Ticketed Show | 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Seating |

Westbound Situation is a collaboration between four stringed-musicians with the intention of finding a creative meeting point. Originating from different musical backgrounds, its members blend the precision of classical, the rhythmic drive of bluegrass, and the colorful expression of jazz into a new style of acoustic chamber music. The quartet—comprised of Grant Flick on violin/nyckelharpa, Jake Howard on mandolin/octave mandolin, Zach Brown on cello, and Jacob Warren on bass—mixes composition and improvisation seamlessly into their entirely memorized arrangements.

The group formed out of the Acoustic Music Seminar (AMS), a program run by multi-instrumentalist Mike Marshall. The program accepts sixteen talented string players under the age of twenty-two years from around the world to participate in a week of intense improvisation, composition and performance training. All four were two-time participants between the years of 2014-2017. This experience inspired the group to keep writing and collaborating in the same spirit as AMS, but in the long-term format of a band. As a result, the group released its first record “Pilot” in 2019.

In addition to performing and recording their music, Westbound Situation has a strong commitment to music education. The group’s combined experience in classical, bluegrass, jazz, and original/improvised music is something not typically offered in the standard curriculum found at most schools and colleges (at least not all at the same time). These styles, among others, give each student the chance to make their own music, and through this process valuable lessons in creativity, listening, and leadership are achieved. Each member of the group maintains a private studio, and all have been invited to provide workshops and masterclasses at schools and festivals across the country.