Patrick Fitzsimons

Patrick Fitzsimons is the founder, mandolinist, vocalist, and visionary behind The Bluegrass Journeymen, a band dedicated to sharing bluegrass music beyond its traditional roots and creating cross-cultural connections through education and collaboration.  

 

Born in 1983 to a Texas ranching family, he discovered bluegrass during his college years at Sarah Lawrence.   He first traveled to India in 2011 — a journey that would shape his musical mission.  

 

In 2017, he founded The Bluegrass Journeymen and led their first tour of India.   Under his leadership, the band not only tours extensively in India — playing clubs, schools, embassies, and remote villages — but also collaborates deeply with local musicians. Their album HMV Sessions features Fitzsimons on mandolin, mandola, mandocello, and vocals, and blends bluegrass with Indian musical idioms.  

 

Patrick is also deeply committed to music education. He founded the Bluegrass Journeymen Academy, a non-profit that runs teaching residencies abroad — including an after-school program in Kathmandu, Nepal — giving students access to instruments, lessons, and cross-cultural musical exchange.  

 

His philosophy centers on community, cultural bridge-building, and the idea that bluegrass is more than a genre — it’s a participatory, global folk tradition.