This annual event brings both locally based and nationally known story tellers to The Ark stage. This year’s story tellers are Jennifer Otto and Adam Booth.
Virginia-based folk-rock band The Steel Wheels have spent almost twenty years writing, recording, and touring, all the while constantly honing their evolving brand of American roots music. Additionally they are the founders and hosts of the Red Wing Roots Music Festival, a beloved staple of the Shenandoah Valley.
On her third album with Oh Boy Records, and her fifth since beginning her career a decade ago, Emily Scott Robinson once again unveils her mastery as a performer and storyteller. With her 2026 release Appalachia — recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios with Grammy-nominated producer Josh Kaufman — Robinson opens herself up to experimentation and sings in her crystal-clear voice about resilience, love, grief and hope.
Grant Flick is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, and collaborative artist currently based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While his main instrument is violin he typically inhabits spaces where it is not uncommon to find him playing nyckelharpa, tenor guitar, mandolin, or just about any other fifth-tuned stringed instrument. He lives fluidally between idioms/genres with a focus on original instrumental music primarily influenced by American improvisational idioms (bluegrass, jazz, new acoustic music, etc.), the music of Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli, and chamber music both new and old.
Special Guest: DuPont Phillips
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesSpencer LaJoye is a coast-to-coast singer/songwriter and vocal loop artist with Midwest roots, a classically-trained violinist with an inner theater kid’s love of group choreography, and a student of Americana music with a theology degree hanging in their studio. They’ve been writing and touring their own autobiographical folk/pop music for over a decade, but their viral 2021 anthem “Plowshare Prayer” secured them a permanent place in hearts and households across the world, as well as a peculiar career as a veracious songsmith with an unshakeable pastoral presence
Dubbed "masters of soulful folk" by Paste, The Wood Brothers formed after brothers Chris and Oliver Wood pursued separate musical careers for 15 years. Chris already had legions of devoted fans for his incomparable work as one-third of Medeski Martin & Wood, while Oliver’s band King Johnson built a loyal following in the South. With drummer Jano Rix added as a permanent third member, The Wood Brothers have evolved into one of roots music’s most revered acts, playing sold out shows across North America, garnering a Grammy Award nomination and releasing nine studio albums, including their new release, Puff of Smoke.
Amelia Day is a musical jack-of-all-trades. Standing at the intersection of folk, rock, and pop, Day blends heartfelt storytelling, raw delivery, and unforgettable melodies into music that feels both fresh and familiar — like rediscovering an old favorite. A self-described writer before anything else, her perceptive lyricism extends far beyond her 23 years, with lines reminiscent of songwriting greats like Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon.
A native of Michigan, Rochelle Clark’s music has been described as raw, honest, and beautifully vulnerable. She writes and sings about real life, joy, struggle and human tragedy - you can’t help but feel for the characters in her songs. Leaning heavily on personal experience, she connects on an intimate level that resonates with her audience.
Masters of Hawaiian Music features three of the most popular musicians from Maui’s renowned “Slack Key Show”, all from celebrated Hawaiian cultural lineages. 4-time Grammy winner, slack key guitar master George Kahumoku Jr, National Heritage Fellow Led Kaapana, whose picking style in slack key guitar is unrivaled, and award-winner Sonny Lim, on lap steel (invented in Hawai‘i), slack key guitar and vocals. Together they share Hawai‘i’s unique guitar styles and songs that trace their roots to the paniolos (Hawaiian cowboys), along with captivating stories of Hawai‘i and their lives in music.
Internationally-acclaimed guitar virtuoso Trace Bundy must be seen, not just heard. His music is poetry in motion, using harmonics, looping, multiple capos, and his unique banter and stage presence to deliver an unforgettable live concert experience. Listening to his intricate arrangements is one thing, but seeing the fan-dubbed “Acoustic Ninja” play live confounds even the most accomplished music lovers as to how one person can do all that with just two hands and ten fingers.
"The best live rock n roll band in America" - this is how NPR recently described Low Cut Connie. Since 2010, Philadelphia-based frontman / songwriter Adam Weiner has released 7 highly-acclaimed studio albums under that name and earned a devoted fanbase that includes President Barack Obama, Sir Elton John & Bruce Springsteen. In 2026, he is touring venues across the US, playing his "Livin in the USA" show solo at the piano.
Over the course of three decades, Shawn Colvin has established herself as a captivating performer and a revered storyteller, well-deserving of the commendation of her peers and the devoted audiences who have been inspired by her artistry. And as she enters her third decade as a songwriter and performer, she continues to reaffirm her status as a vital voice in music.