The University Arts Series brings the one-of-a-kind banjo duo of B�la Fleck and Abigail Washburn to the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center stage on April 9. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Mountainlair and CAC box offices, and online at ticketmaster.com.

Premier banjo player B�la Fleck is considered one of the most innovative pickers in the world. His catalog includes everything from traditional bluegrass to progressive jazz. His diverse musical interests – Tony Trischka, Earl Scruggs, Chick Corea, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, the Allman Brothers, Aretha Franklin – are evident in his own style. Fleck formed the Flecktones in 1989 to play for the PBS production “Lonesome Pine Special.” The Flecktones’ original members included Howard Levy on piano, harmonica and ocarina; bass guitarist Victor Lemonte Wooten; and Roy ‘Future Man’ Wooten on the drumitar. Fleck has 15 Grammys to his credit, including awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, Best Contemporary World Music Album, Best Classical Crossover Album and Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.

Clawhammer-style banjo player and singer Abigail Washburn blends folk and bluegrass tradition with a global worldview. Her music is heavily influenced by her adopted second homeland of China. Washburn has lent her rustic, wide-ranging sound to the Cleary Bros. Band, the old-time string band Uncle Earl and the Sparrow Quartet, which included Fleck, fiddle virtuoso Casey Driessen and cellist Ben Sollee.

Together Fleck and Washburn have mastered the deceptively intricate art of the duet. Their first album, “B�la Fleck & Abigail Washburn,” was released in October of last year. Between the two of them, Fleck and Washburn used seven different banjos, including a cello banjo, a ukulele banjo that technically belongs to their son Juno and a baritone banjo that Fleck had commissioned specifically for the album. From track to track, Washburn and Fleck are a nimble band unto themselves. The recording features originals, traditional songs and a thoroughly reimagined medley of two sections of B�la Bartok’s “For Children” combined with his “Children’s Dance.”

Tickets for the April 9 concert range from $35 to $60, depending on location. WVU student tickets are available for $23 at the campus box offices with a valid Mountaineer Card. Some restrictions apply. Tickets may be purchased at the Mountainlair and CAC box offices, online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at 304-293-SHOW or 800-745-3000, and at all Ticketmaster outlets.

This performance is part of the University Arts Series produced by WVU Arts & Entertainment. Stay connected with the latest event updates through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following @wvuevents.

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CONTACT: Kristie Stewart-Gale, Arts & Entertainment
304-293-8221, kristie.stewart-gale@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.