In December, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, in association with the Bardavon, announced two big names for their 2013 concert schedule: Natalie Merchant and Yo-Yo Ma. Tickets for both concerts go on sale today at 10am.
Though her career as a singer-songwriter spans the past 30 years (including collaborations with David Byrne, REM, The Chieftains, and Wilco), Merchant now performs primarily as a guest soloist with orchestras, including her performance on July 20th with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic at Bethel Woods, featuring conductor Randall Craig Fleischer. (Chronogram profiled Merchant in 2010; read it here.)
Yo-Yo Ma, the defining cello virtuoso of the modern age, is joined by fiddler Stuart Duncan, bassist Edgar Meyer, and mandolin-player Chris Thile, as well as vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, for a live performance of their 2011 collaborative album The Goat Rodeo Sessions on August 16. Blending genres from classical to bluegrass, the string quartet offers a variation on the traditional chamber ensemble.
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel. Both concerts are Pavilion-only shows; the Pavilion accommodates 5,000 people. Ticket prices range from $20 to $80 for the Natalie Merchant performance and from $35 to $125 for Yo-Yo Ma. Purchase tickets at www.bethelwoodscenter.org, by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Tickets for the Natalie Merchant concert are also available at the Bardavon box office.
