Happy New Year!

We are so grateful for so many musical moments we experienced in 2011 and our final ones of the year were truly special. Our annual concert at Symphony Space featured our very special guest, Storey’s godfather, the wonderful Brian Selznick, author of “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” upon which the Martin Scorsese film “Hugo” is based. Brian joined us for his first harmonica solo since childhood on “Freight Train” and rocked out to the Bo Diddley beat with us! Also in our family band was the fabulous Good Ms Padgett and family- our own Aunt Anna, Uncle Miggy and cousin Penny- our beloved violinist Jean Cook and our old friend, the incredible Clem Waldmann, on drums. Our extended family band also performed on New Years Eve in Boston as part of their lengendary First Night celebration, and ended our second set joined onstage by many children from the audience for “Peace Like a River.”

We have big plans for 2012 and hope you will join us for the ride! We look forward to singing with many of you at shows across the country, releasing new recordings and sharing little surprises that are on the horizon. We wish you all good health, abundant joy and peace in the new year!

Breast Cancer Benefit with Natalie Merchant

On Saturday October 22 Elizabeth Mitchell will perform two family concerts with Natalie Merchant to Benefit Breast Cancer research at the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, NY. Sponsored by WDST as part of their annual “Pink October” fundraising campaign, these shows will also feature Daniel Littleton, Mike and Ruthy and other special guests. “I think this concert will be a wonderful community event,” said Merchant. “Elizabeth Mitchell and I have been making music together over the past year and I feel like I’ve found a true kindred spirit. We both share a passion for this cause.” More information at www.nataliemerchant.com and www.wdst.com

Newport Folk Festival Kids’ Stage

We are so honored and excited to announce that we will be headlining the Lego Kidzone stage at the Newport Folk Festival this month, July 30-31! Get your tickets here. “Folk music has been a presence in Newport since 1959, when the Newport Folk Festival was founded by George Wein. Backed by board members Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, Oscar Brand, and Albert Grossman, the Festival became renowned for introducing a number of performers who went on to become major stars, most notably Joan Baez (who appeared as an unannounced guest of Bob Gibson in 1959), and Bob Dylan, whose first Newport appearance, as a guest of Joan Baez in 1963, is generally regarded as his premiere national performance. Always a step ahead, the Festival cultivated a broad range of folk music, and continues to stretch the boundaries to this day.”

Babble.com rates You Are My Little Bird #1 Album

“Elizabeth Mitchell’s warm, gentle voice makes me long to be a child again just so I could grow up listening to her. Even if you don’t own any of her albums yet, you’ve certainly heard her voice if you’ve spent any time listening to children’s music made in the last few years — she’s had recent guest spots on recordings by Dan Zanes, Ziggy Marley, and Dean Jones, as well as on several compilations. It’s hard to choose a single album of hers to recommend most highly, so here I’ll follow the lead of the Smithsonian Institution, which thought her so self-evidently classic that it signed her to its storied Folkways label as one of the first contemporary artists in years. Completing a trilogy with her earlier self-released efforts, You Are My Sunshine and You Are My Flower, the 2006 album You Are My Little Bird was her first for the label, and it is one of the most beautiful recordings ever, for children or anybody else. There are traditional folk tunes, there are original songs, there’s a Velvet Underground cover, and it all feels like a friend with a voice like warm honey is sitting playing them just for you. Nothing cutesy is going on (even on a couple of tunes that feature kids’ voices singing along) and there’s no effort to hit particularly “childish” notes with words or music — just 17 good songs, purely and simply presented.” - Babble.com

Spring 2011 – Sunny Day Wins Parents’ Choice Gold Award

“Fresh as a spring morning and gentle as a soft mountain breeze, this “handmade” music from the full heart of folk artist Elizabeth Mitchell embraces family, tradition and the simple pleasures of time spent together. With her musician husband Daniel Littleton, their young daughter Storey, Dan Zanes, South Africa’s Children of Agape choir and other friends, Mitchell celebrates through songs from far and near the lives we touch and the natural world we all inhabit. Her youthful, lilting soprano is an invitation to listeners of all ages to take a soothing respite from the pell-mell rush of a busy day.” – Elizabeth West ©2011 Parents’ Choice