Anya Hinkle & Libby Weitnauer

ABOUT ANYA HINKLE

Born in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, ANYA HINKLE’s music is steeped in the tones of folk and bluegrass and seasoned by travels across the world with vivid storytelling, vibrant musicianship, and arresting honesty.

Anya won the Merlefest Chris Austin song contest (2019) and USA Songwriting Competition (2024) and was a recipient of the prestigious Mid Atlantic Arts USArtist Grant (2025).

Anya tours nationally in the US as well as extensively in Japan and Europe. She has played stages at Merlefest, Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, La Roche Bluegrass Festival (France), and Bristol Rhythm & Roots. She has recorded 11 albums in various collaborations both in the US and Japan. Her most recent album OCEANIA (2024, Red Parlor Records) with storied producer Kevin Moloney (U2, Sinéad O’Connor), featuring legendary Irish guitarist John Doyle and slide guitar master Billy Cardine.

ABOUT LIBBY WEITNAUER

Libby Weitnauer is a fiddle player, violinist, songwriter, and educator currently based in Nashville, Tennessee but raised on the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. She has earned degrees in classical violin performance from both DePaul University and New York University and has studied traditional music with teachers including Matt Brown, Rayna Gellert, and GRAMMY Award winner Dom Flemons.

While at NYU, Weitnauer served on adjunct faculty teaching undergraduate students and immersed herself in the musical community of New York City. It was during this time that she met banjo-fiddler Jake Blount with whom she formed the acclaimed duo, Tui. Tui’s debut album Pretty Little Mister was named Best North American Album of 2019 by World Music Central. Libby has more recently been touring with the Broadway revival of Oklahoma!, country singer Kelsey Waldon, and her own indie folk project, Dallas Ugly. In addition to performing, she has presented research at the Smithsonian Museum of American History and the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center on her body of work surrounding Blount County ballads and received a 2021 Tennessee Arts Commission grant for her recent solo project, Sixteen Kings Daughters.