Multiple Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Fellow Chris Thile—a member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, and now the host of the radio program Live from Here—is a mandolin virtuoso, composer, and vocalist. With his broad outlook, Thile transcends the borders of conventionally circumscribed genres, creating a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike.

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 two 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 several albums, including his most recent, Thanks for Listening, a collection of recordings produced by Thomas Bartlett that were originally written as “Songs of the Week” for Live from Here. In February 2013, Thile won a Grammy for his work on The Goat Rodeo Sessions, collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Stuart Duncan. In September 2014, Thile and Meyer released their latest album collaboration, Bass & Mandolin, which won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Punch Brothers released its latest album, All Ashore, in July 2018, described as “a call to savor, to pay attention, to step back from the hustle and bustle and remember the importance of being calm” (PopMatters).