Richard Thompson performed at SMF in 2013 with his electric trio but returns for a solo acoustic concert with SMF favorite Sarah Jarosz and her new trio. Named by Rolling Stone as one of the “Top 20 Guitarists of All Time,” Richard Thompson is one of the world’s most prolific and critically-acclaimed songwriters. His songs have been recorded by Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, Del McCoury, David Byrne, Bonnie Raitt and many others. Thompson co-founded the influential British folk-rock band Fairport Convention in the 1960s, had a decade-long musical partnership with ex-wife Linda Thompson and has since performed and recorded solo as one of the most distinctive virtuosos in folk-rock history. An in-demand live performer, Thompson has spent the past two years sharing stages around the world with Bob Dylan, Wilco and My Morning Jacket.

 

At age 25, Texas-born singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz is a seasoned artist whose songwriting and musical abilities have earned her Grammy nominations and immense critical acclaim. Making her SMF debut in 2010 while still a teenager, Sarah returned again in 2013 and her fabulous new trio has since taken her performances to another level. A critic recently wrote of Jarosz: “This prodigious folkster breathes the rarefied air of being utterly respected critically and commercially across genre-boundaries.” Sarah Jarosz’ music is imbued with both an understanding of tradition and depth of artistic expression that are uncommon in a musician of any age.