CranFest in the Courtyard 2026
Every Thursday in July and August,
tickets to individual shows on sale May 1 SEASON TICKETS on sale now
Every Thursday in July and August,
tickets to individual shows on sale May 1 SEASON TICKETS on sale now
“Canada’s finest singer songwriter.”
– Dave Marsh, Rock critic, historian & author
“That’s the music that really speaks to me. That’s my heart music,” says the veteran Canadian folk artist. As for the stories themselves, they tend to be inspired by social and justice issues, historical wrongdoings, sometimes the landscape and other times love and personal relationships. “I’m always trying to find the stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances,” he confides.
During his roughly 40 years as a performing artist he’s made an indelible mark on the musical folk landscape. He’s released 13 albums, the latest of which, Second Hand, was nominated for Canada’s highest music award, the Juno, for Traditional Roots Album of the Year. He’s already won one Juno, a Canadian Folk Music Award, received five other Juno nominations and four other Folk Music Awards nominations. He’s performed in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Ireland, the U.S and across Canada.
“He displays a genius for finding his way deep inside big stories, building them outward from palpably intimate moments.” – The Boston Globe
In 1994, he won the Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year for My Skies.
Nominated for 5 other Juno Awards
His well-worn Laskin guitar was built in 1981 and is the guitar used in every concert and recording session since then.
You can find him in the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Named Fellow Of Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
His areas of historical specialty are The History Of Science and World War 1.
His song, Kiri’s Piano - about the Japanese internment in Canada - is a part of the permanent exhibits in the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
The album Second-Hand spent 3 months in the top 10 of the FAI folk charts.
Second-Hand is the ‘Number 1 Album Of 2022’ - Penguin Eggs Critics Poll.
Nominated for Solo Artist of the year for the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards.
Artistic Director of the Summerfolk Music & Crafts Festival in Owen Sound since 2011
“He is one hell of a good songwriter, and as a guitarist his playing is practically faultless.” – Time Out, London
Gathering Storm, live in Calgary
Nova Scotian sisters Cassie and Maggie return to Cape Cod as part of their 2025 holiday tour, A Very Cassie & Maggie Christmas. Cassie and Maggie have been lighting up the world with their unique blend of traditional and contemporary Celtic instrumentals and vocals. Appearing on stages across North America, the UK, and Europe, the sisters have enchanted audiences far and wide with lively fiddle, piano and guitar arrangements, stunning sibling vocal harmonies in both English and Gaelic, all complemented by their intricate and percussive stepdancing style.
Monday, December 8, 2025
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"The 204" Harwich Cultural Center 204 Sisson Road Harwich, MA, 02645 United States (map)
With over 17 combined Canadian Folk Music, East Coast Music, and Music Nova Scotia awards and nominations, the JUNO-Nominated powerhouse duo, Cassie and Maggie, emerge as an unstoppable force on the global folk stage. Unleashing a magnetic energy, they seamlessly weave their deep Celtic heritage with contemporary influences. Committed to not just preserving but also propelling Nova Scotia's folk traditions into new realms, Cassie and Maggie bring an exhilarating energy that is both timeless and irresistibly modern
"Fervent and heartfelt" ~The New York Times
"I wasn't around to hear Phil Ochs or Woody Guthrie in person, but I'm damn glad I'm alive to hear Emma’s Revolution.” ~ Gordon Clark, Clark for Congress
Known for fearless truth-telling lyrics and melodies you can't resist singing, Emma's Revolution is the award-winning activist duo of Pat Humphries & Sandy O.
“Emma’s Revolution invokes Woody Guthrie ….. with songs that inspire, enlighten and unify.” — Mary Sue Twohy (The Village, SiriusXM)
Cassie and Maggie
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
7:00 PM 9:00 PM
"The 204" Harwich Cultural Center204 Sisson RoadHarwich, MA, 02645United States (map)
With over 17 combined Canadian Folk Music, East Coast Music, and Music Nova Scotia awards and nominations, the JUNO-Nominated powerhouse duo, Cassie and Maggie, emerge as an unstoppable force on the global folk stage. Unleashing a magnetic energy, they seamlessly weave their deep Celtic heritage with contemporary influences. Committed to not just preserving but also propelling Nova Scotia's folk traditions into new realms, Cassie and Maggie bring an exhilarating energy that is both timeless and irresistibly modern
Sunday, October 27, 2024
5:00 PM 7:00 PM
The 204 (Harwich Cultural Center)204 Sisson RoadHarwich, MA, 02645United States (map)
John McCutcheon
folk music's renaissance man —
master instrumentalist, powerful singer-songwriter, storyteller, activist, and author
Tickets $25 General admission $35 reserved front center section
“John McCutcheon is not only one of the best musicians in the USA, but also a great singer, songwriter, and song leader. And not just incidentally, he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction.”
— Pete Seeger
"The most impressive instrumentalist I've ever heard."
— Johnny Cash
"He has an uncanny ability to breathe new life into the familiar. His storytelling has the richness of fine literature."
— Washington Post
No one remembers when the neighbors started calling the McCutcheons to complain about the loud singing from young John's bedroom. It didn't seem to do much good, though. For, after a shaky, lopsided battle between piano lessons and baseball (he was a mediocre pianist and an all-star catcher), he had "found his voice" thanks to a cheap mail-order guitar and a used book of chords.
From such inauspicious beginnings, John McCutcheon has emerged as one of our most respected and loved folksingers. As an instrumentalist, he is a master of a dozen different traditional instruments, most notably the rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer. His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations. He has produced over twenty albums of other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works. His books and instructional materials have introduced budding players to the joys of their own musicality. And his commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.
Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesota's St. John's University, this Wisconsin native literally "headed for the hills," forgoing a college lecture hall for the classroom of the eastern Kentucky coal camps, union halls, country churches, and square dance halls. His apprenticeship to many of the legendary figures of Appalachian music imbedded a love of not only home-made music, but a sense of community and rootedness. The result is music...whether traditional or from his huge catalog of original songs...with the profound mark of place, family, and strength. It also created a storytelling style that has been compared to Will Rogers and Garrison Keillor.
The Washington Post described John as folk music's "Rustic Renaissance Man," a moniker flawed only by its understatement. "Calling John McCutcheon a 'folksinger' is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player..." (Dallas Morning News). Besides his usual circuit of major concert halls and theaters, John is equally at home in an elementary school auditorium, a festival stage or at a farm rally. He is a whirlwind of energy packing five lifetimes into one. In the past few years alone he has headlined over a dozen different festivals in North America (including repeated performances at the National Storytelling Festival), recorded an original composition for Virginia Public Television involving over 500 musicians, toured Australia for the sixth time, toured Chile in support of a women's health initiative, appeared in a Woody Guthrie tribute concert in New York City, gave a featured concert at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, taught performance art skills at a North Carolina college, given symphony pops concerts across America, served as President of the fastest-growing Local in the Musicians Union and performed a special concert at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This is all in his "spare time." His "real job," he's quick to point out, is father to two grown sons.
But it is in live performance that John feels most at home. It is what has brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest audiences any folk musician has ever enjoyed. People of every generation and background seem to feel at home in a concert hall when John McCutcheon takes the stage, with what critics describe as "little feats of magic," "breathtaking in their ease and grace...," and "like a conversation with an illuminating old friend."
Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few people communicate with the versatility, charm, wit or pure talent of John McCutcheon.
Source:: https://www.folkmusic.com/
Th July 11 Harvey Reid and Joyce Andersen
Th July 18 Kristen Grainger True North Duo
Th July 25 David Jacobs-Strain with Bob Beach
Th August 1 Lonesome Ace String Band
Th August 8 The Folk Collective
Th August 15 Karan Casey
Th August 22 Hubby Jenkins
FRIDAY AUGUST 30 Season Finale John Gorka
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Gates open at 545PM.
Why not PACK A PICNIC or bring takeout?
Soft drinks for sale, sorry no beer or wine this year.
It’s simple dollars and sense. You SAVE $ and your early support assures the viability of our season. With enough Season Passes, combined with sponsor support, we are able to attract (and afford) the talented performers who come to play our concerts.
AND
Your ‘tickets’ are transferable….can’t attend? Give them to a friend.