Alison Brown. Photo: Russ Harrington
Presented by D’Addario & Guild Hall
Guild Hall and D’Addario welcome Grammy Award-winning banjoist Alison Brown for an evening rooted in American tradition and shaped by global influence. A pioneering artist, Brown has expanded the banjo’s voice far beyond bluegrass, drawing on jazz, folk, Celtic, and international traditions to create music that is both deeply grounded and boldly exploratory.
Joining Brown are acclaimed vocalist and guitarist Michael Daves, whose innovative approach bridges traditional bluegrass and contemporary acoustic music, and fiddler Tatiana Hargreaves, celebrated for her masterful interpretations of old-time, bluegrass, and vernacular string-band traditions. They are joined by members of the Alison Brown Quintet: John Ragusa (flute), Jody Nardone (piano), Garry West (bass), and Bryan Brock (drums).
Through original compositions, reimagined roots repertoire, and spontaneous musical conversation, Brown reveals the banjo as a versatile and boundary-crossing instrument—one capable of connecting styles, stories, and traditions across cultures and generations.
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Alison Brown
One of the most celebrated multi-hyphenates in roots music, Alison Brown is a GRAMMY-winning musician, producer, and composer, a former investment banker, and co-founder of the internationally acclaimed Compass Records Group, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025.
The first woman to win an instrumentalist of the year award from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), Alison Brown is one of today’s most innovative banjo players. With the Alison Brown Quintet, she takes the banjo beyond its Appalachian roots, blending bluegrass and jazz influences into a unique sonic tapestry that has earned praise from national tastemakers, including The Wall Street Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and USA Today.
In addition to the IBMA Banjo Player of the Year Award, Alison has received the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award and was honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame's Louise Scruggs Memorial Forum. She also received the USA Artists Fellowship in Music and was the first female 5-string player inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame.
Alison frequently collaborates with actor/comedian/banjoist Steve Martin. Their album Safe, Sensible and Sane debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart; their musical partnership has produced five #1 singles on bluegrass radio and garnered over 70M views on social media. Alison also hosts the weekly program Pick Like a Girl on SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction and 'plays it forward' through her ArtistWorks online banjo school.
Photo: Neil Culbertson
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Michael Daves
Guitarist and singer Michael Daves, a “leading light of the New York bluegrass scene” (New York Times), is GRAMMY-nominated for his work with Chris Thile and has performed with many bluegrass luminaries including Tony Trischka, Andy Statman, Bruce Molsky, Peter Rowan, and Bryan Sutton. His gritty and distinctive style harkens back to the high lonesome origins of bluegrass while pairing effortlessly with contemporary influences. He is also one of the most experienced educators in bluegrass. In addition to decades of private and group instruction he launched the school of bluegrass vocals on ArtistWorks in 2016, has taught at premier camps and festivals, and has been a featured presenter in various Carnegie Hall programs.
Photo: Manish Gosalia
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Tatiana Hargreaves
Over the past decade, Tatiana Hargreaves has been on the forefront of an up and coming generation of old time, bluegrass and new acoustic musicians. From placing first at the Clifftop Appalachian Fiddle Contest, to her bluegrass fiddling on Laurie Lewis’ GRAMMY-nominated album The Hazel And Alice Sessions, Hargreaves shows a musical fluency that flows between old time and bluegrass worlds with ease. She has toured with musicians such as Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Laurie Lewis, Alice Gerrard and Jake Blount. She currently performs with banjo player Allison de Groot and teaches fiddle and improvisation at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Sponsors
Radio Partner: Long Island Radio Broadcasting
Performing Arts programs are supported by 2026 season sponsors Galia Meiri-Stawski and Axel Stawski, with additional lead support from Henry and Peggy Schleiff, The Melville Straus Family Endowment, Monica and Peter Tessler, and Vital Projects Fund.
Guild Hall’s Performing Arts programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Music Programming is supported in part by The Ellen and James S. Marcus Endowment for Musical Programming, and the Anne Wolf Concert Fund.
Additional support provided by Friends of the Theater: Natascia Ayers and Jim Ciquera, Bonnie and Joel Bergstein, Gene Bernstein and Kathy Walsh, Amy Cooney and Marty Feinman, John and Joan D’Addario, Suzanne and John Golden, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, Steve and Susan Pesner and Peace, in memory of Michéle Pesner, whose entire life was devoted to all aspects of culture, The Schaffner Family Foundation, Lisa Schultz and Ezriel Kornel, Stacey and Oliver Stanton, and Susi and Peter Wunsch.
