Aoife O'Donovan Moves Folk Forward

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan got her start as lead singer with the celebrated roots music group Crooked Still. She also founded the Grammy-winning folk trio, I’m With Her, alongside Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz, and has released three critically-acclaimed solo albums, including  2022’s Age of Apathy, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. She has performed, recorded and collaborated with an extraordinary number of musical artists, from the Boston Pops Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra to folk, jazz and bluegrass luminaries such as Chris Thile, Edgar Myer, the Kronos Quartet and Yo Yo Ma, among many others. O’Donovan’s latest album, All My Friends, is an ambitious, expansive and orchestral venture, with songs inspired by the life and mission of Carrie Chapman Catt, a leader of the suffragist movement who fought for and won the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. At its heart, the album is a collection of folk songs that tell a powerful story. But Aoife’s collaborative spirit brought in an array of incredible musicians that give the music an epic scope. Guests include The Knights, an orchestral collective conducted by O’Donovan’s husband Eric Jacobsen; the Westerlies, a brass quartet; and the San Francisco Girls Chorus, made up of young women from the ages of 12 to 18.  Other guests include folk music all-stars such as Noam Pikelny, Anaïs Mitchell and Sierra Hull. The result is an extraordinary work that is provocative and passionate. And in a very heated election year, it addressed big themes in the most personal way, as the greatest folk music always does. As a result, Aofie’s vision garnered her Grammy nominations for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Song for the title track. In this episode Aoife shares what inspired the creation of the album and the joy of making music with her ever-widening circle of friends. She also treats us to two special performances: the traditional German carol, “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” and “All My Friends.” Visit Aoife on the web Watch Aoife perform "All My Friends" with the National Symphony Orchestra Listen to All My Friends Get your ticket for the 2025 ASCAP Experience