Baltimore Rock Fest
Baltimore Rock Fest (Formerly Known as Rock Star Jam) is the ultimate rock music camp for ages Seven through sixteen. Each day at Baltimore Rock Fest is filled with fun, learning and musical accomplishment! Campers are always supervised by our experienced staff as they make new friends and learn to play together in their bands.
Campers study the instrument of their
choice, form bands, write songs and perform a Friday concert for friends
and family. The concert is professionally recorded on audio and video
and streamed live for the community to enjoy. Instruments offered
include: guitar, bass, drums, voice, ukulele and piano, however, if a
camper wishes to bring along another instrument they are certainly
welcome to play it in the band. Classes are small and focused on
learning music, not just memorizing song fingerings. We take pride in
teaching songwriting and the creative process of making music.
Campers get two one hour instrument classes, two one hour band
rehearsals and one hour of jam time with their band each day. The rest
of the day is completed with rotating activities such as recreation,
special music classes called clinics, celebrity guest performances, and
fun at the open mic! Absolute beginners, intermediate and advanced
players are all welcomed! Baltimore Rock Fest is awesome and we're
looking forward to working with you!
Every band will have their song released on SPOTIFY through a deal with DIZZY LOTUS RECORDS!
Policies & Information
About the camp store:
Baltimore Rock Fest has a wonderful little camp store where musical accessories like guitar strings, battery powered amps, picks and drum sticks are available. We also have faculty merch, instructional books, tee shirts and more! We hope you visit our store!
Drop off and pick up:
Monday morning registration starts at 8:00 AM. Come in and register your child at the registration table. We encourage parents to stay for the assembly that begins at 9 am. Any questions are answered during the assembly. Campers should be dropped off between 8:00 and 9:00 AM and picked up between 5:00 and 5:30PM. There is a $25.00 charge if a camper is picked up after 5:30 PM. What to bring:
Everyone should bring a pencil and paper for taking notes in class. Guitarists and bassists should bring their instrument and a long sturdy instrument cable to connect it to the amplifier. Drummers should bring their sticks. Vocalists and Keyboardists don't need to bring anything.
About Lunch:
All campers should bring a packed lunch that doesn't need refrigeration.
About other instruments:
If a camper wishes to play an instrument that isn't offered, they are welcome to bring it along and play it in the band. Campers who bring other instruments must still attend instrument class and study one of the instruments we officially offer.
About loaner instruments:
There are several loaner electric guitars and electric basses available on a first come first served basis. Email or call to ask about availability.
Camper Conduct Policies
The rules at Baltimore Rock Fest are much the same as they are in any school or camp. There are so many rules that it is impossible to list them all, but if campers just treat each other, the staff and the facility with respect and obey the laws of the State of Maryland that pretty much covers it.
No: Fighting, hitting throwing things or roughhousing.
No: Offensive touching.
No: Foul language, bullying or name calling.
No: Stealing or damaging of property.
No: Smoking, illegal drug use or possession of drugs, tobacco or alcohol, or other intoxicating substances such as bath salts.
No: Leaving campus without notifying the Baltimore Rock Fest office and getting the permission of a parent or legal guardian.
No: Possession of any weapon such as a gun, knife or any other weapon.
No: Graffiti
No: Nudity or sexual behavior.
If a camper breaks the rules a parental call will be placed informing the parent of the situation and the camper may be suspended or expelled without a refund, or may be given a warning or time out depending on the severity of the situation. If the situation is especially severe school security or the police may become involved.
Cancellation and Personal Property Policies
Cancellation Policy: If Baltimore Rock Fest is canceled by the management full refunds will be given to all clients.
If a camper wishes to cancel after having paid a deposit or paid in full this can be done up until July 1st. There will be a $50.00 processing charge for cancellation. After July 1st there will be no refunds unless the cancellation is due to family emergency. This will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
Baltimore Rock Fest is not responsible for lost, damaged or stolen property. Please keep an eye on your personal belonging
Teachers
Owner, Director of the Music and Rock Schools
Guitar Teacher
Drew attempted to play the piano as soon as he could walk and began taking lessons in elementary school. Soon thereafter, he began playing the trumpet. During a rough patch in middle school, he began playing the guitar, discovered the therapeutic nature of music, and felt called to pursue it as a career. He started a band, Asbestos, with longtime friend Erik Davis to achieve this goal. Asbestos released 3 CDs and toured throughout the country over the course of their 10 years as a band. A few years after earning a dual emphasis Music Composition and Recording Technology degree from UMBC, Asbestos split up, and Drew began working at Lutherville Rock School. He discovered a passion for helping students follow their own dreams in music, while providing them something to help negotiate the type of adolescent turbulence he had experienced. He continues this work today as the Director of Lutherville Rock School. In addition to teaching, Drew leads the Motley Choir and Bell Choir at Calvary Baptist Church in Towson and plays with The Nuffs as well as various side projects and collaborations.
Director of Baltimore Rock Fest
Since graduating from The Guitar Institute of Technology in 1987 Tobias Hurwitz has been flourishing as a self-employed guitarist in Maryland and beyond. He introduced rock music camps to Maryland in 1999 as the director of DayJams, the first national chain of rock day camps in the nation. Over the years his reputation as the “go to guy” for anything guitar related has resulted in a unique and exciting resume including activities like cold sight reading at Center Stage, scoring a video game for John’s Hopkins, rocking M&T Bank Stadium countless times for The Baltimore Ravens and teaching guitar at The Gilman School for 13 years.
Hurwitz toured for many years as a “rock guitar expert” employed by The National Guitar Workshop, The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation, Dayjams, The Ruby Mountain Guitar Summit, Guitar Center, etc. He has written fifteen internationally published books on guitar and been published by or seen in all the major guitar magazines. Hurwitz has music on all streaming platforms.
Tobias is a multi-instrumentalist who sings, plays guitar, bass, drums, synthesizer, ukulele, percussion, mandolin, and produces his own music.
New projects include his Steampunk Metronome app (Available from Apple and Google,) 100 Rock Guitar Licks for the Match My Sound App and Baltimore Rock Fest Camp (In collaboration with Lutherville Rock School)
Endorsements: PRS Guitars, Ernie Ball Strings, Fractal Audio
Awards:
- Maryland Entertainment Hall of Fame Inductee
- Baltimore's Best Guitar Teacher - City Paper
- Best Guitarist in the Mid-Atlantic - Music Monthly
- Music Educator Grammy Award Nominee
- Most Valuable Performer (MVP) Award Baltimore Marching Ravens
Guitar Teacher
Chris Ranier hails from Hollywood CA as an avid composer/producer/guitarist with over twelve years of professional experience and over twenty years of playing experience. He has studied all forms of music from traditional to contemporary and has a degree in Composition from The University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and a recording/production certificate from The Musician’s Institute in Hollywood. Chris is not only an effective teacher, but an inspiring performer, who has paid his dues in full and tends to be describes by other musicians as “scary good”, “amazing”, or, well you get the idea! Chris has a strong singing voice for both lead and harmony vocals and is also a gifted pianist. He is currently working in Los Angeles as a professional composer, producer, and engineer.
Keyboards Teacher
Multi-instrumentalist and producer Brent Hardesty holds a Master of Music from Towson University. He is an experienced and effective piano teacher, well able to handle all styles and levels of instruction. He has taught piano and run the choir at Baltimore Rock Fest for many years. Brent is currently teaching elementary music in Baltimore County and is a recording studio owner - composer/lyricist who has produced commercial jingles for countless clients in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Bass Teacher
Ryan Raines has been teaching Bass, Guitar, and Drum set since 2006. He has taught individuals, classrooms, at camps, and student bands for Bill’s Music House, Rock Star Jam, Baltimore Home School Association, and The Children's Home. His student base is diverse, including young children, seniors, people who speak English as a second language, and those with disabilities.
Ryan has played bass in a band with H.R. of the Bad Brains and Angelo Moore of Fishbone. He leads his own band the Upstarters who have worked with world-famous bands and festivals. They are currently featured on FM radio stations around the world.
Vocal Teacher
Multi-instrumentalist, Carl Hengen wields a sizeable Tenor voice, which means he can sing rock music such as Queen, Boston, Dio, Elton John, Rush and Judas Priest without skipping any high notes! Carl’s voice is amazing, with quite an impressive dynamic range and a wide pallet of tonal nuances to choose from. A classically-trained opera singer, Mr. Hengen has sung leading opera roles such as Ruggero in Puccini’s La Rondine, Ferrando in Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte, Nemorino in Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, Aeneas in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and many more.
In addition to operatic credits, Hengen enjoys a career performing locally both as a soloist and in ensembles throughout Maryland. He teaches Italian Diction at the Baltimore School for the Arts, Lutherville Music School, and is an adjunct member of the Music Faculty at The Community College of Baltimore County. Carl is an highly effective voice teacher and is often able to improve his students voices significantly, even in the first lesson.
Carl grew up on rock-n-roll and has performed as an electric guitarist in original rock bands as well as in cover bands. He studied guitar with one of Baltimore’s most notable professional guitarists- Ravens’ Band alum and Maryland Entertainment Hall of Famer Tobias Hurwitz. Hengen currently serves as guitarist and vocalist for several local bands including original prog rock group Bardic Compass and new classic rock cover outfit, Supertuner.
Mr. Hengen holds an Associate’s Degree in Music from The Community College of Baltimore County, Essex Campus, a Bachelor’s Degree in Music in Voice Performance from the University of Maryland College Park, a Master of Music Degree in Voice Performance from Michigan State University, and the Graduate Performance Diploma in Voice from The Conservatory of the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.
Guitar Teacher
Michael Raitzyk was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1969. He is a leading Baltimore Jazz guitarist. Over the years, he has shared the stage with many top players, including Junior Cook, Gary Thomas, Junior Cook, and Bill Hardman. Raitzyk recorded with Ann Louise White, Kyle Coughlin (saxophonist), Raitzyk’s new CD, Live At the Cafe Hon, lets you in on an amazing night of music. The trio’s approach to music has been influenced by Michaels interest in Klezmer music. Klezmer is a form of Jewish Eastern Europe music that was created in 1800. Raitzyk was raised listening to music from all genres, starting with the Allman Brothers Band. He was inspired to learn jazz guitar by seeing Pat Metheny and Gary Burton. The Michael Raitzyk trio has been entertaining Baltimore audiences for the past four years. They have cultivated a loyal following. The Trio performs Jazz standards and original compositions as well as classic Funk covers.
Drum Teacher
David Wilson joined the Lutherville Rock School in 2022 as a drum instructor. As a drummer, he's had the experience of working in 15+ bands throughout the DC Metropolitan area. David has worked as both a touring musician as well as a studio drummer for bands spanning a wide variety of styles. With 17 years of drumming experience and more than 150 live performances under his belt, his area of expertise ranges from pop to rock to jazz-fusion with almost everything in between. David graduated with a Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, after earning his Associates with a focus in Jazz Performance. In addition to drumming, David has experience in writing, recording, and producing music both as a solo artist and in collaborative settings. Prior to joining LRS, David had a couple years experience providing private lessons to students one-on-one out of his home.
Special Guests
Original Twisted Sister drummer, AJ Paro visited us as the drummer for guitar shredder, Mike Orlando. What an awesome show that was! Paro is known as a top shelf drummer, playing on everything by Twisted including the hit We’re Not Gonna Take It.
Dr. Candice Mowbray is a beloved friend of the camp and has appeared as a guest several times. She is a wonderful guitarist and a wellspring of wisdom. Her credentials include a PHD in Classical guitar performance and various accolades from the press.
“A beautiful player, so expressive and musical”–John Feeley, guitarist
"Reverie's program has an artful and intelligent flow...
The playing throughout is splendid" –Blair Jackson, Classical Guitar Magazine
“A great musician, beautiful tone, a joy to work with”–Marcelo Berestovoy, guitarist
Dennis Chambers is among the top drummers in the world and has drummed for Carlos Santana, P-Funk, George Duke, John Mclaughlin, Steely Dan, Tobias Hurwitz and too many others to list. When he visited us, we did a concert in which he jammed with all of us! Chambers has been featured on the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine and has received numerous awards and endorsements.
Dr. Gary Marcus is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Guitar Zero, on Penguin books. He stayed at camp for an entire week interacting with students and staff as a main part of the research for his book, which features a chapter on the camp and Tobias Hurwitz.
Lindsey Golden is a professional dancer and choreographer with a focus on dance fusion, contemporary dance combined with a variety of other dance styles, and cirque arts. Starting out in DC, she moved on to Baltimore and created University of Baltimore Contemporary Dance Company. In 2012 she formed The Lindsey Golden Project and started Golden Dance Experiment, a contemporary dance fusion company. Since then Lindsey has worked with many Baltimore dance companies, circus performers, and flow artists, performing all over Baltimore city and Washington DC.
98 Rock DJ and television personality, Matt Davis, was a big part of the camp for many years, featuring our bands on his local music show, Noise in the Basement. He has visited camp several times and still collaborates from time to time with camp director, Tobias Hurwitz. Davis breathes life into Baltimore’s original music scene, featuring local talent on 98 Rock Radio and frequently organizing showcases and battles of the bands.
When he was a guest at camp Matt was an upcoming drummer playing with a band called Aromretta. Today he’s best known for his work with progressive metal band Periphery. He has appeared on the cover of Modern Drummer and is considered among the top drummers in the nation.
Guitar shredder Neil Zaza is known as one of the fastest players in the world. His impressive discography includes collaborations with members of Van Halen and Dream Theater. He has visited camp several times and jammed with staffers Chris Ranier and Tobias Hurwitz.
Michael Angelo Batio is arguably the best technical rock guitarist in the world. He tours extensively, shredding for the global community and is know in China as “Hands Without Shadows” due to his amazing speed and clarity on guitar. He is a beloved friend of the camp and has been a guest several times. MAB and Tobias Hurwitz have collaborated on many projects over the years, including the song Zen Shred Zone, which features a guitar dual between Angelo and Mattias ai Eklundh with Tobias bookending the festivities.
Mike Orlando is a smokin’ shred guitarist. He was a top ten finalist for Guitar Player magazine's Guitar Superstar of the Year in 2008 and has worked with musicians like Zakk Wylde and Bumblefoot. His first solo album, Sonic Stomp, was released in 2006 and the follow-up, Sonic Stomp II, was released in 2010. In 2010, Orlando formed the band Adrenaline Mob with Symphony X vocalist, Russell Allen.
Sonia-Disappear Fear is a songwriter, a band, and a visual artist named Sonia Rutstein. Sonia hails from Baltimore, Maryland. She has received many awards, including the Coin of Honor from the US Army for her humanitarian efforts, and the GLAAD award for Best Album. Sonia has shared the stage with many of her heroes, including Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger. She tours the world singing her uplifting songs in several languages.
Paul Reed Smith is the founder and owner of the Maryland based guitar company, PRS Guitars. His innovations in guitar design have had indelible influence in the industry and his instruments are played by huge stars like Carlos Santana and Alex Lifeson. He is likened to a modern Leo Fender and kindly provided Tobias Hurwitz with the iconic “Ravens” guitar that was seen so many times on the jumbotron in M&T Bank Stadium.
Several Species – The Laser Light Pink Floyd Experience- is an 11-member band dedicated to recreating the Pink Floyd concert experience since 1996. They are a beloved institution on Baltimore’s music scene and beyond. They play venues such as Pier Six Pavilion and The Recher Theater.
Voodoo Blue was a wildly popular Baltimore based band who were beloved mascots of the camp and featured as guests many times. Guitarist and bassist Dan and Clunky were students of Tobias as well as stadium rocking, signed musicians. Voodoo Blue embarked on a national tour of the Dayjams campuses and leader Dan Book eventually went on to become a platinum-selling, BMI Award-winning producer and songwriter living in Hollywood CA.
The Great Gambian Griots are traveling all the way from Africa to tour the states and they're stopping at Baltimore Rock fest along the way!
Angus Clark is a busy rock guitarist currently with The Trans-Siberian Orchestra and playing with other national acts such as Chere. His skills are amazing!
Stuart Hart is a smokin’ guitar player with over 5,000 compositions around the world generating sync income. Some of Harts best known credits include creating original music for Mark Burnett’s Mind Control, 500 Questions, Funderdome, Beat Shazam, Celebrity Apprentice, as well as Long John Silvers Restaurants, Netflix, Smirnoff, various movie trailers as well as main-title themes for Candidly Nicole (VH1), I Love Nick Carter (VH1), It’s all Relative (TLC), Paradise Run (Nickelodeon), Fishing Mavericks (NBC Sports), Bye Felicia (VH1), Grand Theft Auto for the game The Lost and The Damned.
Dave Bainbridge is a talented and award-winning Prog Rock guitarist, composer, and pianist. He’s regularly voted as one of Prog Magazine’s Top Ten Guitarists in their annual Readers Poll, coming in 3rd behind Steve Hackett and John Petrucci in their Best of 2021 poll. He works with musicians like Robert Fripp, Buddy Guy and Phil Keaggy and regularly tours Europe with Lifesigns. Dave’s blazing techniques and sophisticated use of melody, harmony and odd time always delight the listener.