MORRISBURG – Broadway singer and film and television star Mandy Patinkin heard Lilli Lewis in concert and immediately observed “It is like listening to light.”
A phenomenal performer, sometimes described as a “Folk/Rock/Diva,” she is coming, courtesy of Harmony Concerts, to Stone Crop Acres Winery for a concert Friday, July 7, at 7 p.m. Honoured for albums like ‘Americana 2021,’ ‘Promised Land: Songs of the Sacred South’ and ‘The Henderson Sessions,’ music that runs the gamut from rock to gospel, Lilli Lewis, a classically trained opera singer and pianist from Georgia, will delight the audience with her versatility and style.
As she explained, in an interview with the Leader, “Honestly, to make music is what makes sense to me. I have to explore many corners of the musical universe – and there really is beautiful music everywhere.” She does not limit herself to any one genre or style. “I feel like I am organically connected to my music, to telling deep stories, to sharing emotions. I really don’t even think in genres.”
She has been a performer for most of her life appearing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Folk Alliance International Conference, described by the Kennedy Centre as a “powerhouse performer.” She has founded organizations that encourage and support other artists and musicians.
She continues to find incredible joy in her music. “I’m still like a little kid,” she laughed. “Nothing else brings me that sense of innocence and hope the way music does. So many things can inspire a person to write and to sing.” Yet she admits that she often creates songs “about things that I’m confused about, or the complexities of this world, the challenges of relationships. My songs, I think, are earnest and sincere. I sing from my heart. In some ways, nothing else makes sense to me except music.”
Lilli Lewis loves the connections she makes with her audiences when she is out on the stage. “Audiences give you their attention, and their hearts. It’s truly an honour that they would give up their time to share in my thoughts and feelings. I really think that we all value music as a shared experience.”
She is looking forward to her appearance at Stone Crop Acres, her first visit. She will be accompanying herself in the show, singing songs from many of her albums. “My concert will be intimate, personal, and…” Lilli laughed, “probably a bit funny at times. I love to share stories. And I truly value people. In our time together at the Winery, we can be vulnerable, we can smile, we can sing, we can laugh and together we can appreciate the experience.”