Events
Sunday, May 4th, 6:30 pm is another Artist Song Circle hosted by Jen Katt!
Joan has established a reputation in the songwriting community for her extraordinary songs that blend humor and compassion to shine a light on the daily struggles and triumphs of ordinary people. She is also known for writing as if it were okay to rhyme tofu with so should you. Not to mention vipers with diapers and babies with rabies! Joan stopped taking most playing jobs because most live-music venues are nothing like the Folk Club of Reston-Herndon, where the audience is full of kind, creative listeners and performers. A place where even the lyrics of a slow, soft, understated song have their chance to sink in. And even if your latest offering happens to be a rancid topical polemic, you and your song are warmly welcomed, every time. Joan is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Song Circle at Al’s Arts Barn.
Ellen James fell in love with the Celtic harp while working on a farm in Scotland. She bought her first harp at a medieval gathering in 1989. Since then, she has played venues as varied as a local sheep festival and the White House! Ellen loves Celtic music but also loves seeing what other kinds of music work on the harp. She divides her time between music and her pet care business. The dogs and cats generally resent the harp, since it requires her full attention and both hands, but they love playing in the harp case.
Upcoming Concerts at the ArtsBarn!
Saturday, April 12 2025 7PM
Halley Neal is an award winning folk singer and songwriter whose live shows center on themes of positivity and peace. The formerly-Nashville-currently-Boston-based artist is often joined by her backing band of upright bass and fiddle. Halley’s lyrical folk-Americana songs are met with her soaring vocals and an upbeat bluegrass inspired instrumentation. Halley has gained national recognition from touring across the country to listening rooms and folk music venues and from her performances at festivals, notably the Kerrville Folk Fest, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Halley released her most recent solo record “Beautiful and Blue” to critical acclaim on September 30th, 2022. Her live shows are remembered for her effortless vocals and honest lyrics.
Friday, May 9, 2025 7PM
Abbie Gardner is a fiery dobro player with an infectious smile. Whether performing solo or with Americana harmony trio Red Molly, her acclaimed tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, are propelled by her impeccable lap style slide guitar playing. Solo performances feature the dobro as a solo instrument, bouncing between a solid rhythmic backbone and ripping lead lines, all in support of her voice and songs. Her latest recording DobroSinger hit #11 on the Billboard Blues Chart. It’s intimate, real and raw – her dobro and voice recorded at the same time at home, without a band or any studio tricks to hide behind. You can hear every breath, every chuckle, as if you are in the room with her.
June, july, august 2025
Artsbarn Music has been producing monthly House Concerts since August of 2021. We are taking this summer off! Thanks for your continued patronage and all of your support.
***Important Note***
After this summer break we will begin requesting a suggested donation of 25.00 a person. 100% of all donations go directly to the performing artists.
Saturday, Sept 13, 2025 7PM
“Gellman’s sensitive songcraft incorporates simple but evocative slice-of-life imagery, homespun folk warmth, keen pop instincts, and crisp, first-rate musicianship.” (Taylor Guitars) Never has this been more true than on All You Need (2023), Gellman’s 10th indie release. In this follow-up to Cold Harbor (2021) – a dark, but necessary, album tackling the impact of mental illness – All You Need emerges on the other side with hope, levity, and, of course, acceptance.
Gellman has traveled near and far to perform at renowned acoustic music venues throughout the United States and Canada including the Birchmere in Alexandria, the Ark in Ann Arbor, the Blue Bird Café in Nashville, the Tin Angel in Philadelphia and Club Passim in Boston. In Washington, DC, he has performed at the venerated National Theater and the most sought after venue of all, The White House. Steven has had the honor to open shows for Dar Williams, Cheryl Wheeler, Richie Havens, Richard Shindell and Al Stewart among others.
saturday, Oct 18, 2025 7PM
Sam is so popular and loved, we are having him back for the third time!
Sam Robbins is often described as an “old soul singer songwriter.” A nationally touring musician whose music evokes classic singer songwriters like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, Sam adds a modern, upbeat edge to the storyteller troubadour persona. An avid performer, he has gained recognition from extensive national touring, from sharing the stage with artists like Jason Mraz and BJ Thomas, and as a main stage performer at national festivals like the Kerrville and Falcon Ridge Folk Festivals. Leading songwriting workshops and exciting performances across the country, Sam Robbins has gained a reputation as one of the brightest rising stars in the national folk music community.
Saturday, Nov 22, 2025 7pm
Rupert Wates is back for a second time at the Artsbarn!
Rupert Wates was born in London and studied at Oxford University. He has been a fulltime songwriter since the late 1990s, when he signed a publishing contract with Eaton Music Limited. In London he worked with some of the best performers in the city. Moving in 2001 to Paris, Wates formed his own quartet and began playing live regularly. In fall 2006 he came to the US. He is now based in New York City and Colorado. Since coming to the US, he has won more than 50 songwriting and performing awards.
His music is an eclectic mix of acoustic, melodic art/folk, with flavors of jazz, vaudeville and cabaret. He has released twelve solo CDs. They have received outstanding reviews in the international online press and tracks from them have been played on radio all over the world.