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Chris ThileBiography
Widely regarded as one of the most interesting and inventive musicians of his generation, 26-year-old phenom Chris Thile has changed the mandolin forever, elevating it from its origins as a relatively simple folk and bluegrass instrument to the sophistication and brilliance of the finest jazz improvisation and classical performance. For more than fifteen years, Thile played in the wildly popular band Nickel Creek, with whom he released three albums for a combined 2 million records sold, was awarded a Grammy® in 2002, and traveled the world on sold-out concert tours. As a soloist he has released four albums, on which he conquered a dizzying range of instruments, songwriting challenges and musical styles. Thile has also performed and recorded extensively as a duo with double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer (with whom he will release an album in 2008) and with fellow eminent mandolinist Mike Marshall, and has plans for a project with celebrated violinist Hilary Hahn. In April 2007, Meyer and pianist Emanuel Ax commissioned Thile to write a piece for double bass and piano, which they performed on a tour including Zankel Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and the new Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. Additionally, Thile has collaborated with a pantheon of bluegrass innovators including Béla Fleck, Dolly Parton, the Dixie Chicks, Jerry Douglas, and Sam Bush. |
