George Matthews, great-grandson of Standard Oil magnate and Florida hotel and railroad developer, Henry Morrison Flagler, has produced Bluegrass at the Pavilion for the past 20 years. The annual event takes place in April on the grounds of the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Florida, which is housed in the Whitehall estate, a 75-room, 100,000 square foot mansion originally completed in 1902 as the winter retreat of Henry Flagler. Most festival grounds are not National Historic Landmarks, a designation the Flagler Museum received in 2000, but this event is as unique as its producer—who is also a longtime supporter of the IBMA Foundation.
“I’m not what you’d call a musician,” Matthews said. “I ‘play at’ the guitar just for myself and friends, but I’ve always liked bluegrass music since I was a youngster. I went on a bluegrass cruise several years ago, and I met Larry Stephenson. I got to thinking and I asked him, ‘Do you think we could do a bluegrass event at the museum in Palm Beach?’ Larry said, ‘We can do a bluegrass event any time you want!’”
After pondering the idea for a couple of months, George said, “I went to the director at that time, John Blades, and I said, ‘John, we’re going to do a bluegrass event at the museum.” He sort of blanched and he went pale, and his eyes rolled around in his head,” George laughed. Blades thought a bluegrass music show might not be a great fit, but George said, “‘Well, I don’t know. It might get some people into the museum, and they might enjoy it. So we’re going to give it a whirl.’ And we did!”
The event takes place every April in the 8,100 square foot Flagler-Kenan Pavilion, which houses Henry Flagler’s private railcar #91. Full of light and glass like a giant crystal jewel box, the pavilion is designed in the style of a 19th Century railway palace.
“We have a small venue,” Matthews said. “We only seat about 400 people. We had the first event and 120 people came, and I was thinking, ‘Well, this might not fly.’ The next year we had 220 or 230 people, and I’m thinking, ‘Well, things are looking a little better.’ The next year we finally filled up, with just a few empty seats, and since then we’ve sold out—sometimes a week or ten days ahead of time. It seems to work well, and the performers seem to really enjoy the venue.”
Philip Zanon is the sound engineer. Originally from Switzerland and part of the Kruger Brothers team, George describes Zanon as “a wizard of sound. We’re really pleased with him. Whatever voodoo they do seems to work.”
Over the years Matthews has hosted an impressive list of artists including Dailey and Vincent, Doyle Lawson, Larry Stephenson, Joe and the Radio Ramblers, and in 2025 it was Authentic Unlimited and the Kody Norris Show. “We’re going to have Daily and Vincent and Michael Cleveland on April 26, in 2026,” Matthews said. “You want to make sure you come to this one!”
Award-winning broadcaster and the founder of BanjoRadio.com, Kyle Cantrell, has emceed Bluegrass at the Pavilion since 2012. “George Matthews, first and foremost, is a deep fan of bluegrass music,” Kyle said. “Because of his love for it, he has introduced an entire region to bluegrass who might not have heard it otherwise. The care he takes in putting each show together and his standard of excellence have not only brought bluegrass to a new market, but have set the bar for what a successful bluegrass presentation should look like. He is doing amazing work.”
Bluegrass at the Pavilion was nominated for the IBMA Bluegrass Event of the Year Award in 2018 and 2024. George said his reason for continuing to produce the show after two decades is simply because he loves bluegrass music. “Palm Beach is not a known bluegrass area,” he said, “but I think we’ve got some fans now who come year after year, and they seem to like it. As long as we can, we’ll keep on doing it.” The 2025 event on Saturday, April 26, was followed by a Sunday morning bluegrass service at the Royal Poinciana Chapel on the Flagler Museum grounds let by Authentic Unlimited, and then a concert by High Fidelity at a nearby arts council event.
Philanthropy and a fearless, enterprising spirit seem to run in the Flager and Matthews family. While developing and championing the state of Florida from Jacksonville to the Keys in the late 1800s, Henry Flagler funded hospitals and churches and improved streets and parks. He constructed railroads in remote areas and built palatial hotels on swampland. He completed the Florida East Coast Railway’s Over-Sea Railroad in 1912, which was considered by many to be one of the most impressive engineering feats in the world. After the railroad was damaged by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the state of Florida purchased the remaining infrastructure and bridges, creating the Overseas Highway to the Keys which is still in use today.
Besides his work with the Flagler Museum, George Matthews is a conservationist and a big-game angler. He has served in leadership roles with the International Game Fish Association for almost 50 years, in addition to supporting the Town of Palm Beach United Way, the Intracoastal Health Foundation, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, and the Norton Museum of Art. George served on the Palm Beach Town Council for 16 years, including eight as president.
Like his visionary great-grandfather, George Matthews likes to support causes that will make the world a better place, including the IBMA Foundation. “I think it does some great good for bluegrass music,” he said. The grants, scholarships, and programs “help people that need some help, and I think it helps further the goal of bluegrass. It’s a good outfit. I have no problem with it—not at all. I think it’s great!
RETURN to the June 2025 issue of The Cornerstone.
Photo, L-R: George Matthews, Kyle Cantrell, Doyle Lawson, Jamie Dailey
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