Bill Morrissey at University of Hartford

Critically acclaimed folk artist Bill Morrissey, who recently released his first album of original songs in five years, will perform at the University of Hartford on Friday, May 3 as part of the Music for a Change benefit concert series. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium in the Harry Jack Gray Center at the University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Ave. in West Hartford. Opening the show will be Liz Queler, who has been called "one of the most emotionally evocative new voices in folk pop" by the Boston Herald. Proceeds from the concert will benefit Nutmeg Big Brothers/ Big Sisters.

Bill Morrissey’s new album, Something I Saw or Thought I Saw, has received high praise from critics around the country. The Philadelphia Inquirer called it "another finely wrought collection that reestablishes Morrissey as one of the best musical storytellers you’re ever likely to hear. Rich in evocative detail and description—it’s no wonder he writes fiction—the songs unerringly uncover the often tough emotional truth that Morrissey is digging for." Taking its title from the first line of the Robert Frost poem "On the Heart’s Beginning to Cloud the Mind" (circa 1937), the album is entirely written, arranged and produced by Morrissey.

A native of New England, he grew up in Hartford and Acton, MA. He started playing publicly during college at Plymouth (NH) State College, working his way up from New England bars to his break at the Newport Folk Festival. His breakthrough third album, Standing Eight (Philo, 1989) was declared a masterpiece by Rolling Stone magazine. Morrissey’s eight albums include the Grammy-nominated Friend of Mine, which was recorded with colleague Greg Brown, and Songs of Mississippi John Hurt (Philo, 1999).

Liz Queler, whose voice has been called "a lilting waterfall of sound," recently released her third album, No Small Wonder. The daughter of esteemed opera conductor Eve Queler, Liz’s deep, soulful music reflects her diverse musical upbringing.

Tickets are $15; for more info call the University box office at 860-768-4228, or 800-274-8587. For more info about the Music for a Change concert series, call Irwin Nussbaum at 860-768-5026, or visit <www.musicforachange.com>.