Singer, songwriter, and mandolinist Sierra Hall brings her compelling bluegrass style to Court Square Theater Wednesday, Feb 13.
The former child prodigy signed with Rounder at age 13, and distinguished herself by becoming the first bluegrass musician to receive a Presidential Scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music.
Though she is best known for her fluid mandolin style and ethereal voice, Hull’s abundant gifts as a composer and lyricist have becoming increasingly evident, particularly in her 2016 album W eig h t e d Min d .
The album was produced by 15-time Grammy winner Béla Fleck, and features 11 compositions written or co-written by Hull, along with a traditional tune for which she and Fleck provided a new arrangement.
Themes of loss and restoration run through the album, starting with the muscular opening number, “Stranded,” and continue on the stirring “Compass,” on which she declares, “I’ve thrown away my compass, done with the chart…I’ll just step out, throw my doubt into the sea, for what’s meant to be will be.” The gentle, dissonant title track ponders existential questions, while the haunting “Birthday” and “Fallen Man” offer somber reflections on strained relationships and impossible choices. The album closes on an optimistic note, with the sweetly assertive “I’ll Be Fine,” and the uplifting, philosophical closer, “Black River.” Fleck, Giddens, Krauss, and Washburn all guest on this track, on which Hull reflects, “A thousand years is but a day, and maybe in a thousand years, I’ll find my way.”
Court Square Theater hosts Sierra Hall Wednesday, Feb 13. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with the show beginning at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $24 advance and $28 at the door. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit valleyarts.org or call 540.433.9189.
Arts Council of the Valley’s Court Square Theater is located at 41-F Court Square in Downtown Harrisonburg.
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