“She lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times,” says ASCAP VP Eric Philbrook. A troubadour of truth, Nashville resident Crys Matthews blends Country, Americana, Folk, Blues, and Bluegrass into a bold, complex performance of traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. With special guest Sarah Fiore.

Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers: an award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, and a dynamic performer. Her mission is “to amplify the voices of the unheard, to shed light on the unseen, and to be a steadfast reminder that hope and love are the truest pathways to equity and justice.”

The self-proclaimed poster child of intersectionality, Crys Matthews is reclaiming the space Black artists have been denied in Country and Americana music. She is reclaiming the space LGBTQ people have been denied in communities of faith. She is reclaiming the autonomy women have been denied over their own bodies. And she is reclaiming the South that raised her.

Her new album Reclamation is, she says, “both sonically and ideologically the fullest representation of who I am as an artist and as a human” — a preacher’s kid, a Black woman, a Butch lesbian, and a proud Southerner who sings social justice music right alongside ‘traditional’ Country and Americana music. Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation says Matthews’ musical gift is a “reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides.”

with special guest SARAH FIORE

Named Best Songwriter (2023) and Best Female Artist (2022, 2023) by the Central PA Music Hall of Fame, Sarah Fiore is known for her moving melodies, salt-of-the-earth vocals, and true lyrical artistry. Hailing from Dover, PA, she also leads the award-winning folk/roots band, Big Sky Quartet, which was recently awarded Best Folk Band by the Central PA Music Hall of Fame. Sarah is a landscaper by day, ski patroller in winter, and lover of cats.