BIIRD are an all-female trad supergroup that have been mystifying the masses with their lively, zealous set and uncompromising dedication to Irish design since their inception last year. Bringing the trad session vibe from the corner of a pub to a global audience, their energy is unmatched. This is a sisterhood born out of a shared passion for keeping the tradition of Irish music alive, giving it a new look and keeping it on its toes. When they’re performing together, a magic flows between them, and that mix of skill and sorcery make them incomparable.
The Ann Arbor Django Reinhardt Festival returns to The Ark for a joyous celebration of the music and legacy of jazz guitar pioneer Django Reinhardt. Hosted by guitarist Andrew Brown, a longtime champion of Hot Club music in Michigan whose performances and educational efforts have helped cultivate the region’s Django community, this year’s festival features guitarist Sam Farthing, one of the most exciting young voices in jazz manouche today, known for his virtuosic technique, expressive improvisation, and appearances at major Django festivals across North America and Europe. Joining him is acclaimed violinist Grant Flick and the full Djangophonique crew—clarinetist Tyler Rindo, vocalist Katie Lynne, guitarist David Bendena, and bassist Jorian Olk-Szost.
Paula Cole returns to the stage with THIS FIRE: 30—a special anniversary tour celebrating three decades of This Fire. A Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for her fearless writing and genre-blending sound, Cole broke boundaries with songs that were both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Over the course of her twenty five year career, Susan Werner has earned a reputation as “one of the most innovative songwriters working today” (Chicago Tribune). With formidable chops on guitar (she began playing at age 5) and piano (she was a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz), along with a graduate degree in voice performance, her shows are a one-woman master class in musicianship.
Lindsay Lou is commonly dubbed the Queen of festivals she plays as someone you’re highly likely to see sitting in with other bands and curating All Stars sets in addition to playing her own music. Her roots are in Michigan, where she started making records, including the artist defining Ionia, and touring worldwide with The Flatbellys and The Sweet Water Warblers. Since making Nashville her home, she’s toured with her folk/rock Queen of Time Band and acoustic/harmony driven Honey Moon Trio and has celebrated records like Southland and Queen of Time. She’s a bringer together of people and a purveyor of buttery, sweet, meaningful experience.
Martin Sexton tours in support of the 25th anniversary of Live Wide Open - the critically-acclaimed double vinyl live album. The show will include these fan-favorites as well as some new material and surprise covers.
Jessica and Zach wrote and composed music for the WGA award-winning Peacock Series Baking It starring Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler and Andy Samberg. The duo has also written songs and musical sketches for the hit animation show Rick and Morty, Party Over Here (a Fox sketch show produced by The Lonely Island), the Peacock series Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin, Buzzfeed, FunnyOrDie and Nickelodeon. Their improvised musical podcast Off Book has been praised by various online publications including Indie Wire, USA Today, Parade, AV Club and Splitsider and been featured at Comedy Central’s Clusterfest Festival, Moontower, the world renowned Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, and the Netflix Is A Joke Festival in LA.
Mike Dawes is an English guitarist known for composing, arranging, and performing multiple parts simultaneously on a single guitar. He is regarded as one of the world’s most creative modern fingerstyle guitarists, with a repertoire spanning original viral videos and popular arrangements, alongside mainstream chart success performing with Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.
Critics often draw comparisons between The Tallest Man on Earth and Bob Dylan, citing similarities in both songwriting and vocal style. Matsson himself has acknowledged Dylan's influence, revealing that he started listening to him at the age of fifteen. Fascinated by Dylan's covers, he delved into their origins, which gradually introduced him to early American folk artists like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. However, Matsson is quick to distance himself from being part of any specific tradition, stating, “I don’t want to be part of a tradition. I just want to do what feels natural to me. This is how I play, and this is how I write songs.”
Michigan Theater
603 East Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
From the team that brought you Come See Me in the Good Light, join us for Andrea Gibson’s Love Letter from the Afterlife— a multimedia event bringing together film, live poetry, music, orchestral accompaniment, and intimate storytelling in a celebration of one of the most beloved voices of a generation.
