Punch Brothers and Béla Fleck
will perform “My Bluegrass Heart” live in concert Sunday, Dec. 11, presented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $55, $65 and $75. For tickets, call 205-975-2787 or visit AlysStephens.org.
Over the long and lauded course of his unique creative run, Béla Fleck — the world’s premier banjo virtuoso and a celebrated musical adventurer — has both dug deep into his instrument’s complex global history and unlocked the breadth of its possibilities, according to his artist’s statement. Fleck has gone boldly where no banjo player has gone before, a musical journey that has earned him 16 Grammy Awards in nine categories, including Jazz, World Music, Instrumental, Pop, Country and Classical, and a hefty 30 nominations.
The 2022 Best Bluegrass Grammy-winning album “My Bluegrass Heart” is a homecoming in sound. The album is the third chapter of a trilogy that began with the 1988 album “Drive” and continued in 1991 with “The Bluegrass Sessions.” The project features a who’s who of some of the greatest instrumentalists in bluegrass music’s history alongside some of the best of the new generation of players: mandolinists Sam Bush, Sierra Hull and Chris Thile; fiddlers Michael Cleveland and Stuart Duncan; celebrated multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses; bassists Edgar Meyer and Mark Schatz; and the amazing Bryan Sutton and Molly Tuttle on guitar.
Now Fleck returns with his first bluegrass tour in 24 years. Fleck has taken banjo playing to some very unlikely places, and legendary musicians will be joining him on stage.
Punch Brothers have built their sound on a platform of impressive instrumentalism and dazzling arrangements. Formed in the late 2000s after the dissolution of Thile’s former band, Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers includes Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist Paul Kowert, banjoist Noam Pikelny and violinist Gabe Witcher. This band of virtuosi, with bluegrass energy, classical complexity and jazzy improvisation, have spent more than a decade changing the face of acoustic music, stretching the limitations of instruments and influencing a generation of young musicians.
For this performance, child care will be available through ArtPlay Community Education’s Kids Night Out. Kids Night Out provides cool, creative activities for children ages 5-12. While the adults enjoy a night out, children will participate in fun and enriching hands-on arts activities led by ArtPlay teaching artists. Drop-off time is 30 minutes before the performance.
Kids Night Out is $35 for the first child and $10 for each additional child. Reservations are available now; space is limited. For reservations or questions, contact Traci Roller at troller@uab.edu. All Kids Night Out opportunities are free with Friends and Family Membership; limit two kids per membership.