“When it comes to just sheer blazing imagination and artistry, then accept no substitutes. Béla Fleck and My Bluegrass Heart are it, period.”—SavingCountryMusic.com
UGA Presents welcomes the return to Hodgson Concert Hall of legendary banjo player Béla Fleck with his celebrated My Bluegrass Heart project Friday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. The performance is the second in the 2026-27 UGA Presents season and is part of American Panorama: Voices of a Nation at 250, a series celebrating the diverse musical traditions that have shaped American culture.
Over a career spanning more than four decades, Fleck has continually expanded the possibilities of the five-string banjo, moving effortlessly between bluegrass, jazz, classical, country, pop and world music. A 19-time Grammy Award winner, he has received awards in nine different fields, an extraordinary achievement that reflects both his versatility and his omnivorous approach to his instrument.
Yet for all of Fleck’s musical explorations, bluegrass remains at the core of his artistry. My Bluegrass Heart represents a return to those roots and brings together some of the finest musicians in the genre for an exhilarating display of instrumental virtuosity and improvisational energy.
The Grammy Award-winning album My Bluegrass Heart is the third installment in a bluegrass trilogy that began with Fleck’s 1988 recording Drive and continued with 1991’s The Bluegrass Sessions. The live project expands on that tradition with a multigenerational band of acclaimed musicians whose collective resumes include Grammy Awards and nominations as well as numerous International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) honors.
THE BAND
Joining Fleck on the Hodgson Concert Hall stage will be fiddler Michael Cleveland, Dominick Leslie on mandolin, Jeff Partin on dobro, Mark Schatz on bass and other instruments, and Georgia native Jake Stargel on guitar.
Cleveland is widely regarded as one of the defining bluegrass fiddlers of his generation. A 12-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year and member of the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame, he has earned Grammy nominations and performed with artists including Fleck, Vince Gill and Billy Strings. His own band, Flamekeeper, has been named IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year seven times.
Two-time Grammy winner Leslie brings a deep connection to bluegrass and an extraordinary command of the mandolin. His wide-ranging career has included collaborations with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Noam Pikelny, Hawktail, Phoebe Hunt and the Gatherers, and many other leading acoustic musicians.
Multi-instrumentalist Partin has been a fixture in bluegrass since his teenage years, when he was already performing at the Grand Ole Opry. His career has included stints with Volume Five, Mountain Heart and Rhonda Vincent and The Rage, where he toured and recorded as a dobro player.
Schatz is a two-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year whose playing can be heard on landmark recordings by artists including Fleck, Tony Rice, John Hartford, Tim O’Brien, Sara Jarosz, and Nickel Creek. Equally proficient on clawhammer banjo, guitar and bass, Schatz is also an accomplished clogger and storyteller.
Rounding out the ensemble is Jake Stargel, a Georgia-born flat-picking guitarist who was named state flat-picking champion as a young teenager. Stargel has toured and recorded with artists including The Lovell Sisters, Larkin Poe, Mountain Heart, and Sierra Hull, and shared the stage with bluegrass legend Tony Rice.
SUPPORTERS
The performance is supported by Deana and Steven Jones, Dianne D. Wall, and Evelyn and Bob Winstead.
TICKETS
Securing tickets for UGA Presents performances couldn’t be easier. There are three ways to choose from:
- Purchase tickets online 24/7 here.
- Call the Performing Arts Center Box Office at (706) 542-4400, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
- Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center Box Office, Mon.-Fri., 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
You may also create your own series of three or more performances (10% off). UGA Presents single tickets start at just $30 with promo code PAC30, and UGA student tickets are $15. Information about accessibility and venue amenities is available on the PAC website. Parking is free.
