Tim Maynard
When I was 13, I wanted to be a rock star. By 17, I knew it was a one-in-a-million chance, so I’d better hedge my bets. Classical guitar was something I could go to college for, and get out into the world. The road led to Connecticut, where I got my degree and started making a life out of music.
But so did many others that came here. And while the competition may be fierce, but there’s a niche for everyone. If you can read music, you can play musical theatre. And there’s a lot of that. ‘Annie’ got its start here before moving to Broadway. The Goodspeed Opera House gave it a chance, as well as ‘Man of La Mancha’. 30 years later, I got mine playing for their revival of Don Quixote’s quest. I was hooked. So many productions later, I’ve learned to play more instruments than I never would have dreamed of learning as a budding Timi Hendrix.
So my knowledge of the guitar has been integral to becoming proficient on other fretted instruments. In addition to the electric, acoustic and classical guitars, I’ve added electric bass, tenor & 5-string banjos, mandolin and ukulele to list of instruments I perform on. There’s an bewildering list of variety of settings I’ve found myself in. Whether it’s a traditional dixieland band, or as a guest performer in the symphony, I might not have done it all, but very nearly: Goodspeed Opera House (Main Stage and Chester), Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven), Hartford Stage, Chestnut Street Theater (formerly Spirit of Broadway Theater in Norwich) and many other regional theaters throughout CT.
When not performing, I spend my time teaching from Highland Guitar Studio in Manchester. Opened in 2011, this studio caters to students of all ages, styles and abilities, and offers guitar classes and private lessons on a variety of instruments, music theory and songwriting/composition.