UCSB Arts & Lectures will present mandolin virtuoso, composer and vocalist Chris Thile, returning with a program of his arrangements of Bach sonatas and partitas, as well as his own compositions, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 7, at UCSB Campbell Hall.
Thile, who is host of the popular public radio variety show A Prairie Home Companion, appeared in Santa Barbara last season as one third of a trio with renowned musicians, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bassist Edgar Meyer.
A member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, Thile — a multiple Grammy Award-winner and MacArthur Fellow — encompasses classical, rock, jazz and bluegrass to create a new, distinctly American musical aesthetic.
A child prodigy, Thile first rose to fame as a member of Grammy Award-winning trio Nickel Creek, with whom he released four albums and sold more than 2 million records. In 2014, along with a national tour, the trio released a new album, A Dotted Line, its first since 2005.
As a soloist, Thile has released five albums, including his most recent, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol.1, produced by Meyer. In 2013, Thile won a Grammy for his work on The Goat Rodeo Sessions, collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma, Meyer and Stuart Duncan.
In 2014, Thile and Meyer released their latest album collaboration, Bass + Mandolin, which won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
Punch Brothers released its latest album, The Phosphorescent Blues, in January 2015, and a follow up EP, The Wireless, in November 2015.
Most recently, in 2017, Thile released a double-album with Brad Mehldau titled Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau in January, and a collection of works from Bach with Yo-Yo Ma and Meyer in April called Bach Trios.
Beginning in fall 2016, Thile took the helm of A Prairie Home Companion, a public radio favorite since 1974.
Thile is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. Event sponsors are Lisa and Christopher Lloyd. Media sponsors are KCBX 89.5 FM Santa Barbara, KCLU 102.3 FM (88.3 FM Ventura) and KCSB 91.9 FM.
Tickets are $35-$50 for the general public, $15 for UCSB students with valid student ID. For tickets and more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures, 893-3535 or visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
UCSB Arts & Lectures acknowledges the support of SAGE Publishing for its major corporate support of the 2017-18 season.
— Caitlin O’Hara for UCSB Arts & Lectures.