Aside from a brief stint when Stephanie Jones thought she might be a zookeeper, she always knew she would be a guitarist while growing up in Australia.
“As soon as I get on stage, I get really excited like it’s the first time again,” Jones said. “Always, the adrenaline comes in. The vibe from the audience and the energy that you feel in the room just makes it all fresh. It’s a beautiful thing.”
The Sun Valley Museum of Art brings back International Guitar Night at The Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $15-$75.
She will join the stage with Juno-winning jazz guitarist Jocelyn Gould, Spanish Flamenco master Jesus Guerrero and Finnish Gypsy musician Olli Soikkeli.
“It’s this versatility with the guitar I find quite special, the different sorts of techniques that you can do with the class all the time create different sounds,” Jones said. “There’s always something to do. It never ends.”
She is inspired by these other guitarists’ ability to improvise.
“That type of freedom is very valuable,” Jones said. “I would love to develop that further.”
When people hear she plays classical guitar, they assume Mozart or Beethoven. In reality, it’s an umbrella term. At the Argyros, Jones will perform Brazilian bossa nova.
“What excites me about the crossover guitar is that you have so many options to explore to find what resonates with you,” she said.
She has over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel where she breaks down complex concepts and makes them approachable.
“It’s really just the ability to get out and connect with as many people as possible,” Jones said.
She is currently based in Germany and teaching at the Universität Augsburg.
“One wonderful thing about teaching is that it gives you a lot of self reflection on your own playing,” Jones said. “What am I doing with my fingers? What am I doing with my hands? The best teachers are the ones that can adapt what sort of encouragement students need, or what direction to go.”
Jones has won numerous awards in prestigious competitions, including the Hannabach Guitar competition, Uppsala International Guitar Festival Competition and Fine Music Network Young “Virtuoso of the Year” Competition.
“Competitions is sort of a strange concept for music,” she said. “It’s not the be-all-end-all. You can’t be too stressed about that sort of thing. It is an art form—it’s not a horse race or something or sport where you win or you lose.”
Still, she appreciates them for what they offer.
“Competitions give you a goal to work on your technique and to practice playing in front of people,” Jones said. “You just can’t get too wrapped up in it. Just try to do your best and do what you enjoy.” 
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