A guitar and banjo player, Tony Furtado mixes modern music with the traditional, creating a distinctive sound.

By the age of 19, Mr. Furtado earned himself a reputation as a young banjo prodigy, winning two National Bluegrass Banjo Championships. Despite the press and praise as one of the most promising bluegrass artists, Mr. Furtado decided that one genre wasn’t enough for him. Creatively, he had something more to express. “I don’t think I could ever be happy staying in any one place musically,” he said.

So, Mr. Furtado picked up the slide guitar. Using fingers and a bottleneck, it wasn’t long before Mr. Furtado began writing songs that had a folksier feel and featured himself as the vocalist. Previously, he had released banjo albums that featured the vocals of talents such as Allison Krauss and Tim O’Brien.

He has toured tirelessly and has opened for and toured with Greg Allman, Susan Tedeschi, Taj Mahal, Leftover Salmon, Eric Johnson and has shared the stage with the likes of Sonny Landreth, Keith Richards, David Lindley, Derek Trucks, Norah Jones, and many others.

Mr. Furtado will play at Katharine Cornell Theatre on Thursday, March 12, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15 and are available at Lattanzi’s, LeRoux and at the door. For details, call 508-221-6430.