Victor Wooten is the bassist with the Grammy Award winning Béla Fleck & The Flecktones. Since the age of 5, Victor has been entertaining and amazing audiences around the world with his funky grooves and jaw-dropping thumb technique. He also has an intense love of the outdoors and a deep commitment to education. He has been teaching music for many years and has studied and practiced outdoor skills with Tom Brown, Jr., Charles Worsham, and others. He teaches basic animal tracking in Nashville, TN. Victor will be teaching both music and outdoors skills during each day of the camp.
Steve Bailey has held down the groove with top artists in many styles, ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to the Rippingtons, and Willie Nelson to Jethro Tull. His collaborations with Victor and Bass Extremes have thrilled and inspired audiences all over the world. Living in South Carolina and still in demand on both coasts, Steve finds time to wrap himself in Nature in the form of a TUBE.. Surfing, that is.
Chuck Rainey has been a star electric bassist since the 1960s. A veteran of thousands of recording sessions, from Steely Dan to Aretha Franklin, Chuck's forte has been a heavy, steady pulse and vigorous support, fitting into a rhythm section and locking onto a groove with a vengeance. After making a surprise visit to the first BNC in 2000, Chuck has returned to teach at every Bass/Nature Camp. We're thrilled to offer the opportunity for campers to spend time with this living legend of the bass guitar.
Anthony Wellington is Victor's Bass Tech and Bass Player with the Victor Wooten Band. Anthony teaches over 90 students in the Washington, DC area and has been playing "forever". When he's not moving equipment, picking up people at the airport and generally making sure everything is running smoothly at camp, Anthony teaches a class in right-hand technique and offers individual instruction in playing and bass set-up.
Dave Welsch has been playing bass since 1970 and teaching for over 30 years. When he's not on a gig in upstate New York, he works as Management Assistant for Victor, designs and maintains the websites, is Tour Manager for the Victor Wooten Band, and is sometimes known as Vic's Alarm Clock. At camp, Dave serves as Production Director, teaches a language & music class and a nightly reading class.
Adam Nitti has toured with the Dave Weckl band, Jeff Coffin Mu’tet, the Justice League, and Angie Aparo, and has also performed with such legendary jazz artists as Scott Henderson, Peter Erskine, Jimmy Herring, Mike Stern, Kirk Covington, Wayne Krantz, and many others. He is currently touring with Steven Curtis Chapman, a 5 time Grammy winning pop gospel artist based out of Nashville. Adam is also Chief Learning Officer for MusicDojo.com, an interactive online music school, and is a bass clinician for SWR and Warrior Instruments. He has released 3 recordings to date on Renaissance Man Records.
Regi Wooten, the oldest Wooten brother, is known as 'teacha' by many musicians in the Nashville area and beyond. Regi started the whole thing when he first taught Victor to play bass. If you're amazed by what you see Victor do on bass, wait until you see (and hear) Regi do it on guitar! Regi has many students in Nashville and has a unique teaching style. Victor says, "He's the best guitarist and one of the best bass players I know."
Richard Cleveland is the founder and director of Earth School in Western, NC. He is a former Lead Instructor at Tom Brown's world famous Wilderness Survival School in New Jersey. Richard has also trained and studied extensively with Charles Worsham, a gifted Tracker and teacher of life. He teaches programs throughout the United States and has also led programs in Australia. He has taught survival skills to Navy Seals and civilians alike. During the past 15 years Richard has taught nature awareness and survival skills to thousands of people of all ages. He is an avid outdoorsman, fishing guide, writer and a self-trained Naturalist.
Seth Recarde grew up in Pennsylvania and began practicing native and wilderness living skills when he was only 10 years old. After many years of experience he became a "caretaker" for Tom Brown's Tracking, Nature & Wilderness Survival School's camp in New Jersey, living in a handmade shelter and practicing skills for a year. Then he taught as an instructor for two years for Tom Brown's School where his specialties were shelter, fire, rock working and bow-making. Seth is an accomplished craftsman and wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
Colleen Katsuki is a Boston bassed classical pianist whose strongest nature interest is the language of the birds. Birds can tell you everything that is going on in nature if you just know how to listen. She has been on the staff since the first Bass/Nature Camp.
SIFU Brian Edwards owns and operates the Wing Chun Kung Fu Schools of Self Defense in Raleigh and Fayetteville, NC. He is a lifetime honorary member of the 3rd Special Forces Group and has instructed many Army and Air Force special operations teams.
SIFU's workout and training sessions, and his irrepressable humor, are legendary among Bass/Nature Camp alumni.
Shannon Pable is a life-long artist and gardener, with a love of wild edible & medicinal plants. She is a certified arborist and award winning garden designer, specializing in native plants and environmentally friendly landscape designs. Shannon is also a published writer, photographer, and illustrator. She has studied wilderness survival, edible & medicinal plants, and has shared her unique relationship with plants with thousands of people. She continues to expand her knowledge and connect people to nature through her love of plants.
Bob Hemenger grew up in Michigan and has spent the last sixteen years in Pagosa Springs, Colorado (where he continues to grow up). He has a deep love of music, the natural world and teaching. His experiences include; many great nights of playing music, Tracker School instructor, director of Touch the Earth Camps, adventure travel guide, EMT/search and rescue team, high school teacher (special education, science and ESL), as well as being the principal of an alternative high school. He completely believes that a great musician doesn’t play music……music plays a great musician!
Hilary Penny grew up in Colorado hiking and camping in the mountains. She started taking classes at Tom Brown's Wilderness Survival School the same time Victor did, and went on to work as an instructor there for 3 years. She's also taught for Wilderness Medical Associates since 2000. Currently she works as a physician assistant in the emergency department in the Denver area, and still hikes and plays in the mountains as much as possible.
John Schopp is a classically trained chef, pastry chef & ice sculptor. He has a BBA from the University of Kentucky with majors in management and marketing. Over the course of his career, John has cooked for clients ranging from Mohammed Ali to Mikhail Baryshnikov…Ted Nugent to Ted Koppel. Currently he owns and operates Center Stage Catering, Inc. and Edible Vibe European Pastries and Café. He also teaches culinary arts within the VA community college system. Though he prefers air conditioning, his nature motto is ‘I haven’t met an insect that I don’t like…dipped in chocolate’.
Faculty Subject to Change
Administration Staff
Holly Wooten |
Dave Welsch |
Toné Compito |
Danette Albetta |
Special Guest Instructors and Performers have included:
Béla Fleck |
Futureman |
Joseph Wooten |
JD Blair |
Edgar Meyer |
Bob Babbitt |
Jon Young |
Eustace Conway |
Mike Gordon |
Stanley Clarke |
Derek Jones |
Leni Stern |
Marcus Miller |
Dennis Chambers |
Will Lee |
Christian McBride |
Michael Manring |
Kenny Davis |
Mike Pope |
DIVINITY |
Gerald Veasley |
Alphonso Johnson |
Beyoncé's Band |
Jeff Berlin |
Esperanza Spalding |
Oteil Burbridge |
Bill Dickens |
Muriel Anderson |
Billy Shehan |
Neoshi Jackson |
Rusty Rust |
Jennie Hoeft |
Rhonda Smith |
Jeff Coffin |
Karlton Taylor |
Kai Eckhardt |
Derico Watson |
Pamelia Kurstin |
Michael Kott |
Barry Green |
Kelly Gravely |
Rudy Wooten |
Stu Hamm |
Rod Taylor |
Doniga Murdoch |
Dr. Randy Kertz, |
Howard Levy |
Roy Vogt |
Jim Roberts |
John Billings |
Joe Murphy |
Quentin Berry |
John Wubbenhorst |
And MANY MORE! |
Victor has a lot of 'famous' friends. Who knows who might be there!