Natalie Merchant

Natalie Merchant began her musical career in 1981 as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the pop band 10,000 Maniacs. Since leaving the band in 1994, her solo career has involved recording her own songs as well as traditional folk songs inspired by archival collections. As an artist-in-residence with the Head Start Program in Troy, NY, Merchant created a multidisciplinary arts curriculum for preschoolers called The Mother Goose Project (2018-2019). She has served on the New York State Council on the Arts, and has won The Library Lion Award from the New York Public Library, The American Society of Authors Composers & Publishers Champion Award, and The John Lennon Real Love Award.