Column: World-renowned fingerstyle guitarist Muriel Anderson in Macon Friday night

One of the world’s foremost fingerstyle guitarists, Muriel Anderson, is in Macon tonight for a concert at Young America Music Schools on Zebulon Road.

Aside from being the first woman to win the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship, Anderson has received accolades and the friendship of a diverse group of famed guitarists from Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel to the legendary Les Paul to America’s premier classical guitarist, Christopher Parkening.

In fact, Parkening, who Andres Segovia called “one of the most brilliant guitarists in the world,” will join Anderson online Sunday as the two present a classical lesson together.

For those not in tune with the world of great acoustic guitar music, the above names may be unfamiliar but they represent the best of the best and for decades Anderson has been among them.

Since 1990, Emmet Young has taught guitar and other instruments in Macon at his Young America school and instrument shop and he considers Anderson to be one of the best.

“I’m a guitarist myself and she’s eons above me or what most people can do or play on guitar and harp guitar which she’s a master of,” he said. “Muriel is such a personable, charming person and a great entertainer. I’m really looking forward to hearing her live again.”

Young said a trio of his flamenco guitar students will open the show.

Already a student of piano, Anderson took up guitar when she was eight years old after finding one a family friend was about to toss out.

“She said I could have it so I cleaned it up, tightened the strings and started figuring out some melodies,” Anderson said in a phone interview as she traveled between shows in Florida and Georgia. “The guitar held an immediate attraction for me and I learned some chords and eventually took lessons. At first, I played folk guitar because my family sang a lot of folk songs.”

Along with playing folk and composing more and more of her own songs came mastery in bluegrass, classical, flamenco and other styles. She discovered the harp guitar and was soon recognized as one of its best players.

Anderson’s growing career and circle of notable friends and acquaintances led not only to her personal success but to her creating Muriel Anderson’s All Star Guitar Night concerts in Nashville and Los Angeles featuring top players with proceeds going to a charity she formed, Music for Life Alliance, which channels funds to student music programs.

“Around first grade, I had a sense I was to do something to affect a lot of people positively,” Anderson said. “It was so obvious to me I thought everyone was thinking that way and were on a mission in life. I guess that’s partly because that’s the way my family was and doing good for others was a part of our life. It was a complete surprise when I realized not everyone felt this way.”

Anderson said through her music, the All Star nights and other ventures she believes she’s accomplishing her mission but sometimes wonders if she’s doing enough.

“Sometimes we all need a little encouragement along the path,” she said. “Even those of us who’ve been playing and doing things a long time can get discouraged and it’s such an encouragement to hear from someone that they not only enjoy the music and it puts a smile on their face – which is great enough – but also that it’s had an impact on them in some meaningful way.”

Anderson said she’s been encouraged of late to hear from several people that her music helped bring healing during particularly dark times. It’s an indication she believes her playing should convey heart as well as show technical finesse and that, as she said, concerts at their best should somehow be transformative experiences.

“I think in one way or another we’ve all faced unusual challenges in the past several years,” she said. “Writing music that can speak to that is something I’m glad to do.”

Anderson said she’ll be performing a song that speaks about such issues during the concert as well as her newest composition just written in the Bahamas while watching iguanas scurry around her. If you follow Anderson, you’ll know she’s a world traveler who’s as likely to be performing one of her regular, live, Monday evening YouTube mini-concerts from the bow of a sailboat as from a friend’s house in Hawaii or Paris or her own Nashville home or New England cottage.

In fact, within a month of leaving Georgia, Anderson is set for a European tour and playing in Paris at the ECU European Independent Film Festival.

Through the years, Anderson has developed a knack for not just delivering great performances and putting out engaging albums but for combining things like her love for music and travel with other passions like cooking. In this case, the result was called “Acoustic Chef,” a CD and book featuring songs written for particular exotic spots in her travels with recipes unique to each locale.

Anderson keeps a strong online presence and her expansive website, www.murielanderson.com, is a great source of information, music, sheet music and tablature, and links to her YouTube, social media and streaming pages. Her online guitar lessons and TrueFire lessons channel – where Parkening will be featured Sunday – are also linked there.

But now, the best place to get to know Anderson and her music is at Young America, 6361 Zebulon Road, at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event will have a house concert vibe with bring your own snacks and BYOB welcome. Tickets are available at the door and through Anderson’s website. Cost is $25.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.