A marvelous multitude of mandolin maestros led by Mike Marshall meet on the Freight stage tonight for a high-energy border- and genre-hopping show to raise funds for Oakland's Aurora School.

One of the Bay Area’s leading lights, Mike Marshall has been at the forefront of the “New Acoustic Music” movement for over 25 years. He first gained acclaim as a member of the  original David Grisman Quintet while still a teenager. He has since created some of the most influential acoustic music today in a variety of styles with his groups Psychograss, Choro Famoso, the Modern Mandolin Quartet and the Montreux band as well as through his recordings with Darol Anger, Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer and Bela Fleck.

The winner of numerous international music competitions, praised by the Washington Post for her "stunning virtuosity and kaleidoscopic timbres," German mandolin artist Caterina Lichtenberg has performed around the globe in a variety of settings, from the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet to the Dresden Symphony Orchestra.

Youthful São Paulo native Danilo Brito is one of the most inspired and important mandolinist in Brazil today. He is a master of the Jacob do Bandolin school of ‘Choro’ mandolin playing and will wow you with his inventive and lightning fast melodic ideas as well and melt your heart with his tender interpretations of the beautiful songs from his native land. In 2004, Danilo won Brazil’s prestigious VISA Award for best instrumentalist.

Virginia-born Emory Lester plays some of the hottest, cleanest, most powerful mandolin around. His bluegrass recording, Pale Rider (1993), and his new acoustic jazz CD, The Emory Lester Set (1995), placed him among the top players in the U.S., and Emory continues to explore the outer reaches of mandolin virtuosity in a wide range of duo and group settings.