A guitar virtuoso and composer who has been a member of some of the most influential acoustic ensembles over the past few decades, Russ Barenberg is famed for his intensely melodic playing and his ability to blend a mastery of roots music traditions with melodic originality. Since helping form the groundbreaking bluegrass band Country Cooking in 1970, Russ has played in an impressive succession of groups, notably his longtime collaboration with dobro player Jerry Douglas and bassist Edgar Meyer. His most recent solo CD, When at Last (Compass), won him a Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance.

One of the most high-profile acoustic guitarists in bluegrass and country music, Bryan Sutton is a Nashville session player whose jaw-dropping technique, deep background in tradition, and fluency in many styles have paved the way for work with Ricky Skaggs, Earl Scruggs, the Dixie Chicks, Béla Fleck, and others. About playing in duos, he says, "I really like the musical conversation that goes on in a duet . . . You have this great possibility to get one sound, one voice . . . you can constantly change dynamics, and it's completely free." Bryan's latest CD is Not Too Far from the Tree (Sugar Hill).