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High-resolution downloadable images of Cherish The Ladies, Tom Paxton, Pacifica Quartet, Girlyman, and Karla Bonoff are available on Wolf Trap’s Web site: http://www.wolftrap.org/Media_and_Newsroom/Photos_for_Publication.aspx

Contact: Graham Binder, Manager, Public Relations
(703) 255-1917 or grahamb@wolftrap.org
 

Vienna, VA—The Barns at Wolf Trap launches into Spring with its most heavily concentrated and diverse performance week of the year. The all-female Celtic music sensation Cherish The Ladies opens the week with back-to-back gigs on Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1. American songwriting legend Tom Paxton brings his powerful folk tunes to The Barns on Thursday, April 2, followed by a Discovery Series debut performance from the ground-breaking Pacifica Quartet on Friday, April 3. The weekend offers Girlyman’s playful blend of acoustic Americana and folk-rock on Saturday, April 4 and the warmth and honesty of prolific songwriter Karla Bonoff on Sunday, April 5.

Cherish The Ladies
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 8 p.m.
$25

Originally formed as part of a concert series showcasing the best of traditional Irish music, Cherish The Ladies is now the most successful and well-known Irish American group in Celtic music history. Among their accolades are ten acclaimed albums, a Grammy nomination for Celtic Album, appearances on such nationally syndicated shows as Good Morning America, and the distinction of top North American Celtic act from NPR radio’s Thistle and Shamrock. They have performed alongside such distinguished musicians as Emmylou Harris, The Clancy Brothers, Joan Baez, James Taylor and numerous orchestras including the Boston Pops Symphony. Cherish The Ladies have successfully captured worldwide audiences with their unique instrumental arrangements, complex melodies, exuberant rhythms, and dynamic step dancers. The New York Times hails their music as “passionate, tender, and rambunctious.”

Tom Paxton
Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 8 p.m.
$20

American songwriting legend, Tom Paxton returns to The Barns to perform alongside Washington, D.C. native Robin Bullock, a virtuoso of the guitar, cittern and mandolin. A testament to his successful career spanning nearly five decades, just weeks ago Paxton received the Recording Academy’s 2009 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest accolade bestowed by the American music industry. A leading contributor to the songwriting and folk music communities since the early 1960s, Paxton’s songs broach such topics as love and compassion, injustice, social protest, and the idiosyncrasies of society, with lyrics ranging from poignant to humorous. His songs have been recorded and popularized by Joan Baez, the Kingston Trio, the Chad Mitchell Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, and a host of other performers over the past 45 years.

Pacifica Quartet
Friday, April 3, 2009 at 8 p.m.
$35

Virtuoso chamber group Pacifica Quartet makes its Wolf Trap debut in a Discovery Series performance featuring string quartets by Mendelssohn and Brahms, and the Barns debut of Ligeti’s Quartet No. 1. The Pacifica Quartet is known for its consummate skill, lively performances, and bold choice of repertory. Since the group’s inception in 1994, the Pacifica Quartet has received scores of distinguished awards including the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, a 2009 “Best Chamber Music Performance” Grammy Award for its recording of Elliott Carter’s String Quartets Nos. 1 & 5, and recognition from Musical America as its 2009 “Ensemble of the Year.” As part of an extensive worldwide touring schedule, the Quartet frequently performs in the most esteemed concert halls in London, Paris, Tokyo, and Vienna. The Chicago Tribune extols their “astonishing talent, energy and dedication.”

Girlyman w/special guest Adrianne
Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.
$18

Girlyman

Known for their soaring three-part vocal harmonies, musical skill, and impressive blend of modern acoustic, Americana, and folk-rock, Girlyman returns to The Barns for a much anticipated show. The group’s eclectic sound emerges from a wide range of musical instruments, most prominently acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, djembe, and electric baritone guitar. Lead vocals and songwriting duties are shared by all band members, further contributing to the group’s ability to create innovative and skillful music. Through long opening runs for Dar Williams and the Indigo Girls, Girlyman has established a loyal following of fans across the country. Girlyman’s latest release, Somewhere Different Now (live), contains an impressive 29 tracks featuring new compositions, covers, improvisation, and humor. The Washington Post praises Girlyman’s “harmonic, multi-instrumental mastery of buoyant, pop-folk numbers with elusive, poetic lyrics.”

Adrianne

Infused with passion and raw intensity, singer/songwriter Adrianne’s indie acoustic-rock sounds have taken listeners by storm. As each of her four albums experiments new sounds, Sweet Mistake (2006) offers a stunning rendition of the Violent Femmes song “Blister in the Sun” that gently reworks the fast-paced ’80s pop hit through subtle manipulation of melody and rhythm. Her latest studio release, Burn Me Up (2008), features more of her signature breathy vocals, piano, and guitar work. Gaining momentum over the years, Adrianne’s music has appeared in well-known television shows like Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Ghost Whisperer, Men in Trees, and Guiding Light.

Karla Bonoff w/special guest Julie Clark
Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.
$24

Karla Bonoff

Karla Bonoff is one of the most influential performers to ever emerge from the Los Angeles music scene—writing songs performed by Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Wynonna Judd, amongst others. Her subsequent albums Restless Nights (1979), Wild Heart of the Young (1982), and New World (1988) cemented her status as one of the industry’s most important songwriters. Bonoff worked on soundtracks in the 1980s for movies such as Footloose and About Last Night and won a Best Pop Vocal Duo Grammy for “All My Life,” a duet written for Ronstadt and Aaron Neville. Of her legacy as a pop songwriter Billboard writes, “Karla Bonoff’s works are a bold expression of humanistic searching and belief during an often faithless era.” Bonoff performs hits from her most recent album, Karla Bonoff Live, a compilation of live recordings and songs throughout her illustrious career.

Julie Clark

Full of emotion and lyrical depth, Julie Clark’s tender, sensuous vocals and introspective songwriting covers a wide spectrum of human experience. Illustrating her expertise, Clark has won the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition and the Great American Song Contest. Change Your Mind, Clark’s acclaimed second album features original compositions ranging from the bright optimism of “Change Your Mind” to the sprited playfulness of “I’d Do ‘Em All (if I could).” Featuring collaborations with such distinguished musicians as Tom Jones, Stephen Bennett, John Toomey, Powell Randolph, Bill Gurley, and Jimmy Masters, Clark says the songs on Change Your Minds “speak to the strength and resiliency of our dreams and desires.”

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Tickets can be purchased by calling 1 (877) WOLFTRAP; or online at http://www.wolftrap.org/Purchase_Tickets.aspx

For more information, call The Barns at Wolf Trap at (703) 938-2404.