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Chris Thile and Sierra HullSinger-songwriter and virtuoso mandolinist Sierra Hull will make her performance debut at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center live in concert with her full ensemble Saturday, Oct. 16. The concert, sponsored by SouthArts, is set for 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $39. Call 205-975-2787 or visit AlysStephens.org.
Composer, vocalist and mandolinist Chris Thile, a Grammy Award winner and MacArthur fellow — and an ASC audience favorite — is set to perform live in concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16. General admission tickets are $49. Call 205-975-2787 or visit AlysStephens.org.
The Alys Stephens Center’s full season of performances and events were announced in August. Upcoming performers include Robert Cray, Wynton Marsalis and Pat Metheny. Alys Stephens Center members are given first priority for concert and artist announcements and tickets. For more information or to become a member, click here.
Sierra Hull
In her first 25 years alone, Hull hit more milestones than many musicians accomplish in a lifetime. She began playing mandolin at the age of 8 and put out the album “Angel Mountain” at 10, the same year she made her Grand Ole Opry debut. The multi-instrumentalist played Carnegie Hall at age 12, then landed a deal with Rounder Records just a year later. Hull was awarded a Presidential Scholarship and studied at the Berklee College of Music. In 2018, she received the Mandolin Player of the Year award from IBMA. Now at age 28 Hull is releasing her fourth full-length release for Rounder, an elegantly inventive and endlessly captivating album called “25 Trips.” Revealing her profound warmth as a storyteller, “25 Trips” finds Hull shedding light on the beauty and chaos — and sometimes sorrow — of growing up and getting older, according to her artist’s statement.
Chris Thile
Thile, a member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek and former host of the program “Live from Here,” is a master of the mandolin. With his broad outlook that encompasses classical, rock, jazz and bluegrass, Thile transcends the borders of conventional genres, creating a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike. Thile’s newest album, “Laysongs,” was released in June. According to his artist’s statement, this is his first truly solo album: It’s just Thile, his voice and his mandolin, on a set of nine new tracks combining original songs with three wisely chosen covers that contextualize and banter with his ideas.Safety is UAB’s priority. The pandemic is a fluid situation that UAB is monitoring, in consultation with infectious disease and public health experts; performances will be subject to change based on the latest COVID-19 safety guidelines. Event staff and attendees are required to wear masks indoors on campus regardless of vaccination status, as well as maintain proper distancing while on UAB’s campus, including at events.