Teacher Profile: Thayer Naples
About Thayer Naples
Thayer Naples was born and raised in Hanover, New Hampshire in 1990. Picking up the guitar ate age seven, Thayer has presently been playing for twenty five years. Honing his craft, practicing hard and diligently through adolescence, up to ten hours a day, Thayer played in his schools Jazz band and studied Classical guitar with David Newsam at Dartmouth College. Thayer then entered Berklee College of Music in 2009, where he studied the art of Jazz Guitar. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 2013 from Berklee in Performance. In 2014, Thayer relocated to New York City. He performed as a professional guitarist and musician in New York for over five years. He played a variety of styles including jazz, musical theatre, rock, and country. While in New York, he released four solo albums in the style of Merle Travis and Chet Atkins.
After the pandemic, Thayer moved to Atlanta, Georgia. He studied under Dr. Luther Enloe in the style of Classical Guitar. Honing his Classical technique, Thayer has brought a new sparkle to the Chet Atkins and Merle Travis style. “Classical and Fingerstyle is what I most enjoy”, says Thayer. In addition to his performance endeavors, Thayer is an avid teacher with over ten years experience, with all skill levels and ages.
Georgia State University has afforded Thayer the ability to become a Teacher Assistant, where he has instructed collegiate level courses to undergraduate students. He has also had the privilege of running chamber ensembles at university, including the Georgia State University Classical Guitar quartet. This quartet has performed many high-profile events, including St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Music Series, Alliance Francaise Atlanta, and the presidential banquet at the University of Georgia.
Besides performance and teaching, Thayer has arranged string quartets for the First Baptist Church of Decatur. He says, “Arranging has helped me greatly understand music outside of the guitar.” Thayer currently resides in Atlanta, where he performs at local private events, churches, clubs, and restaurants.