Mandolin prodigy Wyatt Ellis will perform at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 28, at the Blue Ridge Music Center’s amphitheater at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway just south of Galax, Virginia, as part of the “Deep Roots, Many Voices†summer concert series. Laura Leigh Jones will be opening the show.
Ellis is a 16-year-old mandolin player, singer and songwriter from East Tennessee who is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in bluegrass music. A skilled composer and multi-instrumentalist with a deep respect for tradition, Ellis leads a powerhouse band known for their high-energy, single-mic performances.
Ellis has quickly become one of the most watched young musicians in bluegrass music. He has been mentored by many iconic bluegrass musicians, including Sierra Hull, Bobby Osborne, Mike Compton and many more. Ellis has mastered the mandolin and morphed into a multi-instrumentalist. He has been invited to perform on stage with some of the most iconic musicians of this era, including Billy Strings, Dierks Bentley, Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, Bryan Sutton, Dailey & Vincent and Marty Stuart. In 2024 Ellis was named the Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year from the International Bluegrass Music Association.
By age 13, he made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, and at 14, returned for his official debut with his own band, performing original music, an unprecedented milestone. His debut album, “Happy Valley,†a collection of original instrumentals written at age 11, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart.
In January, he collaborated with Peter Rowan to release a special two-song limited edition 45 RPM vinyl recording. Ellis and Rowan co-wrote and recorded an original composition, "Winds of Rowan County" that appears on side A and performed a fresh version of the Bill Monroe classic duet "Memories of You" for Side B. This project was important to both musicians in that it symbolically paid tribute to the past, while at the same time creating a bridge to the future and celebrating the intergenerational spirit that defines bluegrass.
This spring Wyatt partnered with Michael Jonathan of Woodsongs Old Time Radio and Warren Wilson College to give away 1,800 acoustic instruments – of which Wyatt personally secured over 100 - to residents of Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene. The instruments were claimed in under an hour.
Opening the show is Laura Leigh Jones. Raised on country, bluegrass and roots music on the Virginia/North Carolina line, she has been writing and performing since she was 10. As children, Jones and her siblings showcased musical talent way beyond their years with her family’s bluegrass band The Cana Ramblers. She moved to Nashville in 2011, and quickly found herself penning songs with some of Music City’s top hitmakers.
This concert is sponsored by New River Trail Cabins.
For more information and advance ticket purchases, visit . Tickets can be purchased on the evening of the show at the admission gates.
Parking opens at 5:15 p.m. and is free. The amphitheater gates open at 5:45 p.m. The concert begins at 7 p.m. The Bluffs Restaurant will be on site with food for purchase. Concertgoers may bring their own food and beverages. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted.
The Blue Ridge Music Center celebrates the music and musicians of the mountains. The Music Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily May through October. It is a national park facility, a major attraction along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a venue partner of The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail and Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Parkway/National Park Service maintains and operates the facility, and staffs the Music Center Visitor/Interpretive Center. The programs are managed, coordinated, promoted, and produced by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, a nonprofit partner organization. For more information, visit .
The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park to the north with Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the south. The route travels the crests, ridges, and valleys of five major mountain ranges, encompassing several geographic and vegetative zones ranging from 600 to more than 6,000 feet above sea level. It provides visitors with many varied vistas of scenic Appalachian landscapes ranging from forested ridgetops and mountain slopes to rural farm lands and urban areas. The Parkway offers a “ride-a-while, stop-a-while” experience that includes scenic pullouts, recreation areas, historic sites, and visitor contact stations. It is known nationally and internationally for its designed landscape as a scenic motorway. Learn more at .
