World-Renowned Singer-Songwriters Antje Duvekot and Ellis Paul to Perform at FSU’s Mountain City Traditional Arts

Frostburg State University’s Mountain City Traditional Arts will present singer-songwriters Antje Duvekot and Ellis Paul in a performance on Sunday, March 26, at 4 p.m. at 25 E. Main St. in Frostburg. The live entertainment is open to the public through general admission with a suggested donation of $15.

Born in Germany and transplanted to the U.S. as a young teen, Duvekot began to hone her observational skills through a lens of biculturalism when she picked up a guitar during that move. Some years later, the confessional folk of Dar Williams and Ani DiFranco gave her license to share her observations, no matter how personal, in her first emerging songs. She has never let go of that tenet of vulnerability.

Duvekot has extensive touring experience. She is a compelling live performer and has been invited to play top festivals, such as the Newport Folk Festival, Mountain Stage and Kerrville Folk Festival. Internationally, she’s headlined the Celtic Connections Festival in Scotland and the Tonder Festival in Denmark. Duvekot has won some of the top songwriting awards, including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and the “Best New Folk Award” at Kerrville. In one of the nation’s top music markets, she won the Boston Music Award for “Outstanding Folk Act.” She has also appeared on various NPR programs.

Though some may refer to Paul as a folk singer, he is more of a singular storyteller, a musician whose words reach out from inside and express the feelings, thoughts and sensibilities to which most people, regardless of age or upbringing, can relate – the exhilaration of the open road, a celebration of heroes, the hope for redemption and the sharing of love. Reviewer Lee Zimmerman, in writing about Paul, said “Some artists document their lives through their music. Others chronicle their times. It’s a rare artist who can do both, telling their own story through songs that also encapsulate the essence of people and places who have helped define their era overall.”

Paul’s music has been shared through commercials, documentaries, TV shows and in the soundtracks of several blockbuster films, among them three by the Farrelly Brothers – “Hall Pass,” “Me, Myself and Irene” and “Shallow Hal.”

This event is supported by funding from the Maryland State Arts Council. MCTA is a program of FSU in partnership with the Maryland Traditions Program of the State Arts Council.

For more information, call 301-687-8040 or email Dr. Kara Rogers Thomas at krogersthomas@frostburg.edu.

FSU is following CDC guidance based on current area conditions. For current health and safety guidelines visit www.frostburg.edu/COVID19.