MacArthur Fellow and Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter Chris Thile, who the Guardian calls “that rare being: an all-round musician who can settle into any style, from bluegrass to classical,” and NPR calls a “genre-defying musical genius,” is a founding member of the critically acclaimed bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek. For four years, Thile hosted public radio favorite Live from Here with Chris Thile (formerly known as A Prairie Home Companion). With his broad outlook, Thile creates a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike, giving the listener “one joyous arc, with the linear melody and vertical harmony blurring into a single web of gossamer beauty” (New York Times).
Most recently, Chris recorded Laysongs, out June 4, 2021 on Nonesuch. The album is his first truly solo album: just Thile, his voice, and his mandolin, on new recordings of six original songs and three covers, all of which contextualize and banter with his ideas about spirituality. Recorded in a converted upstate New York church during the pandemic, Laysongs‘ centerpiece is the three-part “Salt (in the Wounds) of the Earth,” which was inspired by C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters. The album also features a song Thile wrote about Dionysus; a performance of the fourth movement of Béla Bartók’s Sonata for Solo Violin; “God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot” based on Buffy Sainte-Marie’s adaptation of a Leonard Cohen poem; a cover of bluegrass legend Hazel Dickens’ “Won’t You Come and Sing for Me,” and “Ecclesiastes 2:24,” original instrumental loosely modeled after the Prelude from J.S. Bach’s Partita for Solo Violin in E Major.
COVID Protocols Update
As the number of COVID transmissions continues to rise, we are thankful for your help in keeping our staff, volunteers, artists, and community members safe and healthy.
Effective September 1, 2021, for entrance to Music Hall indoor, full-capacity events (e.g. concerts, comedy, festivals): patrons, staff, and volunteers will need to show proof of full vaccination – 14 days past their final vaccination shot – OR proof of a negative COVID-19 test within three days of the event. Proof of vaccination can be your physical vaccine card or a photo/scan of your card or via an app such as Bindle. Masks are encouraged for everyone. Children under 12 years of age are exempt from this policy but must wear masks indoors. Masks are highly encouraged for those who are unvaccinated.
Please note: Safety protocols for offsite Music Hall events will be developed in conjunction with those venues and will be communicated in advance.
All Music Hall events will be presented in accordance with applicable public health mandates and artist’s requirements as of the date of the event. These could include changes to mask requirements, capacity, attendance prerequisites, procedures, and other protective measures. Thank you for your understanding and support throughout this uncertain time.
