For as long as there has been life, there has been music. We tell our story through song. Songs help define a culture and its people. The 2017-2018 season of Carnegie Hall highlights the crafting of songs through performances and workshops by singers and songwriters from near and far. From September to May, the following musical acts will grace the Hamilton Auditorium stage at Carnegie Hall, including Kathy Mattea, Junior Brown, Nobuntu, WV Symphony Orchestra, Melissa Aldana, Sammy Miller and the Congregation, Robin and Linda Williams, Mipso. All concerts are held on Friday nights start at 7:30pm. Here is a list of the acts with bios:

Friday, September 15: The Acoustic Living Room: Songs & Stories with Kathy Mattea

Grammy Award-winning singer Kathy Mattea and her longtime collaborator, guitarist Bill Cooley, have shared one of Nashville’s most musically rich partnerships for more than two decades. The duo meets as old friends, welcoming you into The Acoustic Living Room to share songs and stories near and dear to their hearts.

A genuine storyteller, Kathy draws inspiration from her Appalachian roots and is a torchbearer for often overlooked musical legacies like those of Hazel Dickens and Jean Ritchie. Her most recent album, “Calling Me Home,” is a collection of songs that celebrates the Appalachian culture of her native West Virginia and expands the vocabulary of acoustic roots music that has always served as her artistic center.

Friday, October 13: An Evening with Junior Brown

With his unique voice, more unique song writing, and even more unique double necked “Guit-Steel” guitar, there has absolutely never been ANYONE like Junior Brown. He’s an American Original. Junior has shown himself to be adept at a wide variety of American music styles including country, rock and roll, blues, hawaiian, bluegrass, and western swing.

Friday, November 10: Nobuntu

This critically acclaimed female a cappella quintet from Zimbabwe, Nobuntu, has drawn international acclaim for its inventive performances that range from traditional Zimbabwean songs to Afro Jazz to Gospel. The ensemble’s concerts are performed with pure voices, augmented by minimalistic percussion, traditional instruments such as the Mbira (thumb piano), and organic, authentic dance movements.

Friday, December 1: WV Symphony Orchestra “Home for the Holidays”

Join Carnegie Hall for this Holiday tradition! The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is West Virginia’s premier performing arts organization, presenting classical, pops, and chamber-music concerts annually throughout the Mountain State. Currently in its 77th season, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra enriches the region by providing affordable, high-quality concerts, collaborations with West Virginia arts organizations, and a nationally award-winning education program.

Friday, February 16: Melissa Aldana

One of the most compelling and prodigious tenor saxophonists of her time, National Public Radio calls Melissa Aldana “a bold new talent.” As a child in Chile, Aldana studied with her renowned saxophonist father Marcos Aldana. She left her home country of Chile in 2007 to pursue jazz at ever higher levels in the U.S.

A graduate of Berklee School of Music, she has apprenticed with greats such as Greg Osby and George Coleman. In 2013 she became the first female instrumentalist and the first South American ever to win the Thelonious Monk Competition. She is also a recipient of the Martin E. Segal Award from Jazz at Lincoln Center and a double recipient of the Altazor Award, Chile’s highly prestigious national arts prize.

Friday, March 16: Sammy Miller and the Congregation

A native of Los Angeles, Sammy Miller has become known for his unique maturity and relentless focus on making music that “feels good” as a drummer, singer, and bandleader. Upon completing his master’s at The Juilliard School, Sammy formed his ensemble, The Congregation. As a band they are focused on sharing the power of community through their music—joyful jazz. Independently band members have performed/recorded with notable artists including Wynton Marsalis, O.A.R., Iron and Wine, Joshua Redman, Lee Fields, and Jason Moran at venues including the White House, Lincoln Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. As a group The Congregation has opted to stick together to create globally conscious music with the intention to spread joy throughout the world.

Friday, April 13: Robin and Linda Williams

For more than four decades, Robin and Linda Williams have made it their mission to perform the music that they love, “a robust blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country that combines wryly observant lyrics with a wide-ranging melodicism.” Today some might call it “Americana,” but these two revered music masters were living and breathing this elixir 20 years before that label was turned into a radio format.

Friday, May 11: Mipso

Chapel Hill’s indie Americana quartet Mipso is influenced by the contradiction of its progressive home and the surrounding rural southern landscapes. Currently celebrating the release of its fourth album, Mipso ventures further than ever from its string-band pedigree to discover a broader Americana where classic folk-rock and modern alt-country sounds mingle easily with Appalachian tradition. Adding pedal steel, drums, banjo, and keyboards to the intimate four-part harmonies and powerful acoustic meld, Mipso’s music is lush and forward moving, with lyrics that sear and salve in turn. Recently recognized by Rolling Stone as a favorite 2016 festival performance, Mipso brings a distinctly unique sound – full of wistful beauty, hopeful undercurrents, and panoramic soundscapes.

Tickets are on sale now for all shows. To order yours, call 304-645-7917 or visit carnegiehallwv.com.  Carnegie Hall is located at 611 Church Street in downtown Lewisburg, WV.

– HashtagWV #93. September 2017