The Spartanburg Philharmonic recently announced the induction of two new honorees to the Spartanburg Music Trail: award-winning bluegrass musician Kristin Scott Benson and acclaimed violist and broadcaster Miles Hoffman.
The pair will be formally recognized during a special event, Unveil the Trail, celebrating the upcoming installation of their new Music Trail sign at 4 p.m. June 11, at the Barrett Room of the Downtown Spartanburg Library.
Union native Kristin Scott Benson is a longtime member of the Grammy-nominated bluegrass group The Grascals and the current IBMA Banjo Player of the Year - the seventh time she has earned the title. Widely regarded as one of bluegrass music’s premier performers and educators, Benson returned to Spartanburg County with her husband in 2007.
Longtime Upstate resident Miles Hoffman was an internationally recognized violist, advocate and broadcaster best known to many South Carolinians for his “Minute with Miles” segments on South Carolina Public Radio. Over a career spanning five decades, Hoffman performed around the world as a soloist, chamber musician and member of the National Symphony Orchestra. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 71 following a battle with leukemia.
“We’re proud to honor two musicians whose careers reflect the remarkable range of talent that has come from Spartanburg,” John Cribb, chair of the Music Trail Committee said. “Kristin and Miles each left a mark in very different ways and both are deeply deserving of this recognition.”
