FirstWorks' Artistic Icons Series to Conclude with Roseanne Cash, 4/10

The 2015/2016 FirstWorks Artistic Icons Series closes with singer and songwriter Rosanne Cash in her only New England tour appearance of the season with her full band for "The River & the Thread," live in concert on Sunday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. at The Vets (1 Avenue of the Arts, Providence). Tickets are $28-$75 (prices include a $3 restoration fee). The $75 premium ticket includes a post-show bourbon tasting reception with Rosanne Cash. Tickets are on sale at 401-421-ARTS (2787) or first-works.org.

Celebrate Americana with Rosanne Cash and her band performing the entirety of her three-time Grammy Award-winning album, "The River & the Thread." For her most intimate - and critically acclaimed - album to date, Cash digs deep into her family's roots, taking audiences on a mini-travelogue through her American experience.

Stops along this journey include the legendary Sun Records Studio in Memphis, the Civil Rights-era Mississippi Delta, the haunting gravesite of the great bluesman Robert Johnson, and a visit to her late father Johnny Cash's birthplace in Arkansas.

"The album was about a bigger sense of home and our rootedness to the music. Our past and future, and how they connect musically and spiritually... these characters and how powerful the geography itself is," explained Cash in an interview with Rolling Stone Country. "It was bigger than my travels."

Called "the coolest music scene today" by The New York Times, American Roots Music is a quintessentially American musical style incorporating elements of various musical genres; blending country, folk, bluegrass, rock and roll and R&B. Cash's distinctive songwriting and sound envelopes - and ultimately transcends the genre.

"FirstWorks' Artistic Icons Series features performers who are both leaders in their genres and important to the broader artistic landscape. Rosanne Cash's remarkable body of work fits both of these criteria," said Kathleen Pletcher, Executive Artistic Director of FirstWorks. "Her emotional acuity, rich imagery and honesty create a unique intimacy with her audiences. She is truly an American musical icon."

Adding to the festive atmosphere of the evening, a FirstWorks JumpStart performance in the Vets lobbies starting at 5:30 p.m. will feature local artists Rory & Sandol of Old-Time String Band. Premium ticket holders will enjoy a post-show bourbon tasting and reception with Rosanne Cash with spirits courtesy of MS Walker Fine Wines and Spirits.

FirstWorks Arts Learning: Connecting Art with Education on April 11

As part of FirstWorks' Arts Learning program, Rosanne Cash will share her cultural legacy and the journey that led to her kaleidoscopic examination of the geographic, emotional, musical, and historic landscape of the American South with students from across Rhode Island. Educators interested in connecting their students with this Creative Conversation can contact FirstWorks' Education Coordinator at kathleenm@first-works.org

About Rosanne Cash

One of the country's pre-eminent singer/songwriters, Rosanne Cash has released 15 albums of extraordinary songs that have earned four Grammy Awards and nominations for 11 more, as well as 21 top-40 hits, including 11 No. 1 singles. She is also an author whose four books include the best-selling memoir "Composed", which the Chicago Tribune called "one of the best accounts of an American life you'll likely ever read." Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, the Oxford-American, the Nation and many more print and online publications. In addition to continual touring, Cash has partnered in programming collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, The Country Music Hall of Fame, Lincoln Center and San Francisco Jazz and The Library of Congress.

She was awarded the SAG/AFTRA Lifetime Achievement award for Sound Recordings in 2012 and received the 2014 Smithsonian Ingenuity Award in the Performing Arts. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters' Hall of Fame earlier this year.

About FirstWorks

FirstWorks' purpose is to build the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of our community by engaging audiences with world-class performing arts and education programs. Launched in 2004, FirstWorks festivals and programs have attracted more than 290,000 participants. The FirstWorks Arts Learning Program works with over 30 public and charter schools across Rhode Island to provide students, particularly those from underserved communities, direct connection with world-class performing artists.