Natalie Merchant Sets CABINET OF WONDER Album Collaboration with Chicago Children's Theatre

Nonesuch Records is set to release Natalie Merchant’s Cabinet of Wonder, a digital collection of seventeen songs and accompanying videos from the singer-songwriter’s collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Chicago Children’s Theatre (CCT). The album will arrive on August 21, 2026.

The seventeen songs on Cabinet of Wonder reimagine Mother Goose and her rhymes for a new generation of young children through modern interpretations of the classic children’s canon and three originals by Merchant—performed by Merchant, musicians from the CSO and special guests—in orchestral arrangements by Megan Gould. Two songs from the album, “Little Miss Muffet” and “Peter Pumpkin Eater,” are available now.

Natalie Merchant began her musical career as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the pop music band 10,000 Maniacs and released six albums—including one platinum, two double-platinum, and one triple-platinum records—with the group: The Wishing Chair (1985), In My Tribe (1987), Blind Man's Zoo (1989), Hope Chest (1990), Our Time in Eden (1992), and 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged (1993). Merchant left the band in 1994 and has subsequently released nine albums as a solo artist with combined sales of seven million copies: Tigerlily (1995), Ophelia (1998), Natalie Merchant Live (1999), Motherland (2001), The House Carpenter’s Daughter (2003), Leave Your Sleep (2010), Natalie Merchant (2014), Paradise Is There (2015), Butterfly (2017), and Keep Your Courage (2023).

Merchant has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Billy Bragg, Gavin Bryars, David Byrne, The Chieftains, Cowboy Junkies, Philip Glass, Kronos Quartet, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mavis Staples, REM, and Wilco. She served on the New York State Council on the Arts from 2007–2011 at the appointment of Governor Elliot Spitzer and was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center by New York State Senator Leader Chuck Schumer. Merchant’s awards include: The Library Lion Award from the New York Public Library (2011), The American Society of Authors Composers & Publishers (ASCAP) Champion Award (2019), and The John Lennon Real Love Award (2019). 

Founded in 1891, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra aims to cultivate the future of music while building upon its legacy. The CSO's acclaimed musicians command a deep, evolving repertoire, sharing their famous sound with music lovers in hundreds of concerts annually in Chicago and on tour throughout the United States and around the globe, as well as in its weekly syndicated radio broadcasts and a catalog of celebrated recordings. Through its Negaunee Music Institute, the CSO produces programming that nurtures lifelong engagement with music, including an ever-expanding suite of education concerts for young people, in-depth school partnerships and innovative online learning resources.

Founded in 2005, the critically acclaimed Chicago Children’s Theatre focuses on the production of first-rate children’s theatre in Chicago, with top writing, performing, and directorial talent and high-quality design and production expertise. The company has built a national reputation for new work, producing 24 world premieres including Carmela Full of Wishes, Milo Imagines the World, Last Stop on Market Street, and Go Dog Go! • Ve Perro ¡Ve!. Chicago Children’s Theatre also produces The Red Kite Project, a multi-sensory interactive theatre program tailored specifically to the needs of children on the autism spectrum. In 2017, Chicago Children’s Theatre became the first theater for young audiences in the nation to win a National Theatre Award from the American Theatre Wing, creators of the Tony Awards. Chicago Children’s Theatre aspires to enrich its community through diverse and significant theatrical and educational programming that engages and inspires the child in all of us.

Photo credit: Joe Mazza