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Ellis Paul & Friends – Tickets available at the door starting at 6:30 pm
December 29, 2023 @ 7:30 pm
Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous pieces of music that get under your skin and into your bloodstream. And much like the artists who have influenced him, everyone from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to the singer-songwriter who is undoubtedly his greatest inspiration, Woody Guthrie, Paul weaves deeply personal experiences with social issues and renders them as provocative works that are as timely as they are timeless. Born and raised in Maine, Paul attended Boston College on a track scholarship and in the evenings became a fixture on the city’s open mic circuit. After winning a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition, he caught the ear of folk luminary Bill Morrissey, who produced his indie album Say Something in 1993. This led to a seven-album contract with Rounder Records and the 1994 album, Stories. Through a steady succession of albums of his own – a remarkable 22 releases so far – and a constant touring presence around the world, Paul’s audience has grown into a loyal legion of fans. Along the way, he has picked up an impressive number of awards including the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Award, 15 Boston Music Awards, the 2019 International Acoustic Music Awards Artist of the Year and his 2019 album, The Storyteller’s Suitcase, was named the 2019 NERFA Album of the Year. His new album 55released in June 2023 touches on the necessity of gratitude in a difficult era of the pandemic and divided political stances on his own imprint, Rosella Records. As of this writing, the album is #4 on the FAI Folk-DJ chart.
Tonight Ellis will be joined by musicians Radoslav Lorkovic, a Croatian-born and classically trained folk and blues musician, known in particular for his flair on the piano and accordion and Don Conoscenti, an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist and Lauri MacAllister of the folk trio Red Molly.
This concert wraps up the Opera House’s 20th season – we are delighted to have these 4 talents close out 2023. Tickets available beginning September 1, 2023.