Aoife O'Donovan
with Eric & Colin Jacobsen
Friday, April 9, 2027 at 7:30 PM
Matthews Theatre
Aoife O’Donovan - vocals, acoustic guitar
Eric Jacobsen - cello
Colin Jacobsen - fiddle
GRAMMY Award-winning singer and songwriter Aoife O'Donovan brings her singular voice to an intimate evening that moves freely between solitude and conversation — between the quiet power of a single voice and the warmth of strings intertwined.
Born from an Irish-American musical sensibility that stretches from the hills of Appalachia to the Celtic songs of her summers in Ireland, O'Donovan has earned her place as one of the most captivating storytellers in American folk music. Drawing from her celebrated catalog — including her acclaimed albums Age of Apathy, In the Magic Hour, and All My Friends — she performs a set of songs that are tender, searching, and quietly enchanting.
A natural collaborator — founding member of the beloved string band Crooked Still and one-third of the GRAMMY-winning folk trio I'm With Her alongside Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz — O'Donovan has earned ten GRAMMY nominations across a career built not on going it alone, but on the alchemy that happens when kindred musical spirits find each other.
Joining her are two of contemporary classical music's most imaginative voices: cellist Eric Jacobsen and violinist Colin Jacobsen, brothers whose careers have been defined by a restless curiosity that carries them far beyond genre. Co-founders of the groundbreaking string quartet Brooklyn Rider and the chamber orchestra The Knights, the Jacobsens bring with them a rare combination of classical rigor and an adventurer's ear — qualities that make them natural companions for O'Donovan's own genre-defying art.
The evening unfolds in two registers: solo moments where O'Donovan stands alone with nothing but her voice and guitar, raw and unhurried — and collaborative passages where cello and violin surround her melodies in constant conversation. Expect an evening of profound musicianship, unexpected beauty, and the rare feeling that something unrepeatable is happening right in front of you.
Photo: Eric & Colin Jacobsen