This morning, the International Bluegrass Music Association announced the nominees for this year's 34th annual 2023 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. Among the fantastic group of talented artists nominated for awards are six of the master musicians that teach bluegrass here at ArtistWorks: bluegrass mandolin icon Sierra Hull, flatpick guitar titans Bryan Sutton and Chris Eldridge, upright bass master Missy Raines, dobro and resophonic guitar virtuoso Andy Hall, and ArtistWorks’ newest instructor, banjo guru Alison Brown.

ALISON BROWN:

Alison Brown is one of the most multi-faceted minds on today’s roots music scene. As a banjo player, she has thrown out the textbook when it comes to how the banjo is played, and the result is a sound that blends the rugged drive of bluegrass with the harmonic sensibilities of jazz, earning vast acclaim and a GRAMMY award in the process. Alison has recorded 12 critically-acclaimed solo albums and has received a GRAMMY and multiple GRAMMY nominations. She has also received the USA Artists Fellowship in Music and a Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association. This year, Alison is nominated in three categories for the 34th annual IBMA Awards: “Banjo Player of the Year,” “Collaborative Recording of the Year,” and “Instrumental Recording of the Year.”

LEARN MORE: Want to learn how to play banjo from a master musician like Alison Brown? Try some free banjo lessons now!

SIERRA HULL:

Sierra Hull has accomplished more as a singer, songwriter, and performer in the last 25 years than many musicians do in a lifetime. Having received the IBMA “Mandolin Player of the Year” Award five times already in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022, she is once again nominated in the category for the sixth time this year. Sierra has spent most of 2023 writing, touring, and performing her own original music alongside the members of her band, but she can also frequently be found on stage accompanying other legendary musicians from the bluegrass world and beyond including Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Cory Wong, and more.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn how to play bluegrass mandolin from a master musician like Sierra Hull? Try some free mandolin lessons now!

BRYAN SUTTON:

A ten-time recipient of the IBMA “Guitarist of the Year” Award, Bryan Sutton is consistently recognized as one of the premier flatpick guitar players of the modern era and a prolific musical voice within the bluegrass genre. Having performed with many of the biggest names in bluegrass throughout his career, Bryan is once again nominated in the “Guitarist of the Year” category at this year's 34th annual IBMA Awards. In addition to his prowess as a performer, Bryan is also a masterful teacher and has taught bluegrass acoustic guitar at ArtistWorks for 12 years.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn how to flatpick from a master guitarist like Bryan Sutton? Try some free acoustic guitar lessons now!

MISSY RAINES:

Much like Bryan, Missy Raines is also revered as a preeminent talent of the bluegrass genre. As a ten-time recipient of the IBMA “Bass Player of the Year” Award, Missy is one of the most virtuosic upright bass players in bluegrass history and is once again nominated in the category this year. Missy can most commonly be heard performing with her group Missy Raines & Allegheny and is also a member of the First Ladies of Bluegrass alongside Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, Becky Buller, and Alison Brown. She is the most decorated bass player in the history of the International Bluegrass Music Association.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn upright bass from a master musician like Missy Raines? Try a few free online bass lessons now!

CHRIS ELDRIDGE:

Widely considered one of the premier acoustic guitarists of the modern era, Chris “Critter” Eldridge has cofounded and performed around the globe with some of the most prolific groups in the modern bluegrass scene. Most commonly known as the guitarist and co-founding member of the Grammy award-winning bluegrass outfit, Punch Brothers, Chris has brought his unique acoustic guitar stylings to a handful of bluegrass’ most successful and influential groups. In addition to eight Grammy nominations to date and one Grammy win in 2018, Chris was named “Instrumentalist of the Year” by the Americana Music Association in 2019 and is nominated for “Guitarist of the Year” at this year’s IMBA Awards.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn how to flatpick from a master guitarist like Chris Eldridge? Try some free acoustic guitar lessons now!

ANDY HALL:

As a member of the Grammy and IBMA Award-winning outfit, The Infamous Stringdusters, Andy Hall has made his mark in the worlds of bluegrass and resophonic guitar playing since the band made its debut in 2006. Andy is recognized as a powerhouse of the dobro and lap steel guitars and is nominated this year in the category of “Resophonic Guitarist of the Year” by the IBMA. In addition to his role in The Infamous Stringdusters, Andy has also released several solo records, one of which won the IBMA’s “Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year” Award in 2008.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn resophonic guitar from a dobro master like Andy Hall? Sign up for Andy’s Dobro & Lap Steel Guitar course!

Congratulations and best of luck to all the 2023 nominees!

ABOUT ARTISTWORKS:

ArtistWorks online music lessons are recorded and taught by more than 40 world-renowned master musicians who not only have rich musical legacies but have a deep passion for teaching and sharing their knowledge.

Through the ArtistWorks platform, students have the unique opportunity to both learn at their own pace and also interact with and receive feedback from our faculty of master teachers in the form of Video Exchanges. ArtistWorks' patented Video Exchange Learning® platform allows students to submit questions to our master faculty in the form of a video, and our instructors then create personal video responses full of guidance, encouragement, and critical next steps to facilitate improvement.

Our teachers also provide notation, tablature, backing tracks, and other amazing supplemental materials to round out their holistic curricula in each course. Students can learn anything from electric and acoustic guitar to banjo, piano, mandolin, fiddle, saxophone, ukulele, how to sing—just about any instrument you can think of. And, our esteemed faculty can teach you how to play everything from bluegrass to jazz to rock to blues to classical and beyond.

Sample some free music lessons here and see what makes ArtistWorks courses some of the best online music lessons around!

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