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Announcements

The Ben Folds Havana Getaway

Dec 15th, 2016
by Frank.
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foldscuba400In what is probably a first for an American musical artist, Ben Folds will be leading a four-day music and culture tour of the formerly off-limits (to US citizens, anyway) island nation of Cuba next May.

Called The Ben Folds Havana Getaway, the tour takes guests on a trip around the capital city and environs, featuring a private concert by Ben and another performance with some of Cuba’s top musicians. Also included are visits to Havana’s art galleries, museums, architecture and cultural institutions, a tour in one of the classic 1950s American convertibles that Cuba is famous for preserving, cigar and rum tastings, and special events revolving around Ben’s passion for fine arts photography.

The event, packaged by Cuba Arts Live!, takes place May 25-29. Cost ranges from $3,199 per person and up, with a couples rate of $6,199, and includes ground transportation, lodging, meals, events and concerts. Participants need to arrange their own air travel, visas and insurance, which can be arranged through the event’s travel agent. Also not included are incidentals, side trips, souvenirs and any extended stay expenses.

Registration opens Friday, December 16 and there is a discount for registering prior to December 31. Full information can be found here.

Winter midwest tour announced

Dec 5th, 2016
by Frank.
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bfpiano_200Ben Folds will be touring the midwest this winter with a dozen dates in towns in ten states.

It’s a continuation of the Ben Folds and a Piano tour that started last fall. Most shows feature the availability of special VIP and Master Class packages as well. The Master Class packages include a piano class with Ben, meet & greet with autographed photo, early access for the sound check, beverages and other souvenirs. The Soundcheck packages include all of the above except the class.

Dates and cities are:

  • February 12: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • February 14: Green Bay, Wisconsin
  • February 16: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • February 17: Bloomington, Indiana
  • February 21: Columbia, Missouri
  • February 23: Salina, Kansas
  • February 25: Urbana, Illinois
  • February 26: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • February 28: Asheville, North Carolina
  • March 1: Birmingham, Alabama
  • March 3: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
  • March 4: Memphis, Tennessee

Tickets go on sale to pre-sale fan club members and the VIP packages generally on Wednesday, December 7 and general admission on December 9.

You can find details, including ticket links, on our Tour Dates page.

Ben Folds & yMusic vinyl drops November 25

Nov 23rd, 2016
by Frank.
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folds_ymusic_liveAs part of a broad release by the independent record shops collectively known as Record Store Day, a new 10-inch vinyl by Ben Folds with yMusic becomes available in limited quantity (only two thousand pressed) on Friday, November 25 (the day after US Thanksgiving).

The EP, simply titled Ben Folds & yMusic In Concert 2015-2016, is on the New West label and assembles a handful of tracks of recent composition as well as one of Folds’ evergreens, and is described as

a live snapshot capturing electrifying “chamber rock” performances by Ben Folds and the immensely talented New York-based classical sextet ensemble yMusic.

For non-hipsters, vinyl records have grooves on both sides of the platter, unlike compact discs that younger baby-boomers and some Gen-Xers are more familiar with. Side A consists of Not a Fan, Erase Me and Capable of Anything. Side B features Phone in a Pool and Steven’s Last Night in Town. If you’re living in the digital world, December 9 is the date to watch for the downloadable version to appear on your favorite digital service provider.

Ben Folds and a Piano Fall Tour

Jul 14th, 2016
by Frank.
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Ben-Folds-Fall-Tour-v2As we mentioned back in December, Ben Folds hits the road again this fall with a solo piano tour titled, appropriately, Ben Folds and a Piano.

The tour starts out in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 13 and as of now ends on November 9 at Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with stops in twenty-four states and thirty-one cities including a two-night stop in Milwaukee. More shows may be added as well in the coming days. You can find a complete listing with links to venues, maps, directions and tickets on our Tour Dates page.

The tour was originally going to be called Ben Folds: A Piano and a Playpen because (more…)

Concerto to kick off Nashville season

Feb 8th, 2016
by Frank.
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schermerhornA gala celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Nashville Symphony’s Schermerhorn Center will feature Ben Folds performing his 21-minute concerto for piano and orchestra.

The September 10 opening night to begin the Symphony’s 2016-17 season features Folds’ three-movement work, co-commissioned by the Symphony, which Nashville Scene’s John Pitcher describes as

a proudly and overtly derivative piece, sounding like the music of Prokofiev one minute, and Gershwin the next. But Folds’ own idiosyncratic style, which he describes as “piano for left-handed drummer,” always comes through, providing this glistening work with a welcome degree of thrust.

(more…)

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