Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Performing Arts Center will present Pikelny, Sutton, Bulla, Bales and Cobb in an evening of original and classic bluegrass Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The collaboration brings together five of the most celebrated acoustic instrumentalists performing today: Noam Pikelny (banjo), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Barry Bales (bass) and Jesse Cobb (mandolin).
With each member being a front man in his own right, these friends are gathering in concert to share with audiences a musical experience that customarily only happens behind closed doors, whether backstage at a festival or at a Nashville picking party.
Pikelny has been called the “pros’ top banjo picker” by the Chicago Tribune. He is a founding member of Punch Brothers, and in 2010 he was awarded the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Pikelny was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for his latest solo work, “Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail.”
Sutton entered the bluegrass world in 1995 as a member of Ricky Skaggs’s Kentucky Thunder band, playing on two Grammy-winning albums. Sutton is a six-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitarist of the Year, and he received a Grammy in 2007 for Best Country Instrumental Performance for his duet recording with Doc Watson.
Bulla has garnered seven wins at the National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest, where he set a new record as the youngest person to make the top 10 at the Grand Masters.
Bales has received 14 Grammy Awards, one Country Music Association Award, one Academy of Country Music Award and 11 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, including Bass Player of the Year in 2008.
Cobb has toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe as a member of The Infamous Stringdusters. He received a 2011 Grammy nomination. He also performs as the Cobb Brothers Duo with Shad Cobb.
Tickets for Pikelny, Sutton, Bulla, Bales and Cobb are $35 to $40 with discounts for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400 or toll free at 888-289-8497.
The performance underwriter is William P. Flatt in memory of June N. Flatt.
