A pair of acclaimed duos — one based in New York’s Hudson Valley, the other from Toronto — will share the bill during the monthly Hard Luck Café series at the Cinema Arts Centre on Thursday, May 18.
The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Ave. in Huntington.
The Whispering Tree and The Young Novelists will perform at 8:30 p.m. in the Cinema’s Sky Room.
At the heart of The Whispering Tree are singer-songwriter Eleanor Kleiner and multi-instrumentalist Elie Brangbour.
With their deep-reaching sound, haunting vocals and vivid lyrics, this Beacon, N.Y.-based, Franco-American duo has been captivating audiences since meeting at music school in London in 2004.
Full of imagery and stories of the human condition, The Whispering Tree’s songwriting is the backbone of its moody and melodic folk-rock sound and has been heavily influenced by the duo’s travels abroad.
Named as first-place winners in the 2010 Songdoor International Songwriting Competition, The Whispering Tree are finalists in the 2017 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition.
Kleiner was also recently named as a finalist in The Philadelphia Songwriters Project’s songwriting contest.
The duo also has had coveted official showcases at Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conferences, and has twice performed in the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist Showcase.
Toronto-based The Young Novelists are known for their beautiful harmonies and songs culled from their small-town Canadian roots.
Sharing a passion for storytelling, Graydon James and Laura Spink sing songs about small towns, redemption, love and loss.
Since the release of their second, full-length album, Made us Strangers, they have been relentlessly touring Canada and the U.S., earning accolades wherever they go.
They were recognized as Emerging Artists of the Year at the 2015 Canadian Folk Music Awards, won the Grassy Hill Songwriting Competition at the 2015 Connecticut Folk Festival, and were recently named as finalists in the NewSong Contest.
The Young Novelists also earned coveted official showcases at the Folk Alliance International Conference, as well as at those of its northeast and southeast regional affiliates.
Tickets to the concert are $15 ($10 for Cinema Arts Centre and Folk Music Society of Huntington members) and will be available at the door.
The performances will be preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m.
Now in its 49th year, the Folk Music Society of Huntington presents two monthly concert series, a monthly folk jam and an annual folk festival in conjunction with the Huntington Arts Council.
Its First Saturday Concerts series at the Congregational Church of Huntington (30 Washington Drive, off Route 25A, Centerport) will feature noted singer-songwriter Ellis Paul on June 3.
For more information about the presenters, visit www.fmsh.org or call 631-425-2925.
Established in 1973, the Cinema Arts Centre seeks to bring the best of cinematic artistry to Long Island and use the power of film to expand the awareness and consciousness of the community.
Long Island’s only not-for-profit, viewer-supported, independent cinema presents a wide array of films that are often accompanied by discussions and guest speakers.
For more information about the Cinema Arts Centre, go to www.cinemaartscentre.org.
