Bluegrass and Classical Music: Finding Commonality in Contrast
by Laura Clare Thevenet
Contributing Author
It’s easy to understand music’s evolution over time — the progression from blues to rock, rock to punk, or even classical music to bluegrass music. We know the differences between them and the group of qualifications that place them into different genres, but what about the similarities? Béla Bartók and Béla Fleck might just have more than a name in common.
If anyone understands this seemingly contradictory theory, it would be Spartanburg Philharmonic Board Member and Chair of the Bluegrass Committee Chris Strickland. His musical biography is the perfect merging of these two genres.
Chris was exposed to music at a young age. Growing up, his dad had an extensive record collection that was on constant rotation in the house, and his mother played piano. At age 10, he started playing the violin.
He recalled, “I had an older neighbor friend who I sort of looked up to, and he played the violin, so it started there. Along the way, I eventually picked up the guitar and mandolin too.”
As he got older, Chris continued to play violin in District 7’s orchestra program while attending Spartanburg High School. His classical training extended into undergrad at Wofford College, where he played in the string ensemble. It was then that he began making ties with the Spartanburg Philharmonic.
Bill Scott, who happened to direct District 7’s orchestra while Chris attended Spartanburg High School, was Music Director of the Spartanburg Philharmonic at the time and convinced Chris to play with the Philharmonic for two seasons.
In addition to his classical training, Chris started to explore bluegrass in college after seeing several live shows. However, this wasn’t his first encounter with bluegrass. He attributes his interest to his father.
“I discovered it listening to my dad’s records. The one that stood out to me was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s album Will the Circle be Unbroken. That album introduced me to so many great bluegrass artists like Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson. I loved the proficiency and creativity in bluegrass.”
Chris already had the fundamentals that came with a classical education in violin, so dabbling in bluegrass with fiddle, guitar, and mandolin wasn’t a difficult stretch.
After completing his undergraduate degree, he went on to grad school at the University of South Carolina, where he maintained his connection to the Spartanburg Philharmonic. Coincidentally, current Spartanburg Philharmonic General Manager & Composer in Residence Peter B. Kay was also at USC obtaining his Masters and Doctorate of Musical Arts. Chris and Peter were fellow District 7 alumni, so Peter recruited Chris and another District 7 musician who was also in Columbia at the time to play a piece that he composed.
By the time Chris had returned to Spartanburg after grad school, the Bluegrass Series had been formed. Because of his contribution and dedication to the Spartanburg Philharmonic, he was asked to be the Chair of the Bluegrass Committee as well as a Board Member. His two musical interests were melding together.
In addition to being on the Board and chairing the Bluegrass Committee, Chris is an in-house attorney at American Credit Acceptance in Spartanburg, all while finding time to be a Philharmonic patron and donor. He often attends concerts with his wife, Erin, and their two children Sam (11) and Mary Scott (7). Chris remarked, “we frequent the Bluegrass and Espresso concerts. The kids especially like the bite-sized, family-friendly format of the Espresso concerts and the variety of music they incorporate. Music and live performance are so important to our family.”
Their son Sam is following in his father’s footsteps by playing the violin. He plays piano and sings in the choir as well, and he’s even considering auditioning for the Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra when he’s old enough. Their daughter Mary Scott is also taking piano, so music is well integrated into the Strickland family.
Erin works at SwaimBrown in Spartanburg as the Director of Audit. Despite not playing an instrument, Erin is still an avid music appreciator and enjoys attending concerts with her family.
“Erin’s a visual artist. She graduated from Converse College with her degree in Art History and Accounting, so she loves supporting the arts in Spartanburg. She’s always supportive of my musical endeavors,” Chris said.
Having been Chair of the Bluegrass Committee for almost two years, Chris is looking forward to what the next year has in store for the Bluegrass Series and the Philharmonic. The Bluegrass Series will open 2021 with Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers on February 26th.
Chris believes that the string tying bluegrass and classical music together is evident now more than ever, with so many virtuoso artists crossing over genres.
He mused, “One of my favorite experiences with Bluegrass Spartanburg was having Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn on our stage. It was such a special crossover that illustrated why having the Bluegrass Series be a part of the Philharmonic’s mission is so important.”
To Chris, the distinction between bluegrass and classical music is a fine line. He sees more similarities than differences. He urged, “think about how a minuet evolved throughout music history and turned into a Celtic Reel as it traveled through Appalachia. Of course, there’s a distinction between genres with different instruments, but even the instruments used in bluegrass and classical music have a shared history. All good music is folk music because it comes from and impacts people.”
All music has one apparent commonality that is often hidden by our efforts as musicians to analyze, deconstruct, and find differences in music in order to understand it. Music is an instrument that we use to expand our understanding of the human experience and illuminate our common humanity. This spans across all genres, cultures, and languages. This common, collective goal is the invisible string that ties all music together.
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Laura Clare Thevenet is a former intern and staff member of the Spartanburg Philharmonic. She continues to support the Philharmonic by writing the occasional article and blog. An accomplished musician herself, Laura-Clare has studied guitar and voice for 10 years and is a freelance musician and singer-songwriter.