Sierra Hull Releases Bluegrass Concerto in 3 Movements.
Back in the fall of 2022 Sierra Hull was commissioned to write a Bluegrass Concerto by the FreshGrass Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts.
This opportunity was embraced with great excitement, although initially she thought what is a Bluegrass Concerto? It seemed like a perfect motivator to write something special for her and her band (Avery Merritt, Erik Coveney, Mark Raudabaugh, Shaun Richardson) to play.
She had immediately developed a rough vision and had several ideas floating around for what this 3 movement piece (ideally following the traditional concerto format of fast-slow-fast) could become. She had decided that she wanted it to be a combination of composed ideas and arranged parts, while also leaving some room for the improvisational magic any good Bluegrass instrumental might have. She began diving into some instrumental bits and pieces that had been taking up space in her musical mind for years, and now finally finding a home for them to exist.
Naturally, I began showing my ideas to the guys while still in the writing process and it quickly became such a natural collaboration with Avery, Erik, Mark and Shaun all finding their own excitement in what this could become. Each of them brought great ideas to the table to help me finish the piece, ultimately making it even more meaningful than it would have been just on my own as a sole composer – Sierra Hull.
Sierra Hull and her band went into the studio to record this just a few months after premiering it at the festival, but at that time she was also finishing recording her most recent album, A Tip Toe High Wire. That project was delayed somewhat, due to the need to continue to work on the commission Bluegrass Concerto, along with the band’s busy tour schedule. Since then, Movement 3 has been a staple in the lives of her shows over the last few years, occasionally sneaking in Movement 1 or Movement 2 when the band were craving a challenge.
Fans have been asking for a while now when the they would finally release a recording of Bluegrass Concerto as a finished work. Well here it is…
It’s truly a capture of the earliest days of this group of musicians learning to make music together. To cap it off, they were able to return to the FreshGrass festival last fall (2025) for the first time since premiering The Movements. They spent the next day in their Studio 9 recording and filming a live in-studio version that fans will be able to watch on Hull’s YouTube channel soon.
I think it’s interesting to hear how The Movements have evolved since those earliest days spent playing them. It’s a special piece of music to me and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share this release with you on April 10th alongside Avery, Erik, Mark and Shaun – Sierra Hull.
Download or stream the new release here. from your favourite online service.
Sierra Hull was honoured by Gibson Company with a Sierra Hull model F5 mandolin.
Sierra Hull
About Sierra Hull:
Sierra Hull is a virtuoso mandolinist, a six-time Grammy-nominated artist, and a groundbreaking songwriter. Recognized for her acclaimed albums A Tip Toe High Wire (2025), 25 Trips (2020) and Weighted Mind (2016), she’s also a seven-time IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year – the first woman to ever receive this honour. A pioneer in acoustic music, Hull has performed on iconic stages like Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, and the White House. Her artistry has earned praise and collaboration with legends like Alison Krauss, Béla Fleck, Dolly Parton, Brandi Carlile, and Billy Strings. Hailing from Byrdstown, Tennessee, Hull’s innovative sound is deeply rooted in bluegrass yet continually pushes boundaries.
