Martin Hayes Duo

Martin Hayes is back at the Harold Prince Theatre on Friday, February 12, 2027. He played the Annenberg Center last season to a sold-out house, and this time he's returning as part of the Martin Hayes Duo, with guitarist Kyle Sanna by his side. The night is billed as a one-night-only convergence of extraordinary musical voices, and the two aren't alone on stage: banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck joins them as a special guest. Fleck is Penn Live Arts' artist-in-residence for the 26/27 season, so this is one of the dates he'll be appearing in throughout the year.

The evening is built around the intercontinental journey of Ireland's traditional music and the way it flowed into American roots traditions. Hayes, whom NPR calls "one of the best fiddlers on the planet," has spent his career working within that Irish tradition, and here he's tracing the line from the old country to the sounds that took root on this side of the Atlantic. With Sanna on guitar and Fleck on banjo, the stage brings together two distinct strings traditions—the fiddle and the banjo—that both have deep roots in the folk music of Ireland and the U.S.

There are two specific moments to look for during the set. First, Fleck performs the world premiere of Plain Songs, a Penn Live Arts commission written for solo banjo. It's a new piece, and this will be its first time out in public. Then there's the "Open Session," where Hayes and Sanna invite local musicians to join them for an open jam. That's the part of the night where bluegrass and Irish traditions actually meet in real time, with the professional stage opening up to the city's own players.

The concert starts at 7:30 PM, and if you want a bit of context before the music begins, there's a pre-show talk at 6:30 PM. The whole thing is at the Harold Prince Theatre, part of the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.