NewSong welcomes Maya de Vitry to the ‘Sanctuary Sessions’ stage. She has spent the last six years touring the United States, Canada, and Europe with her Americana band The Stray Birds. In her solo work, her lone, dynamic voice, as well as her muses and meditations, explore a striking new landscape.
The Nashville, TN based songwriter will perform as part of the Sanctuary Sessions series Saturday, June 16th at the Central United Methodist Church in downtown Asheville. Doors at 7 pm. Acclaimed Canadian songwriter Rose Cousins headlines the show. All proceeds from the event benefit Blue Ridge Public Radio.
“It’s so cool to be coming to Asheville,” says de Vitry. “I’ve actually lived in Asheville twice before. The traditional fiddle music scene was like a magnet to me when I first came to the Swannanoa Gathering in 2008.”
de Vitry eventually left Asheville in 2011 and moved to Boston to study music. “Rather than finish unpacking in my new apartment [in Boston] I remember rushing off to the legendary Club Passim in Harvard Square to catch the end of a songwriter show, and Rose Cousins was performing when I arrived,” says de Vitry of her fellow ‘Sanctuary Sessions’ performer. “Her voice and her songs and her delivery — it was all very stunning to me. She was a catalyst, and now she is also a friend. I’m honored to support her in Asheville.”
de Vitry says the transition to playing solo has been an exciting one. “I have been writing and touring exclusively with The Stray Birds since 2012, so to be out here right now playing these new songs just feels like a celebration and a release to me,” she says. “It’s not an album release tour yet, but it’s a release of something else. It feels like such a celebration to grow and explore new directions as a human, and to find a more and more focused voice as an artist. Sometimes the process itself is a highlight!”
Stay up-to-date with Maya de Vitry’s news and show calendar on her website, mayadevitry.com.
WHAT: Sanctuary Sessions: Rose Cousins / Maya de Vitry
WHERE: Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church Street, downtown Asheville
WHEN: Saturday, June 16. Doors @ 7. Music @ 7:30.
TICKETS: $15 advance / $20 day of show; advance tickets available theorangepeel.net