Grammy Award-Winner Chris Thile will speak and perform Oct. 8 at Berry College.

The Gloria Shatto Lecture Series featuring Thile will be at 7 p.m. in the Cage Athletic Center. The public is invited and tickets are free and required at this link https://berry.edu/students-faculty-staff/events/shatto.

Thile is a mandolinist, singer, songwriter and composer described as a “genre-defying musical genius” by NPR and a MacArthur Fellow recipient of the esteemed “Genius Grant.” A founding member of acclaimed stringed bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, he has collaborated with countless luminaries from Yo-Yo Ma to Fiona Apple to Brad Mehldau.

The Guardian described Thile as “that rare being: an all-round musician.” For four years, Thile hosted public radio favorite “Live from Here with Chris Thile” (formerly known as “A Prairie Home Companion”).

Nonesuch Records announced the release of Thile’s album Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 2 on November 7, 2025. For his second recording of Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas, twelve years after the first volume, he opted for a more personal approach to the revered master composer’s works.

Thile will perform works by Bach, along with other material, during an extensive international solo US tour, which starts at Berry this fall and continues through spring 2026. He recently toured with Nickel Creek in support of the critically acclaimed 2023 release Celebrants, and captivated audiences with a playfully ambitious biographical composition entitled ATTENTION! (a narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra).

Thile’s appearance is made possible by The Shatto Lecture Series, which is a tribute to Georgia’s first female president, Gloria Shatto. Berry honors her vision for student engagement and learning beyond the classroom by presenting accomplished speakers of international renown.

For more information about Berry’s Lecture Series, visit https://www.berry.edu/students-faculty-staff/events/shatto.