The Kennedys. Songwriting duo Pete and Maura Kennedy make a strong return to the studio and stage after three years of weekly live-streamed lockdown-era concerts. They took the opportunity to explore classic songwriting in depth, performing over a thousand songs during the pandemic. That vast overview strengthened and refined their own writing and laid the foundation for this new collection of original, socially-conscious songs.

“After such a deep dive into American roots music, we felt like we had a new set of writing tools. We were ready to create this body of work, and there’s just SO much to write about,” says Maura. “During our five-year hiatus from writing and recording, America changed in massive ways, divisive ways that have shaken our whole foundation. That has to be addressed by creative artists, those of us who have a voice to speak for others. Our love of the great things about this country, things that are under threat, is the reason we decided to make “Headwinds” the title track of the CD. Political and social headwinds are making it hard to get back “home’ to our greatness as a nation. We want to push back in a positive way against those winds.”

In addition to singing and writing, Pete and Maura are multi-instrumentalists. The thirteen songs are cast in a soundscape that draws from the classic canon of American roots, in keeping with the theme of getting back “home” as a nation. Acoustic and electric guitars, a vintage steel guitar, a gospel-inflected piano/organ mix, and even a slide ukulele all add colors to a songbag of sounds that have drawn us together during hard times. Pete and Maura believe that those sounds still have the power to pull us through again.

The Kennedys began their writing and touring life three decades ago as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, developing their own sound as a frequent support act on Nanci’s tours across America, Ireland, Scotland and England. Collaborations with Nanci continued, culminating in Pete and Maura producing her final album, “Intersections.” Along the way, they hosted a nationwide radio program, “The Dharma Cafe” on Sirius/XM, wrote and released sixteen CDs of original music, and have been core artists on folk radio, expanding their audience further with the inception of the AAA and Americana formats.

The Divas return for two shows this holiday season. You’ll want to get your tickets ASAP, since they always sell out! Divas with a Twist is a group of five powerful female vocalists backed by Grammy-nominated musicians. They’ll perform classic holiday songs with fresh new arrangements and harmonies. Get in the holiday spirit with selections including a rocking “Drummer Boy,” “Do You Hear What I Hear,” Aerosmith’s “Rocking on Top of the World” from The Polar Express, “O Holy Night,” a beautiful a cappella version of “Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas,” and some of their regular rock songs that you’ll recognize. Don’t miss out on this rocking holiday show!

On A Winter’s Night. Patty Larkin, John Gorka, Cliff Eberhardt, Lucy Kaplansky. Presenting the Reunion Tour of “On A Winter’s Night” from veteran singer-songwriters who remain among the brightest stars of the singer-songwriter movement for the past three decades. In 1994, Christine Lavin gathered them together, along with 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 once again celebrated by these unique and popular performers, reunited by popular demand. Photo: Laurie Glassman

Monica Rizzio. A unique Americana singer-songwriter who blends Texas influences and Cape Cod charm. A bonfire on a beach. A couple of days with the one you love. Simply doing…nothing. The little joys in life. Americana singer-songwriter Monica Rizzio’s new album, Sunshine Is Free, is all about the simple things that make it all worth it. The concept for Sunshine Is Free was born on the road, as Rizzio spent time under open skies while touring. Realizing she needed to step outside of a New England winter to write the follow-up to 2016’s Washashore Cowgirl, Rizzio spent the fall of 2018 traveling from her home in Cape Cod to Nashville for writing sessions. Over a week in April at Skinny Elephant Recording, she and producer Michael Rinne (Caroline Spence, Erin Rae & The Meanwhiles, Kelsey Waldon) as well as a stacked lineup of guest musicians including Mindy Smith, Maya de Vitry, Gwen Sebastian, Joe Pisapia, Will Kimbrough, and Eamon McLoughlin, Rizzio created a collection that focuses on finding joy in simpler things and looking for the silver lining of difficult situations.

Join award-winning singer/songwriter Krisanthi Pappas and her band performing Burt Bacharach and Beatles Love Songs! Bring your Valentine or your “Galentines” and enjoy such songs as “What The World Needs Now,” “The Look Of Love,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “This Guy’s In Love With You,” “All My Loving,” “In My Life,” “If I Fell,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and more. With Krisanthi Pappas on lead vocal and piano, Steve Forrest on guitar and vocal, Steve Skop on electric bass and John DiSanto on drums. Krisanthi has performed the Xfinity Center pre-shows for Sheryl Crow, Queen with Adam Lambert, Hall & Oates, The Doobies, Chicago and several others. She last directed Reality Romance at the Mass Arts Center. Her music has had over 5 million spins on Pandora Radio as well as Apple Music, Spotify, Sirius XM, Google Play, Amazon and more. Also included in the show will be interesting stories of how the songs were written. Enjoy this wonderful evening of music.

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James Lee Baker

Winner 2024 Rose Garden Performing Songwriter Competition

Birthed from the dusty high plains of the bible belt, wordsmith James Lee Baker sources the essence of his craft from a small-town past and a journey of self-discovery as the way out. Laced with mysticism, his emotive and thought-provoking songs speak to the shared, tender heart of our human condition.

​In 2020, he released 100 Summers – a full-length LP of songs centered around a theme of change. The title track reached #1 on the FAI Folk charts that month, garnering nearly half a million streams across platforms. Two of the songs on the project –Returning to Paris and The Last Cowboy in Hutchinson County – were selected as finalists for several nationally-known songwriting contests.

In 2022, he released a cover project called “Impressions”, recorded by Chris Bell (U2, The Eagles) and produced by Roscoe Beck (Eric Johnson, Leonard Cohen), which was released in 2022. The single “Did Galileo Pray?”, a cover of Ellis Paul, charted #10. John Apice from Americana Highways said “Baker’s cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Just Like a Woman’ is one of the finest I ever heard. He captures the lyric, understands it and possesses it as a first-class interpreter.”

Charlotte Morris

Winner 2025 Rose Garden Performing Songwriter Competition

Growing up near Philadelphia, Charlotte Morris found her passion for music early, learning multiple instruments and writing songs by age twelve. Influenced by folk classics and female storytellers like Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile, she developed a genuine, raw, and emotional style.

After touring with “Lonesome Traveler” in 2018, performing alongside folk legends, Charlotte released her debut EP “To New York, with Love,” followed by the “Sputnik” EP and a national acoustic tour. Her first full-length album, “Songs For My Next Ex” (2020), received critical acclaim, prompting her move to Nashville in 2021.

There, she participated in The Johnny Mercer Foundation’s Songwriters Project, mentored by industry greats. In 2022, Charlotte partnered with Charlotte Avenue Entertainment, releasing impactful singles like “Good Kind of Hurt” and “Tennessee.” Her second studio album, “Wild Child” (2023), gained international recognition. After a 30-city international tour in 2024, Charlotte returned to Philadelphia, with new music and tours on the horizon. She holds a degree in Theatre from Northwestern University.

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Jon Pousette-Dart is best known as an American Classic and Folk Rock songwriter, musician, and performing artist. Growing up in Suffern, NY with a household of artists, including his father, grandfather, and sister, he separated himself by picking up a guitar at the age of 10 and mapping out a life in music before he ever attended a little league game. Since then it’s been a long and well-traveled road in the world of music.

A little bit of time has passed between when Jon Pousette-Dart as a teenager started forging a path in the musical landscape that started in the 60’s and laid a foundation with the original Pousette-Dart Band. Throughout the 70’s and into the 80’s the band earned a loyal national following and produced 5 releases for Capitol that made a deep imprint in the world of album radio, when we all used to only listen to vinyl. When the band parted ways, Jon continued working and slowly began navigating back to where he started writing and recording in earnest with many of Nashville’s finest, and some twenty odd years ago Jon crossed paths with Jim Chapdelaine one of the more formidable musicians he crossed paths with. Jon continued touring as their musical collaboration continued to brew into a satisfying vital musical landscape of it’s own.

Come see Jon Pousette-Dart and Jim Chapdelaine in this intimate acoustic duo setting.