I’ve written about the singer-mandolinist Chris Thile on numerous occasions, both here and elsewhere, always with the utmost enthusiasm. He’s a superlatively imaginative artist who never fails to surprise and delight. So I rejoice greatly to report that he has just been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.
A fair number of artists whom I admire no less greatly have gotten the nod from the MacArthur Foundation in recent years, among them David Cromer, Stephen Hough, Edgar Meyer, Kay Ryan, Alex Ross, and David Simon. May Chris prosper as they have.
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Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers perform their arrangement of Bach’s Third Brandenburg Concerto live in 2009:
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
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