Hopkinson Smith is one of the world's foremost experts on early plucked instruments, recognized for his knowledge of and performances on the lute, theorbo, vihuela, and predecessors of the guitar. As such, Smith has also taught many of the following generation of lutenists. He was a founding member of Hesperion XX. His own discography includes nearly 40 recordings on the Astrée and Naïve labels, including the award-winning Bach: Sonatas & Partitas BWV 1001-1006. Following his retirement from teaching, Smith continued performing and recording, releasing Bright and Early in 2023.