Joe Jencks, an international touring musician and award-winning singer-songwriter, will be performing at All Souls Church on Friday, May 16, to benefit local refugees and asylum seekers.
Locally, and to the point of the benefit concert, Jencks may be best known for his song “Lady of the Harbor,” a reference to the Statue of Liberty and a lament for the plight of those who have left their home countries to come the the U.S. It has been sung at All Souls at past services. Also, Jencks led a church Virtual Vesper service during the Covid times.
The concert will start at 7 p.m. Advance tickets may be purchased for $25 at ascvt.org/JoeJencks . No one will be turned away for inability to pay.
The concert will benefit two local organizations, CASP and ECDC Vt.
The Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP) is a nonprofit organization that supports asylum seekers in the Brattleboro, Vermont area. Their mission is to cultivate a supportive community for those seeking asylum in the U.S., while providing for basic needs and accompanying asylum seekers on their journey towards building a life in this country.
ECDC VT is a branch office of the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), a national resettlement agency that has been empowering and supporting refugees since 1983. As a multicultural organization, many of their team members reflect the refugee populations they serve, bringing unique insights and shared experiences to their work. With offices in Brattleboro and Bennington, as well as a vibrant Multicultural Community Center (MCC) in Brattleboro, they help individuals and families rebuild their lives after experiencing war, persecution, and unimaginable hardship.
A frequent performer at UU General Assembly, Jencks is an 25-year veteran of music festivals, and performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He has enthralled diverse audiences with his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration.
Jencks has released 15 CDs in that time. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel.
Joe’s most recent solo CD – “The Coming of the Years” – released August 1 2022 – is an album centered around songs Joe Jencks wrote while on tour in Ireland over a 12-year period. This album emerges as a synergistic blend of Jencks’ Irish and Celtic heritage with themes of immigration spanning multiple generations. As a dual U.S./Irish citizen, Jencks has been swimming in these waters musically and personally for decades.
Co-founder and a vocal arranger for the harmony trio Brother Sun, Joe is also in demand as an arranger with over 30 appearances as a guest vocalist on various studio recordings.
From coffeehouses to Carnegie Hall, Jencks has made a mark on the American music scene, singing and telling stories that educate, illuminate, and uplift.
“The key to the future is people joining in. The music of Joe Jencks captures this essential spirit. Joe is a fantastic singer who carries on the traditions.” ~ Pete Seeger