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Bluegrass Camp 2026
Mon, Aug 10 - Fri, Aug 14



IBMA Mentor of the Year, Kimber Ludiker hosts this fun and friendly week of bluegrass instruction and jamming for fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass, harmony singing, songwriting, and new this year… dobro! Learn from inspirational teachers hand-picked to cultivate a magical learning experience. There’ll be classes, concerts, mini-lessons, band scrambles, open mics and more. All levels and backgrounds are welcome!

FOR INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED PLAYERS: Get personalized feedback, improve your instrumental skills, and jam with players of a similar ability.

FOR BEGINNERS: The schedule will include one instrument class per day at a beginner level, plus plenty of time to practice what you learned and opportunities to jam at extra slow tempos with other beginners.

“The teachers one-on-one were AMAZING. The supportive, encouraging and inclusive vibe was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. The encouragement to try a new instrument surprised and delighted me.”

“Loved the facilities, the physical location and place, even the food was great! Loved all of the people (so rare! every single person was amazing!)”

“Plenty of time to jam. Great food. Great vibe. Positive energy.”

“A staff like this makes any place a success!”

View photos from previous Bluegrass Camp’s here!

 

 

2026 Instructors 

Joe K. Walsh – Mandolin

Vickie Vaughn – Bass

Joe Newberry – Vocals & Songwriting 

Tray Wellington – Banjo

Chris Luquette – Guitar

Ella Jordan – Fiddle II & Vocals 

Alex Sens – Dobro 

Austin Scelzo – Mandolin & Fiddle

+ Jambassadors

 

Bluegrass Camp at Ashokan is funded in part by the IBMA Foundation

Pricing

Supporter ($850.00)
Includes a donation toward Ashokan’s programs & scholarships. Thank you for your Support!

Standard Registration ($725.00)
Not sure which to choose? Please choose this ticket.

Economy ($600.00)
Need financial assistance? Choose this ticket.

Youth (ages 5-25) ($475.00)
For campers ages 25 and under in need of financial support. Please self-select this tier.

Under 5 ($0.00)
Children under the age of 5 can attend for free


See if you qualify for our
PAY-IT-FORWARD scholarship

Lodging Options
Staying Off-site | $0.00
Live nearby or commuting to and from Ashokan from a hotel, Air BnB, or friend's house?
Camping | $0.00
Camping areas include rec field (with bathhouse) upper pasture, and more. BYO camping gear. No open fires.
Sharing a Private Room purchased by someone else | $0.00
Ashokan doesn't assign roommates or split room costs at our end, but you're encouraged to coordinate sharing any private room.
Bunk in Men's Longhouse | $200.00
Twin-sized bunk in large shared room with large shared bathroom. Maximum capacity 24 people in 12 bunkbeds. BYO bedding, towels, toiletries
Bunk in Women's Longhouse | $200.00
Twin-sized bunk in large shared room with large shared bathroom. Maximum capacity 24 people in 12 bunkbeds. BYO bedding, towels, toiletries
Bunk in All Gender Longhouse | $200.00
Twin-sized bunk in large shared room with large shared bathroom. Maximum capacity 24 people in 12 bunkbeds. BYO bedding, towels, toiletries
Longhouse Private Room | $700.00
Downstairs room with shared bathroom. Sleeps up to 3 people in one bunkbed with twin top and queen bottom bunk. BYO bedding, towels, toiletries
Red Maple Private Room (Porch) | $900.00
Upstairs room with private bathroom and shared porch. Sleeps up to 4 people in two bunkbeds. BYO bedding, towels, toiletries

**See Additional Info**


CAMP WAITLIST & PRIVATE LODGING WAITLIST (This option is for you if the blue "Click to register button" is disabled or your preferred lodging choice is greyed out in the form.)

VICKIE VAUGHN

A Western Kentucky native, Vickie Vaughn stomped into Nashville with a fistful of original material and a desire to play bass and sing with the best of them. She secured her third consecutive win and is the current IBMA Bass Player of the Year - only the 2nd woman in history to win.  In 2015, Vaughn released her debut EP under the production of Bluegrass royalty Ronnie McCoury before heading out on the road singing background vocals with Patty Loveless. She has been sighted sharing the stage of the Bluegrass fan favorite festival, ROMP, singing in a trio with fellow Kentuckians, Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless. Three Grand Ole Opry appearances later, Vickie now tours with Grammy-nominated Della Mae, who frequents the stage with comedic greats Steve Martin and Martin Short.
JOE NEWBERRY

Known around the world for his clawhammer banjo playing, Joe Newberry is also a powerful guitarist, singer and songwriter. The Gibson Brothers’ version of his song “Singing As We Rise,” featuring guest vocalist Ricky Skaggs, won the 2012 IBMA “Gospel Recorded Performance” Award. With Eric Gibson, he shared the 2013 IBMA “Song of the Year” Award for “They Called It Music.”

A longtime and frequent guest on A Prairie Home Companion, he was a featured singer on the Transatlantic Sessions 2016 tour of the U.K. with fiddler Aly Bain and Dobro master Jerry Douglas, and at the Transatlantic Session's debut at Merlefest in 2017 with fellow singers James Taylor, Sarah Jarosz, Declan O’Rourke, Karen Matheson, and Maura O’Connell. In addition to performing solo, Joe plays in a duo with mandolin icon Mike Compton, and also performs with the dynamic fiddler and step-dancer April Verch.

Joe has taught banjo, guitar, singing, and songwriting at numerous camps and festivals, including Ashokan, Midwest Banjo Camp, American Banjo Camp, the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Targhee Music Camp, the Swannanoa Gathering, Centrum Voice Works, the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Pinewoods Camp, the Australia National Folk Festival, the Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week, Bluff Country Gathering, and Vocal Week, Bluegrass Week, and Old-Time Week at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, WV,

Growing up in a family full of singers and dancers, Joe took up the guitar and banjo as a teenager and learned fiddle tunes from great Missouri fiddlers. he moved to North Carolina as a young man and quickly became an anchor of the incredible music scene in the state. He does solo and studio work, and plays and teaches at festivals and workshops in North America and abroad.
ALEX SENS

Alex Sens has been playing and teaching the dobro for 40 years. He is a mainstay of the bluegrass scene in Washington, DC, where he has played and recorded with numerous artists, including Virginia Blue, the Good Deale Bluegrass Band, Randy Barrett and the Barretones, Kevin Church, Terry Pearson and Norman Wright, and Bob Perilla’s Big Hillbilly Bluegrass. He is currently a member of Big Chimney, along with fellow DC area musicians Kimber Ludiker, Avril Smith (of Della Mae),  John Seebach, and Neel Brown.

And just for fun, Alexander Sens is Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Markos and Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis Professor of Hellenic Studies. He teaches courses on Ancient Greek and on Greek literature. He studies the poetry of the late Classical and Hellenistic periods and is particularly interested in the ways in which the authors of these ages engage with antecedent literature to create meaning in profoundly new literary and cultural contexts. In addition to more than 50 articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries and numerous book reviews, he is the author or co-author of six books. In 2017, he received the Georgetown University President’s Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award.
AUSTIN SCELZO

Austin Scelzo is a renowned New England / NY based musician, teacher, and performer most known as a bluegrass fiddler and singer.

He was introduced to various fiddle traditions at Mark O'Connor's early Berklee String Camps, learning from powerhouse players like Billy Contreras, Jason Anick, Casey Dreissen, Jeremy Kittel, Andy Reiner, Bruce Molsky, Mark O'Connor, and Christian Howes. Austin's Bluegrass journey began with the Western CT based group the "Angry O'Haras", then later "On the Trail", with which he recorded fiddle and vocals. He actively records and performs with the Southern New England based Bluegrass band, the Rock Hearts (615 Hideaway Records)

Austin is also an active bluegrass community advocate, teaching Wernick Method Jam classes and launching the Connecticut Bluegrass Music Association. He was selected as one of 25 candidates for the International Bluegrass Music Association's "Leadership Bluegrass" after committing his work to performing and serving the bluegrass community. He was nominated for International Bluegrass Music Associations "Mentor of the Year" in 2023 and also for the 2024 Momentum Industry Involvement award. In 2024, the Connecticut State Government also named him 2023 Connecticut Arts Hero, an award that "celebrates the remarkable contributions of Connecticut residents who have made a profound impact in, for, or through the arts"
KIMBER LUDIKER

Born of fiddle playing parents in Spokane, WA, Kimber Ludiker is a 5th generation fiddle player. She started learning on the lap of her grandfather at age 3, and went on to win three National Fiddle Championship titles. She is the founder of Della Mae, a GRAMMY-nominated, service-driven, all-woman string-band that has traveled with the US Department of State to over 20 countries spreading peace and understanding through music.
Kimber received Mentor of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards in 2022. Kimber has been mentoring kids, artists, and up-and-coming bands for quite some time and is also the Director of CBA’s Youth Academy and IBMA’s Kids on Bluegrass.

During the pandemic, she organized Jam-a-Thon, a 50-hour mega livestream featuring artists from 12 countries (nominated for '21 IBMA Event of the Year), and has raised close to $20,000 to fund bluegrass educational opportunities for kids.

Additional Info:

Payment/Cancellation/Refund Policy

You may pay in full or hold your place with a deposit of 25% per person if registering 4 or more weeks before camp. Full payment is due 4 weeks before camp begins. To cancel your camp registration, email events@ashokancenter.org

• We retain $50 per person for cancellations requested until 4 weeks before camp begins, and for COVID-related cancellations made at any date.

• We retain your 25% deposit between 4 and until 2 weeks before camp.

• We retain the full registration amount within 2 weeks of camp.

Schedule Overview

MONDAY

3pm: CAMPER ARRIVAL
5pm: MEET THE TEACHERS
6pm: DINNER
7:30pm: JAMS & ACTIVITIES

TUESDAY-THURSDAY

8:30-9:30am: BREAKFAST
9:30-12:30pm: CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
12:30-2pm: LUNCH
2-5pm: CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
>5-6pm: OPEN MIC (Esopus Courtyard)
6-7pm: DINNER
7:30-10pm: CONCERTS & JAMS
10pm: SNACK & INFORMAL JAMMING

FRIDAY

8:30-9:30am: BREAKFAST

Pricing & What's Included!

You may choose to pay up front or pay a deposit and balance. Balance payment is due 4 weeks before the event.

Registration includes all activities and meals. Lodging is optional and camping is free.

Children under 5 attend for free (under 3 for Family Camp). Campers under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Food & Drink

All meals are included. You may indicate your dietary restrictions when registering. We make every effort to include a range of allergen-free dishes and to inform diners of meal ingredients.

The Ashokan Center is licensed to serve beer and wine in Esopus Lodge (the main building). The bar is generally open from late afternoon to early evening. Sorry, by law, guests are prohibited from bringing their own alcoholic beverages into this licensed building.

Lodging

LONGHOUSE BUNKS: Rooms hold up to 24 people and are designated women, men, or all gender. Place your belongings on a top or bottom bunk after you check in to claim it. Pillows are available, please bring your own blankets, sheets, pillowcases, and towels. There are a small number of light blankets for those bunkhouse residents who are unable to bring one of their own. If you will need us to provide one, please let us know well in advance.

PRIVATE ROOMS: There are a limited number of private rooms that must be reserved in advance at extra charge. Pillows are available, please bring your own sheets, pillowcases, and towelsThere are light quilts in each private room.

CAMPSITES: Camping is available with access to bathrooms and outdoor showers. Please park by your campsite only if you plan to leave your car in place for the duration of the camp.

What To Bring

If you’re lodging with us please remember to bring a blanket and linens (or sleeping bag), towel, toiletries, soap, flashlight, earplugs (for light sleepers). There are light quilts in each private room and we have a small number of light blankets for bunkhouse residents who can’t bring one of their own. Let us know well in advance if you’ll need one.

Flashlight, recording device, camera (or maybe those are all your phone!)

Comfortable informal clothing for wet and dry weather. Some may also bring dressy, wild or fun clothing as well but that is up to you! There’s no laundry on site so bring enough clothes for the camp.

What Not To Bring
Please, no pets or drop-in guests.
Mail/Phone/WiFi

Incoming mail

Your Name c/o Ashokan Music & Dance 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge, NY 12461

Outgoing mail leaves each weekday at 4pm.

Music & Dance Camp Phone (845) 657-8333 x 3

Cell phone reception is available but spotty. Calls may be dropped but texts are reliably received.

High speed Wi-Fi is available in all buildings.

Directions & Transportation

Physical Address: Ashokan Center, 477 Beaverkill Rd, Olivebridge, NY 12461

DRIVING DIRECTIONS   Take NY State Thruway (1-87) to Kingston exit #19. From traffic circle take Route 28 West (toward Pine Hill). In 12 miles (shortly after Mobil & Citgo) turn left onto Reservoir Rd. Cross the Ashokan Reservoir, turn left at the Tee. Head down the hill, pass the first left (Rt 28A East) and merge onto 28A West. Take next left onto Beaverkill Rd. Follow Beaverkill for about one mile, then turn right into the Ashokan Center driveway and follow the signs.

AIRPORT  Albany, NY (ALB) is the closest major airport (about 1.5 hours away). Public transportation is available from the airport to the Kingston bus station, where you can take a taxi to Ashokan. Or contact us at least one month before your program begins for a list of people driving from the Albany area who may be able to give you a ride.

Covid Safety Policy

We remain committed to the well-being of our guests, staff, and broader community. As public health guidance continues to evolve, common respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 influenza (flu) and RSV are managed similarly.

The Ashokan Center’s policy reflects current CDC and New York State Department of Health guidance and emphasizes personal responsibility, symptom-based decision-making, and community care.

We maintain hand sanitizer stations, promote handwashing, and prioritize good ventilation and clean shared spaces.If you are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness—including fever (>100), cough, sore throat, and fatigue—you should go home and not participate in group activities.

We continue to monitor public health guidance and will revise this policy as needed.

Refund policy: If you cancel or shorten your stay due to respiratory illness you will be eligible for a prorated refund. We appreciate your cooperation in staying home when ill.

Additional FAQ's

The Ashokan Center builds community through shared experiences in nature, history, music and art. We have hosted traditional Music & Dance Camps at our 385 acre nature preserve for over 40 years. In 2020 we learned how to host them online and in 2021 we began to reimagine how to gather in person once again.

Come join the Ashokan family to celebrate, learn, connect, deepen your music, make new friends, and brighten your day. Our events are open to all folks, all ages and all orientations.

M&D Need-Based “Pay it Forward” SCHOLARSHIPS We are holding 5 deeply discounted spots (includes tuition, meals & bunk) to provide a learning opportunity to gigging musicians and music, vocal, and dance teachers who will be sharing out their newly learned skills with a wider community. We prioritize new applicants each year and notify all applicants within 1 month before camp begins.

NEED HELP?

EMAIL: events@ashokancenter.org
CALL 845-657-8333 x3

Click here for answers to Frequently Asked Questions about camp!

Thank you to the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation for supporting Ashokan Music & Dance Camps.