Anne Hills with Cindy Mangsen and Steve Gillette

The musical and marital partnership of Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen reminds us of what folk music is all about. Many of their songs were composed by Steve, one of the most prolific and widely recorded songwriters of the modern folk era. Cindy is a master interpreter of traditional ballads, with a feel for their richness of myth and legend. She plays guitar, concertina, and banjo, and is renowned for her compelling voice, described by one critic as a voice that can warm a New England winter. Their duo album "Live in Concert" was recorded at the Ark in 1991 and released to tremendous acclaim. Separately and together, Cindy and Steve have been among our favorite performers ever since.

Anne Hills has, in the words of the Chicago Tribune, "one of the most glorious voices in all of contemporary folk music," and she's been called the heir apparent to Judy Collins. She came of age as part of Chicago's folk scene, and she has never stopped experimenting and searching: among her many collaborations are those with jazz musicians and with theatrical presenters. Anne's latest album, "Fragile Gifts," is a fusion of folk, poetry, and classical music, and over the years this artist has always been trying—and succeeding at—new things.