Collective Concerts presents
William Fitzsimmons
with Laura Buhenn of The Mynabirds
Friday, December 2, 2016
in The Great Hall’s Main Hall

William Fitzsimmons is an Illinois-based singer-songwriter and one of the most “successful” names in indie folk music, perhaps most widely heard, if not always at first known by name, for his television soundtrack work including the songs “Passion Play” and “Please Don’t Go”, which aired during pivotal scenes in ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.  Raised by blind parents in a house full of instruments, Fitzsimmons qualified as a mental health therapist before initially self-releasing his home recordings.

Fitzsimmons likes to keep his material close to the chest and subjects close to home. It allows him to not only be as genuinely honest with his work but also connect better with his audience, who continues to return to him for musical therapy. His 2014 album Lions and two follow-up mini LPs about his family in Pittsburgh continue to reflect the vulnerability and perspective that draw his global fans. His latest album Live, with array of songs spanning his career and a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere,” debuted October 21, 2016.

Touring with William Fitzsimmons, opener Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds,  a shape-shifter who can’t sit still. Since 2010 she’s worked under the moniker The Mynabirds, releasing three critically acclaimed and stylistically different albums, What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood (2010), and GENERALS (2012), both produced by Richard Swift, and Lovers Know (2015). She has also toured as a member of the Postal Service (2013) and Bright Eyes (2011), helped found Omaha Girls Rock (a non-profit helping young girls find their voices), and in 2013 gave a TED talk based on her “New Revolutionists” portrait project, exploring what it means to be a revolutionary woman in this day and age.

Through all of her transformations, there’s one thing that remains constant: Burhenn’s voice. She’s been compared to Cat Power, Fiona Apple, and Adele.

Buy Tickets