Americana,
Folk, Bluegrass, Country and more—the South Orange Performing Arts Center’s
lineup of Singer-Songwriters includes
compelling Grammy winners and skilled acoustic instrumentalists. Sample their
music on our Singer-Songwriters Spotify Playlist.
Kathleen Edwards, Chris Smither & Tim O’Brien with
Jan Fabricius, and Josh Ritter
THU, SEP 22, at
7:30PM
Tickets:
$28-$38
After a musical
hiatus and period of profound self-reflection, singer-songwriter Kathleen
Edwards triumphantly returns with her cloud-grazing voice, skilled strumming
and Folk/Country music that confronts life's challenges yet finds the beauty in
it all.
Chris Smither & Tim O’Brien with Jan
Fabricius
SAT, OCT 8, at
8PM
Tickets:
$35-$45
A master of
acoustic Folk/Blues, Chris Smither creates a singular guitar sound – a
beat-driven fingerpicking, layered over his rhythmic, tapping feet (always
mic’d in performance). A lifelong devotee of Bluegrass, Tim O'Brien is skilled
on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo. He often performs with his wife,
vocalist Jan Fabricius.
WED, OCT 26, at
7:30PM
Tickets:
$49-$84
Béla Fleck
& Abigail Washburn, “the king and queen of the banjo” (Paste magazine),
have a musical partnership like no other. Béla is a fifteen-time Grammy winner
who has taken the instrument across multiple genres. Abigail is a
singer-songwriter and clawhammer banjo player.
THU, NOV 3, at
7:30PM
Tickets:
$39-$62
Jim Messina’s legacy of making hit music
spans five decades, three super groups (Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Loggins and
Messina), a vibrant solo career and scores of producing and engineering
credits.
WED, NOV 9, at
7:30PM
Tickets:
$28-$38
Darlingside has
long been praised for their mesmerizing harmonies and wistful songwriting,
described by NPR as “exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque
Folk-Pop,” and compared to Crosby, Stills and Nash; Simon & Garfunkel; and
The Byrds.
Paula
Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins
THU, NOV 10, at
7:30PM
Tickets:
$38-$49
Carried by her
radiant voice, Grammy winner Paula Cole has a musical catalog defined by honest
lyrics that covers Blues, Jazz, Folk, Pop, Gospel and Americana.
Multi-instrumentalist Sophie B. Hawkins has been tugging at heartstrings for
decades with her captivating storytelling. Both are known for their indelible
90s hits—Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait" and Hawkins' "As I Lay Me
Down."
THU, NOV 17, at
7:30PM
Tickets:
$39-$49
With an
expressive voice, keen wit and evocative way with words, Folk-Rock artist Josh
Ritter has been described as “harking back to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and
maybe a little Mark Knopfler" (The New York Times) and named one of
the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.
FRI, DEC 2, at
8PM
Tickets:
$58-$78
Celebrate
Christmas with Judy Collins! The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for her
poetic storytelling style will perform holiday classics, songs from her latest
album, Spellbound, and beloved songs culled from her six-decade
career.
SAT, DEC 3, at
8PM
Tickets:
$38-$48
Martin Sexton's
spirited songs run the American musical gamut, incorporating Soul, Country and
Blues. The guitarist has been praised for “his unpretentious heartiness” (The
New York Times) and his "soul-marinated voice" (Rolling Stone).
SAT, DEC 17, at
8PM
Tickets:
$48-$68
Sweet Honey in
the Rock is an internationally renowned Grammy-nominated a cappella ensemble
with a nearly 50-year history of serving as musical missionaries for equality,
empowerment and education.
WED, DEC 21, at
7:30PM
Tickets:
$23-$33
Boundary-pushing group Nefesh Mountain
combines elements of Americana, Appalachian Bluegrass, Celtic Folk and Eastern
European melodies with messages of inclusivity, diversity and hope.
