NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE (August 15, 2016) -- Mandolin virtuoso Sierra Hull and multi-category IBMA winner Dan Tyminski will host the 27th International Bluegrass Music Awards, Thursday, September 29, at the Duke Energy Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition to acknowledging the year’s outstanding talent and achievements, new Hall of Fame inductees will also be honored. Known as bluegrass music’s biggest night of the year, the show will feature performances from the genre’s top stars as well as a few surprises.
Since age 11, Sierra Hull has been astonishing audiences and fellow-musicians alike. At 13, she signed with Rounder Records and soon became known as a remarkable mandolin player, a tone-true vocalist, and a recording artist of high order. She played the White House, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, and became the first bluegrass musician to receive a Presidential Scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. Hull wrote 11 of the 12 tracks on her latest release, Weighted Mind, revealing her abundant talents as a composer and lyricist as well. The project was produced by Bela Fleck and received critical praise from outlets including the New York Times who lauded her as a “prodigious talent.”
Counted among the most recognizable and popular male vocalists on today’s bluegrass and country music scenes, Dan Tyminski has added his ace instrumental skills (guitar and mandolin) and soulful tenor vocals to Alison Krauss and Union Station for the past 22 years. A four-time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Tyminski has also released two acclaimed solo albums including the IBMA Album of the Year and Grammy-nominated Wheels. He’s been Eric Clapton’s guest at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival and has been featured in Rolling Stone and on “The Tonight Show,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Good Morning America,” and even “Sesame Street.” As a highly regarded session musician and vocalist, he’s contributed to projects by Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire and others. As George Clooney’s singing voice on the hit single, “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” (Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?), his powerful performance earned the song an IBMA Song of the Year nod as well as an IBMA Album of the Year and Grammy Award for the film’s soundtrack album. Tyminski has also been named one of the top 10 golfers in music by Golf Digest magazine.
"Sierra and Dan both have long and respected histories in the IBMA community, so it's a thrill to have them together on stage to host this year's awards,” said Amy Reitnouer, executive director of The Bluegrass Situation, who returns as producer of the International Bluegrass Music Awards for the third year. “We've got plenty of memorable moments being planned out for the show, and there's no doubt that these two will bring class, charisma, and chemistry to the stage and serve as great emcees!"
The International Bluegrass Music Awards is part of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)’s World of Bluegrass 2016 event, presented by Chiesi USA, which takes place September 27 – October 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tickets for the Awards Show, as well as Bluegrass Ramble Showcase passes, IBMA Business Conference registration and hotel reservations are available through IBMA’s website.
IBMA is the professional trade organization for the global bluegrass music community. The organization’s six-year stay in Raleigh is the result of a partnership with The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Raleigh Convention Center, PineCone (The Piedmont Council of Traditional Music), the City of Raleigh, and a local organizing committee.