VC Artist Violinist Tessa Lark's New Release, "The Stradgrass Sessions"

In this album, American violinist performs bluegrass and folk inspired repertoire on a fine Italian instrument from the 17th century

Recorded with mandolin player Sierra Hull, double bass player Edgar Meyer, fiddler Michael Cleveland, and pianist John Batiste, Tessa Lark's newest release features a diversity of bluegrass pieces and folk-inspired pieces. On the recording, Lark performs on a Giovanni Paolo Maggini c. 1600, on a generous loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

The album includes original compositions from Tessa Lark, duos with musicians cited above, Ysaÿe's Sonata for solo violin in G major, Op. 27 No. 5, excerpts from Bartók's 44 Duos for Two Violins, BB 104, Sz. 98 — and the premiere recording of John Corigliano's STOMP which was composed for the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition.

"The Stradgrass Sessions is a snapshot of the way I live in music: diversely, organically, intimately, sometimes collaboratively, sometimes solitarily, always sincerely – and anywhere, be it a concert hall or home studio," Tessa Lark told The Violin Channel. "The word ‘Stradgrass’ first came about in 2015, from the novelty of performing bluegrass on the Stradivari I was playing at the time. Hearing bluegrass played on a Strad is unusual, unfortunately, so I thought it warranted its own term. The word seems to encapsulate what one might partly expect from a recital of mine."

"For any recording of mine, I hope to simply bring a moment of presence to anyone’s day as they listen. With Stradgrass I also hope it will inspire music lovers to check out other musical styles, cultures, and artists they may not have previously known; and I hope musicians and performers might feel more encouraged to go for whatever artistic exploration they’ve been considering - be it composing for the first time, trying a new style, experimenting with a new collaboration or medium. I hope that all artists out there trying to pave new paths know they are not alone."

To purchase the album, click here.