Award-Winning Guitarist Pat Donohue to Perform in McLean

Grammy-winning fingerstyle guitarist Pat Donohue will perform on Sunday, May 26, at The Surge Community Church in McLean.

The show starts at 7 p.m. at the church, located at 1988 Kirby Road. It is sponsored by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington.

Donohue will be in the area for two performances at the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts. The McLean concert is a chance to see him perform solo, in an intimate setting.

Concert tickets are $20 each, cash only. Reservations to the concert can be made by e-mail to donna.xander@gmail.com.

Donohue has earned national recognition for his mastery of acoustic fingerstyle guitar, which he exhibits weekly as the guitarist for the Guys All Star Shoe Band on Garrison Keillor’s radio program “A Prairie Home Companion.”

Chet Atkins called him one of the greatest finger pickers in the world today. Leo Kottke called his playing “haunting.”

Although he considers himself foremost a folk guitarist, Donohue manages to blend jazz and blues with folk. Over the years, he has captivated audiences with his original compositions, dazzling instrumentals and humorous song parodies, including Sushi-Yucky and Would You Like to Play the Guitar? Honors include a Grammy award for his participation in the Best Pop Instrumental of 2005, a collection of Henry Mancini guitar arrangements called Pink Guitar; several Minnesota Music Awards; and the prestigious title of 1983 National Finger Picking Guitar Champion.

His original tunes have been recorded by Chet Atkins, Suzy Bogguss, and Kenny Rogers. Donohue also has been a featured performer at major music festivals including the Newport, Telluride, Philadelphia and Winfield Folk Festivals.

Learn more about Donohue at his official website.

The Surge Community Church is at the intersection of Westmoreland Street and Kirby Road in McLean. Overflow parking at Longfellow Middle School on Westmoreland Street.