As we get ready to roll out the full details of the 47th Ann Arbor Folk Festival next month, we’re excited to announce that Bank of Ann Arbor will once again join The Ark as Folk Fest 2024’s Presenting Sponsor.
“Each year, the Ann Arbor Folk Festival surprises us with its exceptional lineup of performers,” says Tim Marshall, president and CEO of Bank of Ann Arbor. “This year is no exception. Once again, we’re proud and excited to be the presenting sponsor of one of our country’s great musical events, here in one of America’s culturally rich towns. Great musicians are always welcome and appreciated in Ann Arbor.”
“We’re excited to be able to return to two nights in Hill Auditorium in 2024, plus add a special night at The Ark to kick off Folk Fest,” says Ark Executive Director, Marianne James. “Bank of Ann Arbor helps make this possible. They’re a great partner and true champion of live music in our region. Like The Ark, they understand the impact of music, how it builds community and enriches people’s spirits.”
The Ann Arbor Folk Festival is the largest annual fundraising effort for The Ark, Ann Arbor’s non-profit home for folk, roots, and acoustic music. Featuring a blend of renowned and up-and-coming performers, the program provides audience members with the opportunity to hear artists they know and love while discovering great new talent.
In 2024, Folk Fest will return to a two-night format in Hill Auditorium for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic. The festival delivers the full spectrum of “Ark music,” presenting a taste of what’s happening on the leading edge of acoustic music while delving into the very heart of folk and roots traditions. Watch for The Ark to reveal the lineup for the January 26-27 events in mid-October.
Following the success of a pilot event in 2023, The Ark is excited to announce a warm-up event at The Ark the week prior to Folk Fest, on Thursday, January 18.
Folk Fest Warm-up: On A Winter’s Night brings together 4 veteran singer-songwriters – all longtime friends of The Ark and the Ann Arbor Folk Festival – who are among the brightest stars of the singer/songwriter movement over the past three decades. Join us in the cozy, intimate space of The Ark’s Ford Listening Room for an in-the-round performance with Ark favorites John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Lucy Kaplansky, and Cliff Eberhardt.
Tickets for our Folk Fest Warm-up: On A Winter’s Night go on sale to the public on Friday, September 22, 2023 at 10am. Gold Circle tickets are located in the first 4 rows and priced at $125 ($85 tax deductible). Reserved seating in the tiered center section are $75 ($35 tax deductible). General admission tickets are priced at $40. All funds raised through the Folk Fest Warm-up and Ann Arbor Folk Festival benefit The Ark. More info at www.theark.org.
About the Artists
JOHN GORKA
Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the leading singer/songwriter of the New Folk movement,” John Gorka is perhaps the quintessential singer-songwriter of the 90’s folk scene. Originally from New Jersey, John served an apprenticeship at Godfrey Daniels coffeehouse in Bethlehem, PA, then the Greenwich Village Fast Folk scene. Winning the prestigious New Folk award at the Kerrville Folk Festival, in 1984, he was then signed to Red House Records on which he released his landmark first of 17 recordings, I Know. Boston Globe penned Gorka “for the sophisticated intelligence and the provocative originality of his songs.” Recent accolades include 2016’s Indie Acoustic Project’s Best Singer/Songwriter CD of the Year for Before Beginning (Red House Records). 2018 brought his latest release, and 14th of his career, True In Time (Compass Records). True In Time (Compass Records).
PATTY LARKIN
She redefines the boundaries of folk-urban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising lyrics and vocals. Acoustic Guitar Magazine hails her, “soundscape experiments” while Rolling Stone praises her, “evocative and sonic shading.” She has been described as, “riveting” (Chicago Tribune), “hypnotic” (Entertainment Weekly), and a “drop-dead brilliant” performer (Performing Songwriter). Recently an Artist-in-Residence at Berklee College of Music – and now on the faculty at Fine Arts Work Center – Larkin reflects, “I have been energized by the poets, writers, and artists I have met while teaching, and find myself on a journey to break down some of the predictable pathways that songs can travel.” Bird in a Cage, her 14th CD now available, puts poems from ten notable poets to song, including US Poet Laureates William Carlos Williams, Stanley Kunitz, Kay Ryan, Robert Pinsky, and Billy Collins, for a new and haunting collection that pulses with the magic of lyricism. Poems are made to be shared aloud, and with Bird, Patty takes up that tradition and sets it aglow.
LUCY KAPLANSKY
“A truly gifted performer…full of enchanting songs” (New York Times). Blending country, folk and pop styles, Lucy has the unique ability to make every song sound fresh, whether singing her own sweet originals, covering country classics by June Carter Cash and Gram Parsons, or singing pop favorites by Lennon/McCartney and Nick Lowe. Lucy’s iconic voice has been featured in film and on television, including commercials like Chevrolet’s iconic “Heartbeat of America” jingle. A Billboard-charting singer and one of the top-selling artists on Red House Records, she has topped the folk and Americana radio charts and has been featured on shows throughout the world from NPR’s Weekend and Morning Editions to BBC Radio to CBS Sunday Morning. One of the most in-demand harmony singers, Lucy has sung on countless records, performing with Suzanne Vega, Bryan Ferry, Nanci Griffith, and Shawn Colvin.
CLIFF EBERHARDT
One of the most original songsmiths currently on tour, Eberhardt is a highly intelligent, articulate artist whose penetrating and profound lyrics are sometimes overshadowed by his extraordinary guitar playing. Upon close listening, the Philadelphia-born singer’s gift for the English language is abundantly clear. The words that tumble from his mouth are framed by a raspy yet deeply elegant voice. Like John Hammond and Richie Havens, Eberhardt continues to carry the torch for traditional and contemporary folk music through his strong live shows. Whether he’s out on tour solo or with a small band, Eberhardt’s guitar playing, singing, and original folk songs and blues make for a compelling, thought-filled, emotional roller coaster of a concert.
ON A WINTER’S NIGHT
In 1994 Christine Lavin gathered these top singer-songwriters together, along with other folk and Americana artists to showcase music of the Winter Season on the now-classic On A Winter’s Night CD, followed by several years of touring collaborations. These artists have released dozens of recordings and toured steadily through the decades, with fond memories of their touring days together. The winter season is again celebrated by these unique and popular performers, back together by popular demand.
About The Ark: Considered one of the top music clubs in the world, The Ark is renowned for the quality and breadth of its programming. The Ark is an intimate 400-seat club presenting performers who fall into the wide-ranging genres of folk and roots music. The Ark, now in its 58th year, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the enrichment of the human spirit through the presentation, preservation and encouragement of folk, roots and ethnic music and related arts. The Ark provides a welcoming atmosphere for all people to listen to, learn about, perform and share music. Visit theark.org for more information.
