PUTNEY — Twilight Music and Next Stage Arts Project present International Bluegrass Music Association award-winning mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull and her Tennessee-based bluegrass quintet Highway 111 at Next Stage on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
Hull is a leading light in the new generation of bluegrass musicians. Her phenomenal mandolin playing, eloquent vocals, and musical maturity have drawn comparisons to Alison Krauss.
A seasoned performer, Hull has appeared on Garrison Keillor's “A Prairie Home Companion” and the Grand Ole Opry radio and television shows, as well as at numerous music festivals including Merlefest, the Newport Folk Festival, Rockygrass, and the Carnegie Hall Family Concert Series.
She has shared the stage with the likes of Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs, Bobby McFerrin, and Edgar Meyer.
The 23-year-old, Byrdstown, Tenn., native began playing the mandolin at 8 and quickly became known on the national scene for her fluid, inventive picking, winning several mandolin and guitar championships.
Mentored and befriended by Alison Krauss, herself once a child prodigy on the fiddle, Hull self-released a CD, “Angel Mountain,” in 2002 and later signed with Rounder Records.
By 14, Hull had begun to sing on stage, and in 2008, she released “Secrets,” her national debut CD on Rounder Records, which is co-produced by Krauss and features bluegrass superstars Jerry Douglas, Ron Block, Dan Tyminski, Stuart Duncan, and Tony Rice.
Her latest CD is “Daybreak.”