Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts will present an evening of contemporary bluegrass with Noam Pikelny & Friends on Thursday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. Joining him on the Jorgensen stage will be Jake Eddy (guitar), Dan Klingsberg (bass), Julian Pinelli (fiddle) and Teo Quale (mandolin).

Pikelny has emerged as the preeminent banjoist of his generation. He is a founding member of Punch Brothers, a nine-time GRAMMY Nominee, and winner of the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Punch Brothers won a 2019 GRAMMY Award for Best Folk Album for their album All Ashore.

“In the last couple years going to festivals and camps I’ve just been completely blown away with the level of artistry of this next generation of musicians,” Pikelny said. “I thought that beginning in 2025 I wanted to bring in the next generation of guys. Whenever I do these shows I really try to give everybody an opportunity to bring in their own material and to craft a kind of a three-dimensional show that isn’t just banjo music.”

Jake Eddy is a bluegrass guitarist from Parkersburg, West Virginia, who began his music career playing banjo professionally at the age of 14 with bluegrass-legend Melvin Goins. He tours as a sideman with the Becky Buller Band from Manchester, Tennessee as well as his own group.

Dan Klingsberg, an experienced jazz, roots, and bluegrass bass player based in Brooklyn, New York is a graduate of the New England Conservatory who plays and tours with a number of groups including Mudskippers, PRNCX, Ben Krakauer, and The Ladles. He has performed with Darol Anger, Joe Morris, Peter Rowan, Stuart Duncan, and many others.

Fiddler Julian Pinelli grew up in Southern Appalachia and is attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. He has won the Fresh Grass fiddle competition, Fletcher Bright Award and Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival’s Bill Vernon Memorial Scholarship. He performs with his own acoustic quartet OctoPladd and also performs with groups including the progressive bluegrass band Front Country, and the acoustic metal sensation The Stash Band.

Teo Quale on mandolin is a multi-instrumentalist (fiddle, guitar, ukulele) from Alameda, California who has played with a range of musicians including Sean Watkins, John Reischman, and George Cole. He was invited by country legend Marty Stuart to perform with his band at Ryman Auditorium. He has won competitions in both fiddle and mandolin.

Noam Pikelny spoke with WHUS on the Good Music show, (Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) about his work with Punch Brothers and touring with Noam & Friends.

For more information go to Jorgensen.uconn.edu

Listen to the interview here: