PICKING PROWESS: Guitarist Beppe Gambetta brings his combination of Italian folk music with Kentucky bluegrass to Princeton on October 18. (Photo by Giovanna Cavallo)

The Princeton Folk Music Society presents a fusion of American and Italian folk music traditions with Beppe Gambetta on Friday, October 18 at 8 p.m., at Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane.

Gambetta is a guitar master (think Earl Scruggs meets Richard Thompson) who taught himself to flat-pick by listening to bluegrass albums. He combines the folk music of Italy and points east with the bluegrass style of Kentucky. He also is a talented vocalist. He sometimes likes to step away from the microphone so that the audience can experience the music without electronic enhancements.

Gambetta’s latest recording, Terra Madre (2024) weaves together the experience and wisdoms of his fifty-year career, and is further enriched by the participation of renowned guests from different musical genres including David Grisman, Dan Crary, and Tim O’Brien.

Tickets are $25 ($20 for members and $10 for students). Visit princetonfolk.org.