CHRISTOPHER MELAS TEXAS BLUEGRASS

Christopher Melas is one of Austin’s up-and-coming bluegrass musicians, regularly gracing concert goers with traditionals and originals alike. “He is rising among the ranks of local flatpickers,” as noted by the Central Texas Bluegrass Association. At first glance you wouldn’t expect his route into bluegrass to have been so unusual. As a child his older brother taught him classical guitar, and in college he studied with renowned classical guitarist Costas Cotsiolis. After winning his first classical guitar competition in 2016, he noticed that his right hand was not feeling normal. He was soon diagnosed with focal dystonia, a rare movement disorder, which ended his career in classical music. Immediately he knew he needed to find another way to play music and discovered that he could still hold a guitar pick. Almost without hesitation he dedicated himself to learning to play the music he loved the most: bluegrass. After a quick transition he found his home in the bluegrass world, and is a fixture in Austin's bluegrass scene, where he performs on a weekly basis.