Park City Institute presents AMERICAN ACOUSTIC

Park City Institute presents American Acoustic: Punch Brothers, I'm With Her and Julian Lage, on August 15, 2017, part of the St. Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights Concert Series. The multi-faceted show, will blend genres ranging from folk to bluegrass, rock to jazz, on the Deer Valley Resort stage.

"This show puts each act in the spotlight, and erupts into jam sessions and cross-pollinations between all the artists. It is the brainchild of Chris Thile, host of A Prairie Home Companion on NPR, and lead singer and mandolinist for Punch Brothers," PCI Executive Director Teri Orr said. Several of the musicians have previously appeared on the Institute's stage. "We are welcoming some old friends, in a new format-Thile was here with Sarah Watkins, when they were in Nickel Creek, and Aoife O'Donovan, who is part of I'm With Her, performed a solo show."

American Acoustic takes its name from a June 2016 residency at Washington, DC's Kennedy Center. The residency culminated in a show including Punch Brothers and I'm With Her, with half the performance devoted to extensive collaboration between all the musicians. "We started discussing how to make this tour happen as we were walking offstage," he said. "On one hand, there was that delightful sense of discovery and almost childish wonder that you hope for when working with musicians you admire in a new context, but on the other, the kind of artistic compatibility and ease of communication you usually only experience in longstanding collaborations."

Punch Brothers was formed in 2006 by Thile. The band's other four members are Chris Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), Noam Pikelny (banjo), and Gabe Witcher (fiddle). Punch Brothers' first Nonesuch record, Punch, was released in 2008 and was followed by the Grammy-nominated Antifogmatic in 2010 and Who's Feeling Young Now? in 2012. The Chicago Tribune called their most recent release, 2015's Grammy-nominated The Phosphorescent Blues, "a typical genre-busting melange of avant-roots music that fuses jazz instrumental chops and acoustic earthiness, Beach Boys harmonies and Debussy string dances, slinky acoustic rock songs and blues laments."

I'm With Her's Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan had crossed paths many times in their careers, yet it was an impromptu performance at the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival that sparked the formation of I'm With Her. The trio spent the following spring and summer touring the world, garnering acclaim for their unique blend of instrumental interplay combined with their indelible harmonies. The New York Times said of a 2015 concert, "Each song in the trio's generous set was meticulously arranged to make the most of the many ways the musicians could blend. Serene understatement was the concert's hallmark; at times, the music was so quiet I could hear the club's floorboards creaking."

The New York Times calls Julian Lage "one of jazz's breezier virtuosos, possessed of an unflappable technical facility and a seemingly boundless curiosity." At age twenty-nine, he already boasts a resume that an artist twice his age would be proud to claim. A former child prodigy, the California-born, now New York-based guitarist has collaborated with such giants as Gary Burton, Jim Hall, David Grisman, Béla Fleck, and Charles Lloyd. He has released three albums as a leader, most recently 2016's trio outing Arclight featuring Scott Colley and Kenny Wollesen. UK's Jazzwise describes Arclight "a bright light shone on very specific, finely wrought musical miniatures that unfold untold pleasures." Lage just released a duo record, Mount Royal, with Punch Brother guitarist Chris Eldridge.

Tickets for this show start at $41 (lawn) and $56 (reserved). Gates open at 5:30 PM and the show begins at 7. For tickets, call 435-655-3114 or visit parkcityinstitute.org In-person purchases may be made at The Mega Genius Supply Store and IQ HQ, 435 Swede Alley, or the Deer Valley Signatures Store, 625 Main Street.

Membership and sponsorship information can be found at parkcityinstitute.org, or by calling the box office.

MEDIA: Press inquiries, interview and ticket requests:

Bari Nan Rothchild barinan@parkcityinstitute.org, 435-513-0741

Park City Institute is a non-profit organization, dedicated to bringing world-class performances and new ideas to the community. Since 1998, PCI has presented internationally renowned and cutting-edge musicians, actors, authors, comedians, dancers, speakers and film at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (a joint-use facility with the Park City School District). The organization will embark on its 14th season of headliner concerts at Deer Valley Resort, this summer. PCI is dedicated to introducing young people to the arts through free student outreach workshops. Since 2010, PCI has offered a free after-school literacy program to students in grades one through 12 at the thinky and engaging retail-fronted tutoring hub, the Mega-Genius Supply Store and IQ HQ (located at 435 Swede Alley in Old Town). The organization continues to illuminate with Curiosities evenings and thoughtful salons.

The 2017 St Regis Big Stars, Bright Nights Concert Series at Deer Valley Resort

Upcoming Shows:

August 6: San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus

August 12: Parsonsfield • Laney Jones & The Spirits • Jeffrey Foucault

August 15: American Acoustic: Punch Brothers • I'm With Her • Julian Lage

August 18 Smash Mouth, Cracker and The Romantics

August 26: John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting

September 3: Josh Turner

Park City Institute presents acerbic critic and author, Fran Lebowitz