Schedule of Events
Fields of Wonder
Featuring Two Landscapes by Srul Irving Glick and Fields of Wonder by Robert Owens, this final concert of the week explores the connection between place, memory, and imagination through lyrical and expressive song. Performed by tenor Sam Grosby and pianist Stacie Haneline, the evening offers a reflective and uplifting conclusion to the festival.
As always, this concert is free and open to the public, and we invite you to come as you are to experience an evening of song in a warm, inviting setting.
Thought not required, an RSVP is strongly encourage. RSVP here.
This event is made possible by the generous support of our community, including Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska.
OPEN REHEARSAL | Catch the open rehearsal for this concert and learn a little more about the artistic process earlier in the day, 2 pm at St. Stephen’s.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
Coffee Chats are generously supported by Humanities Nebraska and Fariner Bakery.
Genius Child
Featuring two contemporary works, our second mainstage concert of the week explores identity, resilience, and the complexity of the American experience through bold, expressive music.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
Coffee Chats are generously supported by Humanities Nebraska and Fariner Bakery.
Art Song After Hours
Keep the music going after Tuesday’s Mainstage concert and join us for just a little more music at Willow Point Gallery. It’s the perfect way to wind down the night and keep the festival magic going a few moments longer. Art Song After Hours events are free and open to the public.
Borrowed Perspectives
Salt Creek Song Festival’s third mainstage concert of the week, Borrowed Perspectives, invites audiences into an intimate exploration of how we see one another and ourselves.
Featuring Watching Glass by Douglas Knehans and Moments in Sonder by B.E. Boykin, this program weaves together themes of identity, empathy, and inner life. Performed by mezzo-soprano Noami Brigell and pianist Eva Nikolaidou, the evening offers a nuanced and deeply human musical experience.
As always, this concert is free and open to the public, and we invite you to come as you are to experience an evening of song in a warm, inviting setting.
Thought not required, an RSVP is strongly encourage. RSVP here.
This event is made possible by the generous support of our community, including Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska.
OPEN REHEARSAL | Catch the open rehearsal for this concert and learn a little more about the artistic process earlier in the day, 2 pm at St. Stephen’s.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
Coffee Chats are generously supported by Humanities Nebraska and Fariner Bakery.
Empty Chairs
Featuring two contemporary works, our second mainstage concert of the week explores identity, resilience, and the complexity of the American experience through bold, expressive music.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
Coffee Chats are generously supported by Humanities Nebraska and Fariner Bakery.
Art Song After Hours
Keep the music going after Tuesday’s Mainstage concert and join us for just a little more music at Willow Point Gallery. It’s the perfect way to wind down the night and keep the festival magic going a few moments longer. Art Song After Hours events are free and open to the public.
American Sonnets
Featuring two contemporary works, our second mainstage concert of the week explores identity, resilience, and the complexity of the American experience through bold, expressive music.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
Coffee Chats are generously supported by Humanities Nebraska and Fariner Bakery.
My Ántonia
Salt Creek Song Festival opens with a world premiere of My Ántonia, an exciting afternoon of song inspired by Willa Cather’s timeless text.
An Evening of Willa Cather in Song
An Evening of Willa Cather in Song offers an intimate, salon-style concert and an exclusive preview of a highlight from the upcoming Salt Creek Song Festival.
Join acclaimed composer Philip Daniel and festival co-founder Grace for a special performance featuring Libby Larsen’s My Ántonia, a moving song cycle that brings Willa Cather’s words to life through music. This evening also offers a glimpse into a new Salt Creek Song Festival commission by Philip Daniel, inspired by selected Cather texts, which will receive its world premiere at the festival in May.
Held at a private residence, this one-night-only event is a rare opportunity to experience Cather’s writing in a deeply personal musical setting.
Holiday Party
Join us for an intimate evening of music, wine, and holiday cheer at our first-ever Salt Creek Holiday Party. Held in the beautifully decorated Willow Point Gallery in downtown Ashland, this cozy celebration will feature festive performances by Gretchen Crane, Grace Manley, Jared Hiscock, and Philip Daniel, sharing your favorite Christmas classics in an elegant and relaxed setting.
Enjoy wine and cheese by Fariner Bakery, warm conversation, and the magic of live music in one of Ashland’s most stunning spaces.
Space is limited. Purchase tickets here.
Swimming Upstream
Our final concert, Swimming Upstream, weaves together music of persistence, transformation, and quiet strength. An evening of rich performance, this closing night gathering offers a resonant and hopeful finale to festival week.
Pop Up Concert
Great music in unexpected places is on the menu for all of our Pop-Up Concerts! Festival artists will be performing in your favorite spots around Downtown Ashland. Grab a coffee, a glass of wine, or a cider, and enjoy some laid-back tunes that pair perfectly with any summertime sip.
All pop-up concerts are free and open to everyone—perfect for a quick music break or a spontaneous hangout.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity—and your coffee order—and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
The Rain
Anchored by Shawn E. Okpebholo’s powerful Two Black Churches, this Friday night program—featuring baritone Sidney Outlaw and pianist Zachary Peterson—reflects on tragedy, resilience, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
Pop Up Concert
Great music in unexpected places is on the menu for all of our Pop-Up Concerts! Festival artists will be performing in your favorite spots around Downtown Ashland. Grab a coffee, a glass of wine, or a cider, and enjoy some laid-back tunes that pair perfectly with any summertime sip.
All pop-up concerts are free and open to everyone—perfect for a quick music break or a spontaneous hangout.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity—and your coffee order—and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
Art Song After Hours
Keep the music going after Tuesday’s Mainstage concert and join us for just a little more music at Willow Point Gallery. It’s the perfect way to wind down the night and keep the festival magic going a few moments longer. Art Song After Hours events are free and open to the public.
Talking Across the Water
Featuring Kevin Puts’s luminous Of All the Moons, this intimate Thursday night concert—performed by mezzo-soprano Naomi Brigell and pianist Alejandro Avila—invites listeners into a meditative world of distance, reflection, and quiet connection.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity—and your coffee order—and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
The Ugly Duckling
This fresh and heartfelt retelling of the classic tale The Ugly Duckling blends whimsy and emotion in a family-friendly performance featuring soprano Anika Kildegaard, bassist Stephen Cantarero, and pianist Eva Nikolaidou.
Head over to The Roost for an Ice Cream Social immediately following the performance.
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity—and your coffee order—and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!
Art Song After Hours
Keep the music going after Tuesday’s Mainstage concert and join us for just a little more music at Willow Point Gallery. It’s the perfect way to wind down the night and keep the festival magic going a few moments longer. Art Song After Hours events are free and open to the public.
Weather-Telling
Two powerhouse voices—baritone Sidney Outlaw and tenor Fran Laucerica—come together for an evening of vivid storytelling and soundscapes in Weather-Telling, a concert exploring nature, memory, and the forces that shape us.
Open Rehearsal
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the music in the making! Our open rehearsals give you a chance to hear artists prepare for that evening’s performance in a casual, come-and-go setting. Whether you stay for 10 minutes or the full hour, you’ll experience the artistry, collaboration, and nuance that go into bringing each concert to life.
All open rehearsals are free and take place at St. Stephen’s, featuring the music you’ll hear performed in the week. Stop in, take a listen, and enjoy a preview of what’s to come!
Coffee Chat
Join us for a relaxed, midday conversation with Salt Creek Song Festival artists over great coffee and good company. These informal chats offer a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, upcoming performances, and the stories that inspire the music. Bring your curiosity—and your coffee order—and enjoy a casual hour of connection, insight, and community.
Each Coffee Chat is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so come early to grab a spot!