion Ian Ly from the Bay Area, Karen Mueller, Danny Knicely and Geoff Goodhue.

Here’ a remarkable performance of the bluegrass standard “Blackberry Blossom” with Ian Ly on guitar and Karen Mueller on autoharp.

As always, thanks for reading!  See you next time….

Love and Blessings,
Susie

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Award-winning recording artist, Broadway singer, journalist, educator and critically-acclaimed powerhouse vocalist, Susie Glaze has been called “one of the most beautiful voices in bluegrass and folk music today” by Roz Larman of KPFK’s Folk Scene.  LA Weekly voted her ensemble Best New Folk in their Best of LA Weekly for 2019, calling Susie “an incomparable vocalist.”  “A flat out superb vocalist… Glaze delivers warm, amber-toned vocals that explore the psychic depth of a lyric with deft acuity and technical perfection.”  As an educator, Susie has lectured at USC Thornton School of Music and Cal State Northridge on “Balladry to Bluegrass,” illuminating the historical path of ancient folk forms in the United Kingdom to the United States via immigration into the mountains of Appalachia.  Susie has taught workshops since 2018 at California music camps RiverTunes and Vocáli Voice Camp.  She is a current specialist in performance and historian on the work of American folk music icon, Jean Ritchie.  Susie now offers private voice coaching online via the Zoom platform.   www.susieglaze.com