2024-2025 Coffee House Series

A New York native, raised between Sunnyside, Queens and Huntington, Long Island, Kirsten Maxwell attributes her love of music to her parents, who met performing at the famed Amato Opera. Maxwell made her stage debut at age 5, and grew up there, changing costumes and styles, exploring opera, musical theater, folk, and everything in between. Her eclectic taste and talent for switching between genres remains, but she can most often be found playing guitar and singing one of her original songs.

“Kirsten Maxwell is an amazing writer and powerful, evocative singer whose performances are a sheer joy. She shines in her own lyrical compositions and in her singular choices of other artists, especially those of Joni Mitchell. Hearing Kirsten sing is uplifting-her future as a performer will be an inspiration in an already marvelous present.“ ~ Judy Collins, “singer, songwriter and fan” 

https://www.kirstenmaxwell.com/band

The Kennedys began their writing and touring life three decades ago as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, eventually developing their own sound.  Along the way, they hosted "The Dharma Cafe", a nationwide radio program on Sirius/XM, wrote and released sixteen CDs of original music, and have been core artists on folk radio.  In addition to singing and writing, The Kennedys are multi-instrumentalists.  Acoustic and electric guitars, a vintage steel guitar, a gospel-inflected piano/organ mix, and even a slide ukulele all add colors to a songbag of sounds that have drawn us together over the years. 

https://www.kennedysmusic.com/

David Roth strikes many chords, hearts, and minds with his unique songs, offbeat observations, moving stories, sense of the hilarious, and powerful singing and subject matter. As singer, songwriter, recording artist, keynote speaker, workshop leader, and instructor, David has earned top honors at premier songwriter competitions and taken his music, experience, and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries full-time for three decades.

”David Roth has honed his considerable skills as a songwriter, performer, and collaborator to a fine edge, displayed brilliantly on his latest recording ‘Last Day on this Earth’. He displays that winning trifecta of passion for this human experience, a keen nose for the stories of people in the many nooks and crannies of that experience, and the right touch of humor, to make this one of my favorite recordings of the year.” Bob Weiser ~ The Old Songs Home, WOMR, Provincetown, MA

https://davidrothmusic.com/

From Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium to listening rooms throughout the United States, husband-wife duo GOLDPINE has been offering their own brand of bold harmony-driven Americana to audiences large and small. WINNER of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Contest, their distinctive harmonies are clearly a channel for their sometimes-raucous, sometimes-reminiscent compositions. With an incredible collection of stories about life, love, and purpose, their live performance is a powerful projection of everything Goldpine is about: striking vocals, bold harmony, and introspection into the human experience.

After nearly a decade of honing in on their sound, Goldpine released their sophomore album Two and continues to waste no time showing what they stand for. Their lead single, “Do You Have Me,” showcases Kassie’s powerhouse of a voice. Starting out slow, the song cycles through a pattern of harmonious verses and a commanding chorus, ultimately building to an instrumental interlude of southern electric guitars and a rhythmic tambourine.  Two is about real people and real situations, told through candid and passionate songwriting. “I want people to come away from this album and take an honest look at themselves,” Ben remarks. “An honest look at motives. An honest look at connections with other people. An honest look at how we use the time we've been given.” Exposing the pains of severed relationships and unearthing the pursuits of love and purpose, Goldpine is cathartic, moody, dissonant and relevant, all intertwined into one. 

“…sharing a sound that’s cast in honesty, emotion and homespun sentiment…the songs say it all, providing clear indication that Goldpine has established a precious standard.” -Lee Zimmerman (Goldmine Magazine)

https://goldpinemusic.com/home

Already being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie,” Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls "the poster-child for intersectionality," Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation called Matthews’s gift "a reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides." She is made for these times and, with the release of her new, hope-fueled, love-filled social justice album Changemakers, Matthews hopes to take her place alongside some of her heroes in the world of social-justice music like Sweet Honey in the Rock and Holly Near.

Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times."

Matthews’s music helps to recruit those allies. Her songs encourage confrontation with tough issues. In the great tradition of folk music, Matthews brings listeners in with sweet sounds that grab them by the heart, and just as they are cradled in her soulful voice and her deft handling of an acoustic guitar it’s as if Matthews says, “Now that you’re here, we’ve got some things to talk about.” — Pride Source

https://www.crysmatthews.com/

Named to the Chicago Tribune's list of the "50 Most Significant Songwriters in the Last 50 Years," Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter Danny Schmidt has amassed a cult following for his poetic, poignant lyrics. With a craftsmanship and emotional depth drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen and Townes Van Zandt, Schmidt is considered a preeminent writer. Sing Out Magazine proclaimed that: "Schmidt is a force of nature: a blue moon, a hundred-year flood, an avalanche of a singer-songwriter. His songs are a flood of poetry, mythology, folk wisdom, and surprise. He is perhaps the best new songwriter we've heard in the last 15 years."

Performing solo most often, armed with just his voice, his acoustic guitar, and his acute insight and commentary, Schmidt’s an authentic timeless troubadour, one man sharing his truth in the form of songs, in unadorned and intimate fashion.  The understated effect can be powerful.  As songwriter Jeffrey Foucault put it: “Everything about the man is gentle, except for his capacity for insight, which is crushing.”

Carrie Elkin is one of those rare artists with a tidal wave singing voice, and a stage whisper writing voice that brings you to the edge of your seat, emotionally. Like Patty Griffin or Brandi Carlile, she straddles the Americana, Folk, and Indie Rock worlds, where meaningful songs meet the fierce-yet- fragile voices of powerful women. Like these other seminal artists, Elkin has the gift of projecting very personal intimate moments into transcendent universal experiences that move us all. Maverick Magazine said it best, after a recent festival performance: "I have never seen a performer so in love with the act of singing. That's the gospel truth, and from what I've subsequently learned, I'm not the only one to believe or state that. Onstage, Elkin was simply a force of nature."

https://www.dannyschmidt.com/

Duke Thompson is the piano whisperer. From the intricacies of his own compositions to the power of Classic Rock and the thoughts of the Blues. Dr. Thompson speaks to his audience with curious facts about the music, and he invites audience comments. Dr. Thompson has performed throughout Canada and the United States and has been featured on National Public Radio in both countries. He has also performed in Japan, Portugal, France, and Ireland.

He is what many have called a Pianist Gone Wild with his unique arrangements of pieces like “Amazing Grace”, “Stairway to Heaven”, and “Bye Bye Miss American Pie” along with his medleys that might include Woody Guthrie, The Beatles, and himself. Mo and Me is a selection that joins Mozart with one of his own very expressive compositions. This year’s program will include a performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” for its 50th Anniversary (1975-2025).

Dr. Thompson is an active performer and is President of Maryland Conservatory of Music. You can read his bio here.