Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, and Dreams of Joy. Her most recent novel, China Dolls, became an instant New York Times bestseller.  Ms. See has also written a mystery series that takes place in China, as well as On Gold Mountain, which is about her Chinese-American family. Her books have been published in 39 languages. Ms. See wrote the libretto for Los Angeles Opera based on On Gold Mountain, which premiered in June 2000. Ms. See serves as a Los Angeles City Commissioner on the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Monument Authority.  Ms. See was honored as National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women in 2001 and was the recipient of the Chinese American Museum’s History Makers Award in fall 2003. As a longtime trustee on the University of California Press Foundation, she endowed the Lisa See Endowment Fund in Southern California History and Culture.

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Inspired by the Hot Club genre of Django Reinhardt gypsy-swing, The Hot Club of Nashville bring fiery guitar and violin soloing on a repertoire from the 1930’s and 40’s. Lead by Brittan-born virtuoso Richard Smith, he is joined by guitar/harp player Pat Bergeson, who moved to Nashville at the request of Chet Atkins to record and join his band, where he remained several years.  Fiddle player Aaron Till has performed with Jerry Reed, Tanya Tucker, Pam Tillis and Tommy Emmanuel, among other musical royalty.  Bassist Charlie Chadwick joins the group with Tom Giampietro on drums…and to top it off, the perky storyteller and hard-swinging singer Annie Sellick, who was voted Best Jazz Artist by readers of the Nashville Scene five years in a row, and has toured all over the world and performed and/or recorded with many of her musical heroes including Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing, Tommy Emmanuel and jazz organ royalty Joey DeFrancesco.

Expect original songs so reminiscent of an old swing standard that you would think they’ve been loved for decades, pop crossovers you might hear on a future album by the likes of Norah Jones or Madeleine Peyroux, and a style very much their own. Annie and the Hot Club is the real deal. It is a fun loving, story telling, toe tapping, tear jerking, sit back and enjoy experience for the listener. A certified “less of the same” endeavor.

Richard Smith

Richard started playing the guitar at age 5 and has never looked back. Focusing early on with the fingerstyle guitar of Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, he began transcribing classical music, jazz, the gypsy style of Django Reinhardt, bluegrass, ragtime and the blues to Sousa marches. As the 2001 National Finger­style Guitar Champion and 2008 Thumbpicker of the Year, Richard has thousands of performances worldwide to his credit and become renowned for his mastery of instrument and for his knock-out entertaining shows. He tours constantly around the US and Europe solo, or collaborating with his wife Julie Adams, his swing band The Hot Club of Nashville, Tommy Emmanuel, and countless others.

Muriel Anderson

One of the world’s foremost fingerstyle guitarists and harp-guitarists, Muriel Anderson is the first woman to have won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship. Her obvious joy of music, humor and her facility across the genres of fingerstyle, folk, classical, jazz, bluegrass and international music is revered by guitarists worldwide. She has performed/recorded with Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Victor Wooten, Julie Adams, and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. Her recent CD “Nightlight Daylight” has won 11 national awards and her new program incorporates stunning visuals by Bryan Allen.

Loreena McKennitt is well known as a composer and singer. In a recording career spanning more than two decades, Ms. McKennitt’s ‘eclectic Celtic’ music has received critical acclaim world-wide, and gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales awards in 15 countries across four continents. To date, she has sold over 14 million albums with a catalogue that includes seven studio recordings, three seasonal recordings, a live in-concert DVD and two DVD documentaries. She’s won two Junos, Canada’s premiere music award, garnered two GRAMMY® nominations and has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.