Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer

About the Artist

TWO-TIME GRAMMY® Award Winners, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer are an eclectic folk festival on their own terms. Their superb harmonies are backed by instrumental virtuosity on the guitar, five-string banjo, ukulele, mandolin, and cello-banjo. The duo has released 48 recordings, won recognition as both songwriters and tradition bearers, and opened doors for countless other musicians. From social justice to the history of women in country music, Django style jazz to bluegrass, and old- time music, they are a rare eclectic duo that ties it all together-past, present, and future. They have performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts, The Music Center at Strathmore, Frostburg State's Appalachian Music Festival, and on NPR's Mountain Stage. The duo has forty years of touring behind them at folk & roots music festivals from Vancouver to North Carolina and Toronto to California. In 2013 they toured China, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu as cultural ambassadors through the American Voices Abroad program.  Boston Globe called them  “Spellbinding acoustic musicians, with a rare mastery of American roots styles.” Billboard Magazine said, “As close to flawless folk/bluegrass as it gets.”

Artist's Statement

PROGRAMS AN EVENING WITH CATHY FINK & MARCY MARXER Enjoy an eclectic mix of the duo's favorite original and traditional folk, old-time country, and swing tunes, featuring superb vocal harmonies and dazzling instrumentals. The duo's consummate musicianship is matched by their enthusiasm for group singing, song-leading, and inspiring people of all ages to get in on the fun. Cathy & Marcy intersperse stories of the places they've visited and the incredible people they've met along the way such as OlaBelleReed, PatsyMontana (first woman in country music to sell one million records), Lily Mae Ledford, Roy Smeck, and many more musical mentors.   CATHY FINK & MARCY MARXER & CHAO TIAN - FROM CHINA TO APPALACHIA Also on Mid-Atlantic Tours Roster 2023-2024 Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer are joined by versatile Chinese Classical Hammered Dulcimer player Chao Tian for an evening of traditional and contemporary Americana and Chinese music.  Chao Tian is a Chinese dulcimer virtuoso, improviser, sound designer, and visual artist. Her dexterity has led to her breaking down barriers and working across creative genres. In her work, she explores the distinct sounds and techniques of the Chinese dulcimer in order to create a multidimensional sensation of improvisation. Her creative interests include synesthesia in cross-disciplinary collaboration: interplay between visual art and music; Chinese musical vocabulary and philosophy in improvisation; and music as a response to conflict alleviation and healing. Chao Tian’s music reflects her role as a leader of younger generation Chinese musicians and her understanding of traditional and contemporary music from the east to the west.   CATHY & MARCY'S FAMILY MUSIC PARTY Two-time Children’s Music Grammy® Award winners Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer entertain, engage, and inspire with their instrumental virtuosity on guitars, ukuleles, banjos washboard, and homemade instruments, along with tight harmony singing. Plan on a participatory and active show filled with hand motions, sign language, dancing, yodeling, call and response and singing along!    ALL WIGGED OUT -  THE MUSICAL:  FILM SCREENING & CONCERT In ALL WIGGED OUT, Grammy® Award-winner Marcy Marxer blends music, storytelling, comedy, and advice based on her firsthand experiences with breast cancer, starting with a funky mammogram in June 2015 and ending shortly after her last chemo pill in spring of 2021. Says Marxer, "There were times when the wig shop gals gave me more information than my doctors. So did conversations with other patients in the chemo room." With her renowned musical mastery and eclectic wit, Marxer traces her transition from award-winning virtuosic musician to artist struggling with chemo-induced neuropathy-, and the path back to touring musician. It happens to coincide with her hair story. Marcy is joined by partner Cathy Fink, bass player Stacy McMichael, and drummer Janet Cramer. Filmed by Emmy Award-winning HMS Media, each event includes the film screening along with a second set for Q&A, live music, or a panel discussion with local leaders in the cancer community.    ROCKIN' THE UKE Cathy & Marcy explore their versatility on the ukulele as they travel through blues, swing, old-time county, folk, and original songs - all in virtuoso style. From Django inspired solos to lush harmony singing, you'll enjoy the "silver throated slayer on your record player" in this all-ages concert. The duo's consummate musicianship is matched by their entertaining patter featuring soprano, tenor, and baritone ukuleles along with the cello banjo, five-string banjo, and guitar.