FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Passey | [email protected] | 480-874-4626

From taking home 5 Grammys to taking the Scottsdale Arts stage: Mary Chapin Carpenter

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Mary Chapin Carpenter, illustrious for her historic impact on women’s songwriting and her skilled fusion of pop, folk and country artistry, will perform at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on June 13.

As one of only 15 female members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Carpenter is eminent for gracefully weaving together emotionally-transparent, introspective storytelling and vibrant, joyous melodies.

The New York Times described Carpenter’s delivery and style as “the low, steady voice of someone confiding her thoughts in a journal,” adding that “It is a voice made to engage in hushed heart-to-heart all-night conversations about things that really matter.”

“It’s a blessing to have such wise storytellers and poets like Mary Chapin Carpenter in this world,” said Abbey Messmer, programming director at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

Carpenter’s music often draws from her life experiences and her own encounters with change, emotion and personal growth. In speaking about “The Dirt And The Stars” — her 2020 album produced by Ethan Johns (Ray LaMontagne, Paul McCartney, Kings of Leon) and recorded entirely live at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, England — Carpenter reflected this notion by quoting the writer Margaret Renkl.

“‘We are all in the process of becoming.’ That doesn’t stop at a certain age,” Carpenter said. “To be always a student of art and music and life, as she says, that, to me, is what makes life worth living. The songs are very personal and they’re difficult in some ways — and definitely come from places of pain and self-illumination, but also places of joy, discovery and the rewards of self- knowledge. They arrived from looking outward as much as inward, speaking to life changes, growing older, politics, compassion, #MeToo, heartbreak, empathy, the power of memory, time and place. There are many themes, but they all come back to that initial truth that we are all constantly ‘becoming’ through art and expression.”

Her unique approach to storytelling and composition is portrayed in many of her hits, including “I Feel Lucky” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” which have led Carpenter to secure five Grammys (with 16 nominations), two Country Music Association Awards and two Academy of Country Music Awards.

Other hit songs include “Passionate Kisses,” “Down at the Twist and Shout,” “I Take My Chances,” and “Shut Up and Kiss Me.” Over the course of her acclaimed career, she has sold more than 16 million records.

In 2020 she recorded two albums: “The Dirt And The Stars” and “One Night Lonely,” recorded live without an audience at the legendary Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Virginia during the COVID-19 shutdown. The latter was nominated for the 2022 Grammy for Best Folk Album.

EVENT DETAILS

The performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. on June 13 in the Virginia G. Piper Theater at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona. Tickets are $60–$85. Visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/events or call the Scottsdale Arts Box Office at 480-499-TKTS (8587) for more information.

Scottsdale Arts is continually striving to increase our accessibility offerings to provide enriching arts opportunities for everyone in the community. For more information about services we offer, please visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/visit/accessibility.

*News release written by Megan Moore, communications intern, Scottsdale Arts