Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale are married co-conspirators in song. They are two scoops of modern folk with a generous sprinkling of pop-catchiness, topped off with the wit and flair that comes of their theater backgrounds. Catherine Miles & Jay Mafale bring a candidness and playful approachability to the stage, disarming audiences and opening hearts wide enough to let some light in.

Catherine’s voice - resonant, expressive, a powerhouse. She’s got range and she’s not afraid to use it. Jay’s guitar - percussive, melodic, thoughtful. He propels and punctuates the narrative. Their shared experience has taught them about perseverance and perspective, and those strengths are evident in their song craft. They invite folks inside their songs with a story to be told, a friend they want you to meet, a villain or hero presented with a flourish.

In addition to appearing on venerable stages and festivals across the country, their songwriting has earned them recognition as Most Wanted Emerging Artists at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, three-time Kerrville New Folk finalists, South Florida Folk Festival/Vic Heyman Award finalists, and Honorable Mentions in Mid-Atlantic and Braver Angels song contests.

Opening the concert will be Boston-based and Pennsylvania-raised musician Rachel Marie, who follows in a tradition of unapologetically forthright women folksingers, with songs that hearken to "overstuffed lines of Tori Amos, philosophical turn of Indigo Girls, and lilting vocals like Joni Mitchell." The social awareness of folk meets the introspection of the singer-songwriter tradition with a moderate dose of snark. Rachel takes a straightforward and honest approach to songwriting in an effort to foster genuine human connection and encourage empathy through music. Passion for using the power of her voice to shed light on injustice gives rise to poignant poetic statements on subjects from heartbreak and death to police brutality and immigration. An endearingly quirky stage presence as honest as her songs keeps audiences charmed.