Lucy Kaplansky, photo by Beowulf Sheehan
(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Contemporary folk stalwart Lucy Kaplansky will perform at Jersey Shore Arts Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:00pm. Jersey-born songwriter and guitarist Dave Vargo will open the show. The show is part of the on-going Split Level Concerts Series which highlights renowned Americana and contemporary folk musicians in a uniquely intimate setting.
Lucy Kaplansky is an acclaimed singer-songwriter of rare talent, “a truly gifted performer with a bag full of enchanting songs” (The New Yorker) and “the troubadour laureate of modern city folk” (The Boston Globe). She has released nine critically acclaimed CDs, two of which were awarded Best Pop Album of the year by the Association for Independent Music. National Public Radio described her 2012 album Reunion as “a master class in making the personal universal,” and National Public Radio’s Scott Simon called her album Last Days of Summer, released in June 2022, “Absolutely wonderful …. utterly beautiful and affecting… Lucy sings songs from her life with resonance in ours.”
Lucy was part of folk supergroup Cry Cry Cry with Dar Williams and Richard Shindell. The New Yorker dubbed the trio “a collection of lovely harmonizing and pure emotion.” Their album was an astonishing success in stores and on radio resulting in a national tour of sold-out concerts, as well as a national sold-out reunion tour in 2018.
Her recording of Roxy Music's "More than This" has over 12 million streams on Spotify, and she has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Morning Edition as well as BBC Radio 2 and 4, and CBS Sunday Morning, and has sung harmony on albums by Suzanne Vega, Bryan Ferry, Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin. Her song “Guilty as Sin” was featured in the NBC television show Ed, and her vocals were featured in the Tom Cruise film The Firm.
Lucy continues to tour and receive airplay both nationally and internationally. Her CD Ten Year Night is the #1 selling album of all time at Nashville’s famed Red House Records. Lucy’s latest LP is The Lucy Story, unreleased & rare tracks 1976-2023. The double album, released in early 2025, is comprised of mostly cover songs that were never released, a combination of album outtakes, live recordings and demos. Special guests include Richard Shindell, Dar Williams, Shawn Colvin, Tony Trischka, Andy Statman, Matt Glaser, Larry Campbell and Duke Levine. The Lucy Story held the number one spot on the Folk Alliance International Folk Chart for the month of March, 2025!
New Jersey musician Dave Vargo wanted to play the guitar before he was even big enough to hold the instrument, so it’s no surprise that his life has been dedicated to its mastery. A graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Dave’s musical career has followed a winding path of notable experiences including solo recordings and performances, group collaborations, session work, performing with Phoebe Snow, Rupert Holmes and Vonda Shepard, as well as touring with musical sensation Whitney Houston. All have led to his current focus as a singer-songwriter who embraces a unique blend of the Americana, country, rock, and folk genres.
Advance tickets are $35 and are available for purchase online. The Jersey Shore Arts Center is located at 66 South Main Street in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
Net ticket proceeds from all Split Level concerts support the programming and arts education offered by the Jersey Shore Arts Center, a non-profit organization serving Ocean Grove and its surrounding areas. In addition, Jersey Shore Arts Center and Split Level Concerts are proud to partner with Brookdale Public Radio 90.5 The Night and Musicians On A Mission (MOAM) to promote the concert series.
Musicians On A Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating connection and inspiring giving through music. MOAM will be on hand for all shows in the series, collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations to benefit Fulfill (formerly the Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean County). Concertgoers that visit the MOAM table in the lobby before the show, or during intermission, can learn more about Fulfill’s mission and enter a drawing to win items donated by the artists, 90.5 The Night, and local businesses.
