Yasmin Williams in Woodstock

Yasmin Williams is an American guitarist and composer from Northern Virginia who writes instrumental folk music for acoustic guitar. She is known for laying the instrument across her lap, tapping the strings and body with both hands, and using alternate tunings and instruments including harp guitar. Her recordings include the albums Unwind, Urban Driftwood and Acadia. NPR presented her in a Tiny Desk (home) concert in 2021, where her lap-style technique was central to the solo performance. Her subsequent appearances included Newport Folk Festival and Big Ears, and she has also toured in support of Mdou Moctar.

Vance Gilbert is a Philadelphia-born American folk singer-songwriter associated with Boston’s acoustic music scene. He writes guitar-led folk songs and sings with jazz phrasing; his recordings include Edgewise, Shaking Off Gravity and Unfamiliar Moon. Vance Gilbert toured nationally as an opening act for Shawn Colvin after attracting attention in Boston folk clubs. His concerts center on voice and acoustic guitar, and he connects the songs through comic storytelling. He has brought that solo format to the Newport Folk Festival and the Philadelphia Folk Festival.