Wilder Frets: Classical Guitar in the Wilderness (Umpqua Lighthouse State Park)

About Wilder Frets:

For the inaugural season, Wilder Frets: Classical Guitar in the Wilderness will tour across the state of Oregon from August 1–October 1, 2026. Led by classical guitar virtuoso and artistic director Tye Austin, the series replaces the traditional concert hall with immersive wilderness landscapes—including state parks, farms, ranches, wineries, hot spring resorts, and other unique locations throughout the state. Audiences experience each performance through wireless headphone technology, allowing them to move freely and explore the surrounding landscape within a quarter-mile radius as the music accompanies their wanderings through each Wilder setting.

About this Site:

Umpqua Lighthouse State Park is nestled among the rolling coastal dunes and freshwater lakes of Oregon’s central coast, where forested hills meet the windswept landscapes surrounding the mouth of the Umpqua River. Overlooking Lake Marie and located near the historic Umpqua River Lighthouse, the park sits within a dynamic coastal environment shaped by shifting sands, marine terraces, and the powerful forces of wind and ocean currents that continue to sculpt the Oregon Dunes. Dense stands of Sitka spruce, shore pine, and Douglas-fir thrive in the cool maritime climate, while nearby wetlands and estuaries provide habitat for migratory birds, salmon, deer, and other coastal wildlife. Seasonal fog drifts inland from the Pacific, blanketing the dunes and forests in soft coastal mist that sustains the region’s lush vegetation. For thousands of years, this area has been home to Indigenous peoples, including the Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw peoples, who maintained deep cultural and subsistence connections to the rivers, lakes, forests, and ocean. Today, Umpqua Lighthouse State Park remains a peaceful coastal retreat where visitors can experience quiet lakeside camping, scenic forest trails, and sweeping views of one of Oregon’s most iconic lighthouses.

About the Artist:

Oregon-born classical guitarist and composer Tye Austin, M.M., is the Artistic Director of Wilder Frets, a concert series that brings world-class classical guitar performances into natural wilderness settings. With ancestral ties to Franco-Spanish pirates of the Caribbean, he draws on a deep cultural connection to Spanish and Latin American repertoire, shaping his interpretations with distinctive authenticity and depth. Praised by NBC News for making “the guitar sing like it was invented only to be in his hands,” Austin is an internationally recognized virtuoso guitarist whose career includes appearances at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall, performances for global leaders at the United Nations, and international residencies and tours across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. He was also hired as the principal classical guitarist for Royal Caribbean International cruise lines. He holds a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In his spare time, he can be found surfing, fly-fishing, foraging, or skinny-dipping in geo-thermal hot springs.