Back in the saddle - William Yelverton, concert guitarist and lutenist

Greetings, long time since I posted here but things are changing.  After somewhat of a hiatus, I'm back to being a concert guitarist.  On a half time sabbatical and it's been great.  Staying in super physical shape, eating pretty well, and playing all the time.  

This is the first official announcement of my concert season fast approaching.  Here is it is to date:

Sep 29 - Clarksville, TN - Austin Peay State University

Oct 5 - Franklin, TN - Columbia State Community College, Williamson Campus

Oct 10 - Sumter Co., FL. - Odell Community Center, The Villages

Oct 19 - Sewanee, TN - All Saints Chapel, University of the South

Oct 20 - Murfreesboro, TN - MTSU

The big one for me is at All Saints.  It's a magnificent cathedral in a very arts loving community, and likely my largest audience, and personally most import to me as it's my home community.   This concert really is far overdue.  It may very well be the first faculty guitar recital in that space in the 150+ yr history of the University.  

I've planned a really colorful concert and at my home concerts, I will be using all 4 instruments in the above photo.  The LK Brown "Hans Frei" 8 course Renaissance Lute, the standard Traphagen Spruce (face up), the Ruck cedar (on right) tuned to G, and the Zeb Turrentine lattice spruce (left) in "Turkish tuning".    When I travel I'll take just 3 instrument and retune the Trap in the "Turkish tuning".   

I'm playing a sizable lute set with 7 dances, 2 by Dalza to start then the rest Elizabethan ... Dowland and ending with Monsier's Amaine, the big piece of the set.  Could take 15.  

I decided just in the last few days to use the Ruck tuned to G for the Rameau variations, which I have not performed in 15 yrs.  It's going pretty well.  Why in G?  Guess what, that was the pitch of Rameau's harpsichord.  It is well documented that French Baroque harpischordists played in A=392.  Down a whole step.  Written in A, sounds in G.   Perfect.

I'll be playing the Trap for the Spanish rep and the fingerstyle stuff, then end with the movt's 1,2,4 of Koyunbaba.  I think it works better than playing that long droning 3rd mov't.  

I've also volunteered to play at local churches and the local private school.  I'm putting in at least 4 hrs practice a day, and it's going pretty well.  

 

Spring 2026: Wildflowers, March snow, Atlanta Botanical Garden

 Hikes in the Shakerag Hollow, Sewanee, TN.

March snow, from 72º to 27º in 20 hrs.  

Atlanta Botanical Garden in March

Gibbs Garden

Fall photos and boat trips of 2024

Haven't posted here in a while and since I have time, just wanted to post some photos of the fall boating season.  Had a good Thanksgiving dinner with Scott, Pippa, and friends yesterday.  Played a little guitar concert for the guests after dinner.   

Took the boat out 5 times this year.   First was in the spring flood to Burgess Falls on Centerhill.   All 4 fall boat trips to the TN River Gorge I met up with Bill M. to do the Raccoon Mtn bike climb.  A 13 mile round trip with a 1450' climb.  Also are photos of my parents from my trip up to NY.  

Rare boat trip to Burgess Falls

Burgess Falls

Visiting Dada and Mom in NY

Nov sunset

Nov 9, 2024

Late Nov sunrise scene

Last boat trip Nov '24

January Snow 2022

 About 5" of snow this MLK day weekend.   Drove around Sewanee, some of the worst driving conditions I've seen here.  I loved it.  Have Toyota Sequoia - will travel.  

Breakfield Rd.

County Farm Rd.

Fontana - October '21

Got to Fontana Lake Friday by sunset, hiked for 4 days... a total of about 22 miles or so.  I don't do the massive 15-25 mile day hikes I used to but the 9 mile round trip up the AT to Shuckstack tower was quite enough.  Perfect hiking weather, high temperatures in the lower to mid 60ºs, overnight lows abut 40º.  The water temperature was about 72-73º so we swam a bit.  Super clean and refreshing water.   Roya even swam.   In addition to Shuckstack, we hike the Forney Creek trail, lakeshore trail, and around Hazel Creek.  

We saw a bear on the Lakeshore trail but had a good 60m distance.  It was a large female and cub.  Roya retreated but I stepped up and pounded my stick and claimed the trail.  The mother bear rear up on it's hind legs and took a look at me before moving on.  She probably stood about 7' tall, large for a female.  Since last years bear attack fatality at Hazel creek, we're reminded these animals are not to be taken lightly, but you can't run from them (...well maybe I can if get a head start).  From that point on, Roya carried a big stick.  

The old boat ran great and I managed to lose a lb despite eating a lot. Here's some photos:

Near the Lakeshore Trail

AT Trailhead at Fontana Dam to Shuckstack

Night cruising by full moon

Shuckstack tower

Shuckstack view

Moonrise at Fontana Dam

TN Winter Storms of Feb. '21

 Rare to get Winter Storm warnings in TN, maybe one or two a year, but we just had two in the same week this week, the week of Valentine's Day 2021.  It has been an unusually snowy and cold winter in TN, and personally, I love it.  I purchased more than enough firewood this year.  The winters are relatively short.  Just over 5 weeks from these winter storms, we'll have the first of the wildflowers blooming in late March.  Although never guaranteed, these 2 storms may represent the peak of winter, as next week looks to be well into the 50s by mid week.

MTSU and most Middle TN schools were cancelled the entire week.  The roads were never too bad of a challenge for my Toyota 4x4 Sequoia, mobility wasn't a problem.   

These storms could have been far worse if the temperature had just been a few degrees colder, especially storm #2.  Wednesday night Feb 17,  it started as snow in Sewanee, which was right on the rain/snow line, but ended with rain, leaving a layer of slush by the foggy morning with temperatures above freezing.  We did have 2 consecutive nights where the temperature dipped just below 10º but with the approaching precip, the southerly winds increased the temperature.  Murfreesboro and Nashville got more snow than Sewanee.  Here's the radar image from Wed early evening, Feb 17.  Red, purple, blue, orange are frozen, green is rain.

Prior to storm #1, there was light snow and freezing fog with wind for 3 days.  The combination of these 2 created a situation called rime ice on anything standing.  This caused tree damage, and power outages before storm #1 even started.  

It's a fine line between a big snowfall and mixed precip.  If Sewanee had been 5º colder throughout these events, there would have been feet of snow rather than inches.

Some of the most beautiful scenes were from that rime ice period, and just after the first snowfall after the super cold night.  Here are some photos... rime ice on the fence at the track,  views from my house and local roads.  

After storm #2, which yielded little snow, we had the frozen fog again, a very cold night in the teens, then a bright sunny day which remained below freezing. This produced an amazing display of crystalline frozen trees with a back drop of blue sky. Amazing.