YASMIN WILLIAMS' PERFORMANCE DATE TBD

You might think you know all the ways a guitar can be played. Most musicians seeking new sonic textures turn to effects pedals, adding layers of distortion, reverb, and echo until the instrument itself is almost invisible. But one listen to Yasmin Williams, and you’ll realize how much possibility the unadorned acoustic guitar still holds.

The Northern Virginia native can pick and strum with the best of them, blending bluegrass flair, classical composition and free-flowing melodicism with ease. Then she lays the instrument on her lap, and the song becomes a dance, her fingers tapping across the fretboard to summon unconventional chords and impossible arpeggios until you could swear she’s hidden an orchestra in the sound hole.

And that’s before she tapes a kalimba to the top of her guitar, hammering strings and plucking the thumb piano in display of pure musical dexterity. It may seem surprising that Williams’ first experience with a guitar was the plastic toy version from Guitar Hero 2 (she got a real guitar after besting her brothers and beating the game), but there’s no question the sense of play still abounds in her approach. Every note is infused with the joy of discovery.

Following two largely solo albums, 2024’s Acadia saw Williams expanding her sonic palette through the magic of collaboration — all but one song on the album features guest musicians adding new textures, from banjo and violins to synthesizers and jazz saxophone. It’s a brave choice for an artist known for her solo virtuosity, but even alongside musicians as distinctive as Kaki King and Rich Ruth, the music is still singular. Joyful, adventurous, and open-minded, it’s the sound of an artist reveling in a world of possibility.

- Peter Hemminger