Niall Connolly, Jeffrey Martin and Anna Tivel Come to Irish Arts Center, 11/1

Irish Arts Center's SongLives series, curated by Grammy Award-winner Susan McKeown, showcasing sensational contemporary singer-songwriters from Ireland and North America, welcomes back Niall Connolly and sees Portland-based musicians Jeffrey Martin and Anna Tivel making their IAC debuts. (November 1) With these three musical storytellers, the SongLives series continues to bring the raw intimacy of the singer-songwriter tradition to IAC's Donaghy Theater.

Longtime collaborators Martin and Tivel are both touring to celebrate their respective new albums-Tivel's Small Believer came outin September, and Martin's One Go Around was released in October. Their performance will see the two supporting one another in collaborations and selections from their songwriting careers. Tivel's work brings the comforts of acoustic guitar together with lonely lyrics from the expanse of the American road, based largely on accounts she picks up on tour. The Huffington Post raves about "Illinois," a track from Small Believer, saying Tivel's "lyrics combined with [her] wistful and longing notes paint a picture that is at the same time heartbreaking and hopeful." Martin's One Go Aroundsees the musician spinning brooding narratives and character portraits that reflect the work of his literary inspirations, from Annie Proulx to Raymond Carver to John Steinbeck, with "simple, arresting beauty." (Portland Mercury)

Connolly will continue the evening with a stirring acoustic set. The Chicago Tribune referred to Cork-born, Brooklyn-based musician Niall Connolly's work as "disarming and beautifully crafted folk-pop," calling him "a witty storyteller and a not-to-be-missed songsmith." His recently-released eighth studio album, Dream Your Way Out of This One, is yet another example of his "accomplished composition and arrangements." (Arena, RTÉ Radio 1's Arts Show)

This event will take place on November 1at 8pm at Irish Arts Center (553 West 51st Street). General tickets are $18, and member tickets are $14; they can be purchased at 866-811-4111 or irishartscenter.org.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Niall Connolly is a highly engaging and entertaining storyteller and performer, who has played several international festivals including Glastonbury, Prague Fringe Festival, Cork Folk Festival, Acoustic Festival Düsseldorf, and Cuala NYC. His latest album, Dream Your Way Out of This One is a collaboration with his New York band, and also features guest performances by Javier Más from Leonard Cohen's band and Deni Bonet.

Jeffrey Martin is an American songwriter based in Portland, Oregon, who grew up on the sounds of Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, and John Prine. He currently tours around the US and Europe full-time, and is releasing his third full-length album in October.

Anna Tivel lives in Portland, OR, when she isn't touring the US or Europe. She is an award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Notably, she won both the Telluride and Kerrville Folk Festival song contests in 2015. She is releasing her fourth full-length album in September.

ABOUT Irish Arts Center

Irish Arts Center, founded in 1972 and based in Hell's Kitchen, New York City, is a national and international home for artists and audiences of all backgrounds who share a passion for the evolving arts and culture of contemporary Ireland and Irish America. We present, develop, promote, tour, and distribute work from established and emerging artists and cultural practitioners, providing audiences with emotionally and intellectually transporting experiences-the results of innovation, collaboration, and the authentic celebration of our common humanity.

Steeped in grassroots traditions, with a commitment to inclusion that dates back to our founding, we provide education programs and access to the arts for people of all ages and ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, and an international home for the Irish community to come together and engage with a dynamic global diaspora.

In Spring 2018, we will break ground on a landmark new permanent home, including a state of the art contemporary, flexible performance and arts space for the presentation and development of work across a range of disciplines; a second, intimate performance space-the renovated historic Irish Arts Center theatre-optimized for the most intimate live music and conversation, recordings, master classes and special events; classrooms and studio spaces for community education programs in Irish music, dance, language, history, and the humanities; technology to stream and distribute the Irish Arts Center experience on the digital platform; a spacious and vibrant avenue-facing café lobby that will be a hospitable hub for conversation and interaction between artists and audiences; and a beautiful new courtyard entrance on 51st Street where the historic Irish Arts Center building and the new facility meet.

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