Chris Thile & Aoife O'Donovan in Rochester

Chris Thile is an American mandolinist, singer and composer, born in Oceanside, California, in 1981. He began performing as a child in Nickel Creek and later formed Punch Brothers, making progressive bluegrass and acoustic music central to his career. His recordings include Punch Brothers’ The Phosphorescent Blues and the solo collection Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1. Nickel Creek reunited in 2014 for a theatre and festival tour behind A Dotted Line. Beginning in 2016, he hosted A Prairie Home Companion and its successor Live from Here, leading live broadcasts at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul and Town Hall in New York. Concerts with pianist Brad Mehldau followed their self-titled duo album, while the Celebrants tour later put him back onstage with Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins.

Aoife O'Donovan is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1982. Her acoustic folk and progressive bluegrass work includes serving as lead singer of Crooked Still and forming I'm With Her alongside Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz. Her solo catalogue includes Fossils, Age of Apathy and the suffrage-inspired song cycle All My Friends. Aoife O'Donovan toured as Crooked Still's lead singer, performing the group's repertoire in clubs, theatres and at bluegrass festivals. She later toured with I'm With Her behind See You Around before returning to solo concerts built around her voice, guitar and accompanying musicians. Her festival history includes performances at the Newport Folk Festival.