Ukrainian singer and bandura player Maryna Krut brings the sound and story of her homeland to the Freight. The bandura—a many-stringed instrument with qualities of both lute and zither—anchors her music, carrying traditional melodies into arrangements shaped by jazz and her powerful, expressive voice. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Krut’s role has expanded from performer […]

CelloGayageum unites Austrian cellist Sol Daniel Kim and Korean gayageum player and composer Dayoung Yoon in music that crosses continents and centuries. Founded in 2016 after the musicians met in Berlin, the duo connects the resonance of Western classical cello with the plucked sonority of Korean gugak.Their original compositions begin with Korean folk melodies and […]

Wake the Dead returns for its annual Day of the Dead Bash, combining Irish traditional music with the songbook of the Grateful Dead and the wider Summer of Love. Jigs, reels, soaring harmonies, and adventurous instrumental playing meet psychedelic-era songs in a danceable hybrid beloved by Celtic-music listeners and Deadheads alike.The septet features Danny Carnahan, […]

Dirk and Amelia Powell bring the intertwined musical histories of Louisiana and Appalachia to the stage as a father-daughter duo. Amelia grew up inside the Cajun tradition of her grandfather, fiddler and cultural ambassador Dewey Balfa, while learning old-time Appalachian music with Dirk, whose own banjo, fiddle and guitar playing traces back to family roots […]

Solas celebrates 30 years of transforming Irish-American music with a milestone concert of driving tunes, soaring melody and emotionally charged song. Formed in New York in 1995, the band helped redefine the Celtic sound by weaving traditional Irish music with folk, bluegrass, Americana and contemporary songwriting. Founding members return alongside longtime collaborators for a performance […]

Jeffrey Foucault brings more than two decades of road-tested American songwriting to The Freight. His spare, emotionally powerful music is rooted in the open landscapes of his Midwestern upbringing, with literate lyrics and a worn, direct vocal style that have earned an international following.Foucault’s album The Universal Fire was recorded live in one room after […]

Tuba Skinny brings the streets of New Orleans to the Freight through traditional jazz, country blues, jug-band music, spirituals, ragtime and early R&B. The ensemble approaches the broad genealogy of American roots music with deep historical knowledge and an exuberance that makes songs from the 1920s and ’30s feel fully present. After years interpreting overlooked […]

Chris Smither brings more than 50 years of folk-blues songwriting and guitar playing to The Freight. Drawing on American folk music, the blues, poetry, and philosophy, he has developed a spare, unmistakable sound carried by intricate acoustic guitar, a weathered voice, and songs that face mortality without losing wit or motion.Smither’s work has been interpreted […]

The California Bluegrass Reunion celebrates the state’s deep bluegrass tradition with musicians who have shaped the genre through performance, teaching, composition, and collaboration. The lineup includes banjoist Bill Evans, guitarist Jim Nunally, fiddler Chad Manning, bassist and mandolinist Sharon Gilchrist, dobro player Mike Witcher, vocalist Nell Robinson, and bassist Max Schwartz.After decades of crossing paths […]

Las Migas brings a contemporary, all-women vision of flamenco shaped by more than 20 years of touring and musical exchange. The Spanish ensemble honors the form’s emotional directness and rhythmic fire while opening its sound to modern arrangements, strong visual identity and influences gathered across performances in more than 50 countries. The program draws from […]

Lucy Kaplansky brings a career shaped by both folk music and psychology to The Freight. She began singing in Chicago clubs as a teenager, then joined New York’s community of songwriters alongside Suzanne Vega, Steve Forbert, the Roches, and frequent duet partner Shawn Colvin.Kaplansky stepped away from an early musical rise to earn a doctorate […]

Tito Puente Jr. carries the high-voltage joy of his father’s music into a celebration of mambo, salsa and Latin jazz. Rather than preserving that legacy at a distance, he renews it onstage through driving percussion, dance-floor energy and a repertoire that joins beloved Puente classics with music of his own. Puerto Rican flutist Nestor Torres […]

Uruguay-born percussionist, singer, composer, producer, and bandleader Edgardo Cambón celebrates 40 years in the Bay Area with Gracias Bay Area. His musical journey began with tango performances on Uruguayan television, continued through Europe, and reached California in 1986, where he became a vital presence in the region’s Latin music community.Cambón’s Afro-Cuban percussion and vocals have […]

Choir! Choir! Choir! turns the audience into the show for Un-Silent Night, a fully interactive holiday sing-along. Directors Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman teach the parts, the room supplies the voices and familiar seasonal songs grow into the sound of hundreds of people singing together. The program mixes holiday classics with pop favorites in a […]

Zoë Ellis and Janice Maxie Reid lead a participatory holiday gathering filled with interfaith and non-denominational carols, comedy, and personal stories. Audience members of all ages are invited to sing, dance, interact with the hosts, and sometimes join them onstage.Ellis’ musical path spans light opera, gospel, R&B, soul, hip-hop, house music, and a cappella improvisation, […]

Cherish the Ladies brings four decades of Irish music, song, and step dancing to a festive Celtic Christmas program. The Grammy-nominated ensemble helped open new paths for women in traditional Irish music while building an international career spanning 18 albums and thousands of performances.Flute and whistle virtuoso Joanie Madden leads Mary Coogan on guitar, Mirella […]

The Fretliners bring their When the Kettle Sings tour to The Freight, carrying forward the acoustic tradition of telling hard truths through song. The Colorado band has earned New Artist honors at both Telluride and RockyGrass through commanding musicianship, close harmonies, and an immediate connection with audiences.Drawing from bluegrass, Americana, folk, and rock, the group […]

Vienna Teng writes songs that stay with listeners like conversations remembered years later. Her warm mezzo and piano-centered craft have moved through string-laced intimacy, hushed jazz, ambitious folk-pop and shimmering electronica, giving each album its own world while keeping lyric and emotional detail at the center. The concert draws from a catalog whose songs have […]

The Art of the Oud offers an intimate solo evening with Cairo-born virtuoso Joseph Tawadros. Playing the fretless, pear-shaped lute central to Middle Eastern music, he draws on the Arabic modal system of maqam while opening his original compositions to Baroque, jazz and folk influences. The program moves from fast, technically dazzling passages to lyrical, […]

Väsen’s Mikael Marin and Olov Johansson bring more than 37 years of musical partnership to Swedish traditional music. Their playful, almost telepathic interplay creates a language that feels ancient and modern at once, rooted in the dance tunes and instrumental traditions of Uppland while remaining open to new directions.The musicians first met in Uppsala in […]

Indian slide-guitar master Debashish Bhattacharya and saxophonist George Brooks make their long-awaited debut as a duo after years of friendship, writing, recording, and rehearsal in Kolkata and California. Both appeared as featured soloists on John McLaughlin’s Grammy-nominated Floating Point, and their collaboration links Hindustani classical music with modern jazz and world fusion.They are joined by […]