Melissa Chilinski

Old time and bluegrass musician Melissa Chilinski is an artist people remember. With her nimble banjo and rich, jazz and country inspired vocals, she’s been called a pairing of Gillian Welch, Medeleine Pyroux, and Norah Jones – an old-time-meets-modern vibe that keeps listeners hanging on to every vocal and instrumental note. “Chilinski paves her own way,” reads a review of her self-titled album, “turning the timeless into something beautiful and brand new.”
A fixture on the Bluegrass scene since her arrival in Salt Lake City, Melissa can be found on the area’s premier stages, filling the State Room, taking the bandstand at annual events like the Ogden Music Festival, holding court in the Gibson Lounge in the Grand America Hotel, and regularly sitting in with top bands including Pixie and the Party Grass Boys, Hot House West, Josie-O and The Big Six, the Elderblossoms, Pompe n’ Honey, and more. Over the course of multiple albums, she’s carved out a distinct sound: warm and resonant vocals layered over banjos and fiddles that move fluidly between heritage techniques and modern phrasing. Songs reflect her range and story-telling styles, from the love lament of “Could Have Had It All,” to the haunting true legend of “The Blind Miner,” to the small-town campground host of “Hanksville,” a guy who found his small town had gotten too darned popular. Her River Green Sessions album forges a literal bond between her two passions (music and the outdoors), recorded with ambient sounds from a day trip to the mountains, and layered with songs such as “Like a Desert Flower” (written and recorded with David Baker) and the two “River Green” title tracks that feel they’d be at home on either playlist or soundtrack. Her discography reflects both her musicianship and stature, with her self-titled 2025 release and those with band Pompe n’ Honey putting her voice front and center, and the lilt of her trademark harmonies gracing the tracks of numerous other artists.