Avery Bergstrom

My goal when performing is always to simply share my love of music, and to give the listener a dynamic experience. I will work with the client as closely as needed and desired to craft my setlist in a way that best suits the event and environment. If there is a specific piece of music that you would like to hear, I am happy to include it in my setlist. I am also open to creating new guitar arrangements of specific pieces at your request.

In addition to my standard setlist of traditional folk music, some of the popular tunes in my repertoire include instrumental versions of:
"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
"Forever Young" by Alphaville
"Time After Time" by Cindi Lauper
"Time To Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli
"River Flows In You" by Yiruma
"Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls

Arrangements of music from film and beloved video games:
"Storybook Love" from The Princess Bride
"Zelda's Lullaby" from The Legend of Zelda
"Concerning Hobbits" from The Lord of the Rings
"The Streets of Whiterun" from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
A wide array of classic music from Disney films, such as "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid, "I see The Light" from Tangled, and "You've Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story

Seasonal Christmas music:
"Silent Night"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
"The Holly and the Ivy"
"I Saw Three Ships"
"Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella"
"Away In A Manger"

Classic hymns and Gospel tunes, such as:
"Be Thou My Vision"
"I Surrender All"
"Down To The River To Pray"
"I'll Fly Away"
"Will the Circle Be Unbroken"
"Glory, Glory"

And much more!

Avery is a fingerstyle guitarist who grew up in Hood River, Oregon, and now lives in Portland. He was originally attracted to acoustic fingerstyle guitar by American fingerpickers like John Fahey, Doc Watson, and others. After discovering a love for the folk music of Europe, he developed a unique sound on the guitar, creating interpretive arrangements of traditional music, country-blues, and even classic pop tunes, as well as original compositions which artfully express his many musical inspirations. His fluid and ornate sound draws upon numerous sources, sometimes creatively translating fiddle music, bluegrass, or even bagpipe music to the guitar, and includes something for everyone, often combining the rhythm-driven bass lines of Americana with the intricate melodies of Celtic music.

Spending his time performing around Portland, Avery has enjoyed meeting, learning from, and working with established guitarists of the Pacific Northwest. In one such collaborative project, he composed and performed Celtic guitar duets with fellow fingerstyle guitarist Anton Emery, who he became connected with through the Portland Guitar Society, of which Avery is a long time member and performer.

Audience members have described Avery's performances as "a journey" and according to accomplished classical guitarist Peter Zisa, "Avery's arrangements and original compositions held the audience spellbound."

I typically like to perform with my Fishman acoustic amplifier, which works well for most spaces. For that, all I require for set up is an outlet/power source, and a chair. I also have the capability to play through any amplification options that the venue has, such as a PA.