Crys Matthews (TN) with Farhad Khosravi (AB) – In Person

Main performer : Crys Matthews (TN)

“I believe in hope,” says Nashville-based Crys Matthews. “As a social-justice songwriter, it is my duty to keep breathing that hope and encouragement into the people who listen to my music.” From the title track to the last song, her album Changemakers does just that, addressing immigration, the opioid crisis, Black Lives Matter, and gun safety. Matthews has played prestigious stages from the Sundance Film Festival to Kerrville Folk Festival to the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center. Her TedTalk, “Sing, Don’t Shout — An Alternative Approach” describes how she witnessed the power of music from an early age. Now, the former drum major and classically trained clarinetist turned folk singer answers Dr. Martin Luther King’s call to be “a drum major for justice.” https://www.crysmatthews.com

Opening performer: Farhad Khosravi (AB)

Steeped in Iranian classical music, Farhad Khosravi moved to Canada in 2012 to study engineering at the U of A, only to leverage his compositional genius to earn critical acclaim for his albums Sleeping in Sorrow and Mosàfer. With only ethereal, timeless santur (Persian dulcimer) and percussion, he sculpts mesmerizing, trancey soundscapes. Award nominations, grants and festival bookings are rapidly accumulating. https://farhadkhosravi.com