Comfy and inviting as an old friend (if your old friend happens to be a musical genius), A Solo Evening of Music with Chris Thile brings the Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and MacArthur Fellow recipient of the prestigious “Genius Grant” to the Festival’s Perry Pavilion. Described by The Guardian as "that rare being: an all-round musician,” and hailed by NPR as a "genre-defying musical genius," Thile is a founding member of the influential string bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek and has collaborated with countless luminaries from Yo-Yo Ma to Fiona Apple to Brad Mehldau. In this intimate program, Thile will perform selections from his acclaimed solo recordings of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas – including the upcoming second volume out this autumn – alongside his signature improvisational brilliance.

Acclaimed Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and MacArthur Fellow recipient of the prestigious “Genius Grant”, Chris Thile is a multifaceted musical talent, described by The Guardian as "that rare being: an all-round musician,” and hailed by NPR as a "genre-defying musical genius." Thile is a founding member of the highly influential string bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and has collaborated with countless luminaries from Yo-Yo Ma to Fiona Apple to Brad Mehldau. 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).

Over the last couple of years, Thile toured with Nickel Creek in support of the critically acclaimed 2023 release Celebrants. Most recently, he has been captivating audiences with a playfully ambitious biographical composition entitled ATTENTION! (a narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra), and has been focused on the production of a new musical variety show, “The Energy Curfew Music Hour.” Created with Claire Coffee and featuring Punch Brothers, Season One is available on Audible and all podcasting platforms, with Season Two to be released in late fall 2025.

The wide-ranging program of Thile’s 2025-2026 solo performances will feature selections from his acclaimed solo recordings of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas – including the upcoming second volume out this autumn – alongside his signature post-genre blend of compositional rigor, folksy stagecraft, and improvisational brilliance.