Neal is known for his sensitive performance of 17th century Scottish lute music. His unique arrangements of this repertoire on the seldom heard soprano lute have drawn him into the folk scenes of the midwestern and eastern United States. Neal attended The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. At UNCSA, he received the Aaron Shearer Scholarship for Guitar and took a Bachelor of Music. Neal’s passion for performance ignites when he shares his journey into early music in common everyday settings. Often found in bookstores, record shops, farmers markets, or coffee houses, Neal’s performance is community focused. He recently presented a live, four-part concert series of Scottish lute music in collaboration with KKFI, 90.1, Kansas City Community Radio. In 2021, Neal was selected as a featured artist for Early Music Missouri’s concert season. In Fall of 2022, Neal performed in the 25th annual Carrboro Music Festival. His passion for serving the community and research have blended into career in library services over the last decade. Neal has held positions with the Kansas City Public Library, The Bernard Becker Medical Library at Washington University in St. Louis, and currently with Duke University’s Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library.Neal currently volunteers as the Clerk of the Lute Society of America,a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of lute music in all its varied forms through performance, preservation, education and research.