Guitarist Lee Dyament has performed in numerous settings: As a studio guitarist for records and commercials, in the theater/opera pit, and for radio and television. His eclectic style has taken him from backing up popular international entertainers, touring with Motown artists, and making jazz festival appearances, to solo guitar and concerto concerts. Recent premiers include the Rosewood Suite by Terry Herald, an improvisational showcase scored for amplified classic guitar, piano, electric bass, drums, and orchestra, and Impromptu by film composer Joseph LoDuca (Xena, Warrior Princess; Hercules) with the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings. Lee Dyament’s recording of Leyenda by Isaac Albeniz was included in a compilation CD this year for the World Music textbook Music & Culture Appreciation for the 21st Century Human by Michael Naylor, PhD. A versatile artist, Lee Dyament is also an active arranger. His Pops for Classics series was one of the first books of arrangements of popular and jazz standards published for the classic guitar (“The arrangements are great!” Earl Klugh). He also gives workshops on the topic annually for universities, guitar conventions, and organizations such as the Guitar Foundation of America.

Beginning on the plectrum guitar at age eight, he continued study on the classic guitar in his teens with Segovia disciple Joe Fava. Additional private study with flamenco master Juan Serrano and jazz with Joe Pass forged a unique voice on the guitar. Lee Dyament’s original compositions range from instrumental jazz and world music to vocal R&B ballads. Lee Dyament’s awards include the Graduate Exchange Fellowship to the University of Munich, Germany (twice), BMI Songwriter Award, and Michigan Touring Artists grants. As an educator, he initiated guitar programs at all the major metropolitan Detroit colleges and universities. Lee Dyament is Associate Professor of Guitar at Wayne State University in Detroit. During the 2005-06 season, in addition to performing, he is preparing didactic material for publication, adjudicating competitions, and teaching guitar workshops for festivals and universities in the United States and Europe.