MUSIC
A lifelong singer and multi-instrumentalist, I was raised singing and playing folk songs and sea shanties with my family. Today I tour nationally with vocal duo Spitzer & Mareva, regularly play barn dances with old-time string band Prairie State Ramblers, and every once in a while break out the bass to play grunge-pop songs with Courtney. In 2019 and 2020 I studied traditional fiddle tunes and songs of Illinois with Genevieve Koester, funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency’s Master-Apprentice Program. From 2016 to 2019 I organized the Midwest Sing & Stomp, an annual celebration of folk music and dance. The festival highlighted over thirty local and national artists spanning the many vibrant traditions that have taken root in Chicago and the Great Lakes region. I’m a co-founder of the Maypole Folk Festival, and have been producing concerts, dances and festivals in Chicago for years with the Old Lazarus' Harp folk collective.
SPITZER & MAREVA
Spitzer & Mareva is a touring duo with a deep repertoire of sea shanties and ballads of the British Isles. Together they've performed at festivals and stages around the country, including New York’s Jalopy Theater, San Francisco’s Balclutha at Hyde St. Pier, and the Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival.
PRAIRIE STATE RAMBLERS
Prairie State Ramblers is a Chicago-based old-time string band collecting fiddle tunes from Illinois and beyond, with drips of country and drops of rags. They regularly play for squares and barn dances around the city and state.
