“I think, until I was 16, classical music had just seemed like a little bit of a rhythmic wasteland for me. Coming from bluegrass, where one conducts oneself rhythmically, it seemed like such a different approach, and at that point the difference that I was noticing was a real turn off to me.”

American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and radio personality

Christopher Scott Thile is an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and radio personality. He is best known for his work with the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and the acoustic folk and progressive bluegrass quintet Punch Brothers. Thile has been active across bluegrass, folk, and related acoustic styles, and his career also includes composing and broadcasting. From 2016 until the show's cancellation in 2020, he hosted the radio variety show Live from Here. He was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2012.