Tony Trischka was born in Syracuse, N.Y., in 1949, and raised in a home filled with music. There were Broadway scores and a sweeping range of classical music, from Stravinsky to Beethoven (the first thing Trischka learned to play on the banjo, in fact, was the Ninth Symphony). The wide-open American vistas of Aaron Copland had an especially potent spiritual and visceral impact on him, as did the folk music his left-leaning father held dear. The Almanac Singers, the solo work of its founding members Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and Lead Belly’s children’s LP were in constant rotation. Trischka fell in love with the banjo by way of the Kingston Trio’s 1959 recording of "M.T.A.," and was able to experience the New York-centered folk revival by trekking to the Newport Folk Festival in the early to mid-’60s. He moved to the city in the early ’70s and hit the ground running, settling in among a peer group of extraordinary musicians who saw American roots music as a thriving, living language that could be expanded and combined with other influences and sensibilities. Trischka found his purpose. Jaw-dropping musicianship was certainly encouraged, as was comic and literary irreverence, earnest songwriting and a record shop’s worth of touchstones beyond bluegrass, from the avant-garde to fusion and R&B.

Trischka has played extensively throughout the US and around the world. In addition to his GRAMMY nominations, he’s earned a number of honors over the years, including the International Bluegrass Music Award for Banjo Player of the Year in 2007, and he was named a United States Artists Friends Fellow in 2012. Symphony Space is proud to include him as their 2025/2026 Artist in Residence.

Sean Trischka brings a reverence for the old with his visions of the new. With his finger on so many pulses of music, and a brain entrenched in history and tradition, all of Sean’s influences shine through in his songs and playing, while still funneling a poignant, coherent and razor sharp vision of his sound. Playing drums and vocals when with a band, and guitar and vocals when solo, his music stabs like a knife and softens like a cloud. He has toured with Carsie Blanton and Mattie & Debbie, among others.

Tracy Bonham rose to fame in 1996 with her unique style of quirky songwriting and unrefined guitar playing. Her debut album, The Burdens of Being Upright (Island Records), achieved Gold status in the US, Australia, and Canada, and cast Bonham into the global spotlight with buzz-clip status on MTV and heavy rotation radio airplay with her #1 alternative chart-topping song “Mother Mother,” an anthem for disgruntled teenagers of all ages. In addition to the many albums she's created since then, she has toured throughout the world, including dates on the mainstage with Lilith Fair. 2026 will be a big year for Bonham as she creates new arrangments for the 30th anniversary celebration of her debut album, and a new show under development as Bonham begins to employ storytelling into her performances. She resides in Brooklyn with her son.

Martha Redbone is a vocalist/songwriter/composer/educator known for her unique gumbo of folk, blues, and gospel from her childhood in Harlan County, Kentucky. She is well-known for blending R&B and soul with elements of Native American music, and has toured extensivelly throughout the world.

The Harlem Gospel Travelers redefine gospel music with their open expression of sexuality, challenging historic homophobia with a message of love. They choose gospel as one of their many creative lenses, not only because of their church background, but also because of their reverence and understanding of the unique, electrifying power of the music. Their mission is to share their lives with audiences.