Willie Mandeville is an American musician and music instructor based in Trondheim, Norway. As a lutenist and guitarist, he specializes in exploring eclectic early repertoires, historical approaches to performance practice, and directions in contemporary improvisation. He has performed in contexts as varied as solo renaissance lute recitals, theatrical works, orchestral ensembles, and lute-driven bluegrass bands.
Pedagogy and music education are key elements of Willie’s professional practice. Having spent several years researching pedagogical approaches across a range of instruments, he applies his knowledge to private instruction on the classical guitar and piano. Musicality, depth of knowledge, and an ergonomically healthy approach to one’s instrument serve as the bedrock to Willie’s instructional methods. He teaches primarily online lessons, using a self-designed, flexible four-camera set-up that ensures the best possible experience for each student.
Willie was selected for the European American Musical Alliance Summer Institute in Paris where he was awarded honors in solfege. His commissioned compositions have been performed throughout the US, he has directed choral groups and musical theater pit orchestras in Boston and the western US, and he is an active performer on the guitar and renaissance lute in diverse venues. He earned his bachelor´s degree magna cum laude in Composition at the Boston Conservatory of Music and his master´s degree in Music, Communication, and Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. This combination of musical and technological expertise informs his approach to remote instruction.
Pedagogy and music education are key elements of Willie’s professional practice. Having spent several years researching pedagogical approaches across a range of instruments, he applies his knowledge to private instruction on the classical guitar and piano. Musicality, depth of knowledge, and an ergonomically healthy approach to one’s instrument serve as the bedrock to Willie’s instructional methods. He teaches primarily online lessons, using a self-designed, flexible four-camera set-up that ensures the best possible experience for each student.
Willie was selected for the European American Musical Alliance Summer Institute in Paris where he was awarded honors in solfege. His commissioned compositions have been performed throughout the US, he has directed choral groups and musical theater pit orchestras in Boston and the western US, and he is an active performer on the guitar and renaissance lute in diverse venues. He earned his bachelor´s degree magna cum laude in Composition at the Boston Conservatory of Music and his master´s degree in Music, Communication, and Technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. This combination of musical and technological expertise informs his approach to remote instruction.