Curtis Jones and the Insonnia world music group will be featured at this year's Bear on the Square.  Curtis, a Dahlonega resident, began playing guitar as a teenager and has proceeded to develop his own unique voice on the instrument. Starting out as a flatpicker, he has gone on to master jazz, flamenco, classical, new age, gypsy and many more musical styles from all over the world. Curtis is often referred to by fans and critics alike as the “fastest acoustic guitarist in the world”, but speed is only one small asset in his arsenal, for he has written and composed over 800 pieces of music, many of which has been recorded on his numerous all original CD projects or have been used as soundtrack music for television shows such as the Roland Martin and Orlando Wilson outdoor programs or in films such as “The Honored”. Among those expected to appear with Insonnia at Bear on the Square are jazz fiddler Martin Norgaard (pictured performing with Curtis) and percussionist Mark Letalien.

Curtis (aka Cortini) has also performed his music all over the world, having done extensive tours all over Europe in countries including Italy, Spain, Germany, France, England, Scotland, Switzerland and Ireland, as well as all over Canada and the U. S. He has also been music director and musician in the critically acclaimed “Cotton Patch Gospel” theatre play eight times, and he has also musically directed The Alliance Theatre's 'Woody Guthrie's American Song” in Atlanta while playing five different instruments in the production. In addition to his own music, Curtis has toured and or recorded with some of the biggest names in acoustic music, including Patty Loveless, Alison Brown, Missy Raines, Dan Tyminski, Tim Stafford, Shawn Lane, Bryan Sutton, and Jim Hurst. Curtis' stunning flamenco guitar work was also recently featured on the Imus Ranch Record which included Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, Little Richard, Randy Travis, Big & Rich, Delbert McClinton, Patty Loveless, Levon Helm, Raul Malo, Bekka Bramlett and Vince Gill. He is also an instructor for the Georgia Pick and Bow Traditional Music School.

See his website