Gretchen Menn is a lifelong student of music. She holds a BA in music from Smith College where she studied classical guitar under the tutelage of Phillip de Fremery and is currently working on an MFA in Media Composition/Orchestratiom. Her musical interests and inclinations span centuries and genres: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Ravel, Django Reinhardt, Jimmy Page, Steve Morse, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck. 

 

Her first solo album, Hale Souls (2011) is an offering of original, instrumental works. Her second release, Abandon All Hope (2016) blends modern and classical instruments in intricate, cinematic compositions that evoke a musical journey through Dante’s underworld. She is currently working on a third solo album. 

 

She is the guitarist and a founding member of Zepparella, the acclaimed Led Zeppelin powerhouse, and has performed as a solo artist throughout the U.S. and in guitar festivals in Switzerland and Germany. April of 2024 saw her with the Utah Symphony performing the premiere of Aluminum Flowers, an adventurous and demanding five-movement guitar concerto composed for her by Grammy-winning composer, Steven Mackey.

 

Gretchen is also passionate about sharing her love of music through education. She teaches masterclasses and clinics, contributes lessons for Premier Guitar and Acoustic Guitar Magazines, has a instructional course available with JamPlay/TrueFire, produces free YouTube lessons, and has a book published by Stringletter Media, How Music Works.