Guitarist Vicki Genfan on Finding Light in the Heart of Darkness

[The following is an excerpt from an interview with Alison Richter of Guitar Girl Magazine]

Guitar aficionados and acoustic music fans are familiar with guitarist Vicki Genfan. A singer, songwriter, and performer, her unique approaches to the instrument — utilizing 29 alternate tunings and applying a percussive technique that she calls “slap-tap” — have made her an internationally recognized virtuoso, albeit a modest, self-effacing one. Trained in jazz and classical music, with influences ranging across the spectrum, she has released six albums, each one a unique project showcasing both her original material and personal interpretations of classic songs. To date, she has created seven instructional videos for TrueFire, offering guitar players at every level an opportunity to learn and apply her methods. Throughout the years, she has regularly appeared at festivals in the U.S. and Europe, and is an in-demand clinician and teacher at music camps.

In a word, Vicki Genfan is busy — working, writing, and sharing her art. Or so it has been for many years … until her world came to a traumatic halt in December 2018, when she lost her beloved brother and sister-in-law in a drowning accident. Felled by grief, she and her wife, Tay, put their lives and careers on hold, immediately relocated to Texas, and began handling family affairs while in the throes of shock and despair.

Almost a year later, Genfan is rebuilding her inner strength. The pain of loss is ever-present, the ensuing responsibilities continue, but she is finally regaining her footing and looking toward the future. She was at home in North Carolina, between trips to Texas, when she spoke candidly with Guitar Girl Magazine.

Let’s start with the fact that you’ve started performing again.

Yes. A couple of cool things are going on. I started to branch out and make some musical contacts while in Texas. The Austin area is filled with musicians. One of my friends, an amazing singer/songwriter named Terri Hendrix, is a local legend there. She started a nonprofit called Own Your Own Universe, OYOU, and she does a lot of outreach in the community. She has a fundraising festival every year for her organization, called Tammi Fest, and I played that in October. Through her organization, she has different teachers come in, so I’m going to do some teaching there as well.

Continue the interview with Alison Richter online…
Guitar Girl Magazine, Issue 10 / Winter 2019