Banjo Basecamp

Presented by Alison Brown

with Kristin Scott Benson and BB Bowness

October 5-9, 2026

North Adams, MA

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"As banjo classes go, Banjo Base Camp is a real class act. It will make you a smarter player." - 2025 Banjo Camper
Hosted and curated by GRAMMY-winning banjoist Alison Brown and set at the idyllic Porches Inn in the Northern Berkshire hills, this multi-day banjo camp is the first of its kind. Alison has assembled an all-female faculty that includes the 6-time IBMA award-winning banjoist Kristin Scott Benson and Steve Martin Banjo Prize winner BB Bowness. Collectively, the faculty brings years of experience as both performers and educators; each instructor is committed to helping you up your banjo game in a nurturing and exclusive environment. All levels welcome, but intermediate level and experience with group instruction highly encouraged!
Over the course of 3 days, a maximum of 50 students will have the opportunity to improve their playing, with an instructional focus on technique, expanding repertoire and gaining comfort playing in jam sessions, including two 75 minutes lessons. Elective sessions will allow campers to learn about recording techniques for the 5-string banjo, overcoming stage fright and more. In jam sessions and social time, students will also have a chance to make new friends and enjoy the fellowship of the banjo community.
Join us for this unforgettable banjo camp in the Berkshires at the peak of the fall foliage season!
*Prices and inventory subject to change

Daily Schedule

*Subject to change

3pm Arrival/check-in
8P – 10P Campers - Welcome Dinner + Mixer
7A – 9A Breakfast
930-10A Welcome/Orientation
10A-11.15A Banjo Group Instruction
1130 – 1 Lunch Break
1.15P – 2.30 Banjo Group Instruction
3.15P – 430 Electives
5-7 Dinner Break
730 – 845 Movie night
9P -11 Firepit Jam
7A – 9A Breakfast
930-945A Morning Meeting
10A-11.15A Banjo Group Instruction
1130 – 1 Lunch Break
1P – 215 Banjo Group Instruction
3P – 430 Electives
5-7 Dinner Break
730 – 845 Faculty concert
930P Firepit Jam
7A – 9A Breakfast
945-10A Morning Meeting
10A-11.15A Banjo Group Instruction
1130 – 1 Lunch Break
1P – 215 Banjo Group Instruction
3P – 430 Electives
5-7 Dinner Break
7:30 – 8:45 Student Concert
8:45 - Farewell Mixer
930P Firepit Jam
7AM-9AM Breakfast
11AM Check out

About the Instructors

One of the most multi-faceted minds in roots music, Alison Brown is a GRAMMY-winning banjoist, producer and co-founder of the internationally acclaimed, Nashville-basedCompass Records Group.Although Alison began her musical career as a member of Alison Krauss andUnion Station, it is through her solo recordings and compositions that she has built a reputation as one of today’s most innovative banjo players. Sheis also a frequent collaborator with actor/comedian/musician Steve Martin with whom she has released 4 chart-topping singles. The pairare currently working on an album due for release in fall 2025. Alison was the first women to win the IBMA Banjo Player of the Year award; in 2019, shebecame thefirst femalefive-string banjo player to be inducted into the American Banjo Museum’s Hall of Fame.Alison is a recipient of the USA Artists Fellowship in Music and the Distinguished Achievement Awardfrom the International Bluegrass Music Association.In 2023 she launched an on-line banjo school with ArtistWorks. Alisonserves as President of the Nashville Chapter Board of the RecordingAcademy and as co-chair of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize.

BB Bownessis the 2020 recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize and the 2015winner of the FreshGrassBanjo contest.She was born in the small town of Marton, NewZealand, and grew up working and living in her family's Fish-and-Chip shop. A world away from the heart of bluegrass, BB spent much of her childhood teaching herself the banjo, and through dedication and tenacity became New Zealand School of Music's first banjo student.Simultaneously immersed in the traditions of bluegrass and the University’s jazz program, BB developed a unique style that synthe sizes new and old ideas. Banjo great Tony Trisch kadescribesher sound as ‘JD Crowe co-mingled with the future.”BB is an in-demand instructor and tours with Mile Twelve, the New England-based bluegrass band she founded in 2012. Mile Twelve has received multipleInternational Bluegrass Music Association awards including New Artist of the Year and the Momentum Band of the Year.

Kristin Scott Benson is the six-time International Bluegrass Music Association’sBanjo Player of the Year, recipient of the 2018 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo andBluegrass, and 2024 inductee into the American Banjo Hall ofFame. Since 2008, she has been a member of The Grascals, performing over 200 times on the Grand Ole Opry. Her latest recording effort with Mountain Home Records is joint venture with husband, Wayne, entitled Benson. Kristin is also a world-renowned teacher. In addition to private lessons, she has taught at Bela Fleck's esteemed Blue Ridge Banjo Camp since its inception, as well as many other bluegrass and banjo camps all over the country.

Here’s what the Class of 2025 says:

"Banjo Basecamp raises the level of the banjo camp experiences by offering high quality instruction in small group settings, along with experiences that included banjo history and a recording session, all set in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains in North Adams, MA. I'll be back!" - Kathy Jesmonth, Norwich, CT
"BaseCamp gave me a roadmap of how to get to the next level and this was even beyond what I had hoped for."
"As banjo classes go, Banjo Base Camp is a real class act. It will make you a smarter player."
"This may just be the perfect Banjo Camp. My biggest takeaway is that good music IS accessible, at whatever level of proficiency you bring to it. Very empowering!"

Aerial view of a lush green park with scattered trees, a curved stone pathway, and colorful townhouses with pitched roofs. In the background, there are historic red-brick buildings and a church with a tall steeple, all set against distant mountains.

Our Place: Porches Inn

North Adams, Massachusetts

The FreshGrass Institute makes its home within the award-winning Porches Inn, in North Adams, the smallest city in Massachusetts – located across the street from MASS MoCA, the largest contemporary arts museum in the country, in the shadow of the Bay State’s tallest mountain.

“Porches' style and attention to detail may just ruin you for other boutique hotels.” – Conde Nast

Developed from a crowd of beautifully detailed Victorian row houses that have been lovingly restored and connected, Porches pays homage to the industrial past of its beloved home city while capturing the spirit of creativity that is bringing North Adams renewed vibrance. Through Porches’ intentional blend of vintage and modern, the Inn welcomes curious travelers who are delighted by its brilliant details and contemporary comforts.