Don’t miss this powerhouse bluegrass co-bill on opening night!

Balsam Range is the 2018 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year and has become one of the genre’s most award-winning acts. Since forming in 2007, the group has garnered 13 IBMA awards on the heels of 8 critically-acclaimed albums. Balsam Range has left audiences spellbound while headlining major festivals from coast-to-coast, selling out venues across the nation, and in multiple appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. This appearance follows up their 2015 SMF debut. 

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper return to SMF following their outdoor performance for the SMF In Unison audience in October of 2021. Although only in his mid-30s, 2020 Grammy Award winner Michael Cleveland, has plenty to his credit. His blistering prowess and technical fluency have since marked him as a sought-after musician, leading to performances with Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Tim O’Brien, J.D. Crowe and the New South, Andy Statman, Béla Fleck, and The Kruger Brothers in recent years. In 2006, Michael formed his own band Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, and he hasn’t rested since, constantly looking for new ways to push himself and his music forward.