SALISBURY — Beacon Hall will host acoustic blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and educator Scott Ainslie in the newly renovated Salisbury High School Auditorium on Jan. 25.

The music will start at 7:30 p.m.

In lieu of an admission price, donations to Beacon Hall will be accepted.

Beacon Hall is a nonprofit regional music venue promoting musical diversity and education. When ready, the Beacon Hall venue itself will be the renovated church at 121 Ridge Ave.

The Jan. 25 concert will be followed by a master class guitar workshop, hosted by Ainslie, at 10 a.m. Jan. 26 at the Beacon Hall Warehouse, 120 Elm St,

Spaces for the workshop are limited and are expected to sell out.

A seasoned performer and student of the roots music, Ainslie transcribed the original recordings of Delta blues legend Robert Johnson, published a book and has an instructional DVD on Johnson’s guitar work.

On stage and in teaching concerts, workshops, and school residencies, Ainslie explores the African and European roots of American music and culture.

The Seven Days publication of Burlington, Vermont, said of Ainslie: “With an expressive baritone and nimble fingers … Ainslie is a master of American acoustic blues. He is also among the most highly regarded blues historians, a veritable walking encyclopedia of blues and jazz.”

Employing vintage guitars, an African-style fretless gourd banjo and his homemade one-string cigar box guitar, Ainslie brings the music and its history alive with personal anecdotes. Ainslie has been heralded in reviews as a masterful and thoughtful historian, storyteller and musician, according to a Beacon Hall news release.

For more information on the Beacon Hall concert and the guitar workshop, contact director@beaconhall.org or call 980-234-4800.

Beacon Hall’s mission is to connect the community through music and to empower students of all backgrounds to excel in academics, citizenship and community pride.