Women of Americana: A Celebration of American Music

From Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt to Alison Krauss and Brandi Carlile Featuring Cristina Vane and Brennen Leigh

Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 5pm

This performance is presented without an intermission.

Cristina Vane: Lead Vocal, Guitar, Banjo, Background Vocals

Brennen Leigh: Lead Vocal, Guitar, Mandolin, Background Vocals

Ashleigh Caudill: Bass, Guitar, Banjo, Background Vocals

Ginny Mac: Piano, Keys, Organ, Accordion, Background Vocals

Karrie Sheehan: Drums, Background Vocals

This isn’t just a concert—it’s an exuberant exploration of an expansive and singular American genre that planted the roots of American music, featuring vocalists and instrumentalists Cristina Vane and Brennen Leigh. The performance includes songs made famous by iconic artists such as Brandi Carlile, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, and more. Titles include “Blowin’ in the Wind” (Joan Baez), “Angel From Montgomery” (Bonnie Raitt), Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Lucinda Williams), “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” (The Carter Family), and others.

Accompanying video projections make this concert a true multimedia experience. Coinciding with the upcoming semiquincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding—Women of Americana promises to entertain and inspire audiences at this historic moment in our nation’s history.

Cristina Vane (Lead Vocal, Guitar, Banjo, Background Vocals)

Songwriter, singer, and accomplished slide guitar and clawhammer banjo player, Cristina Vane brings remarkable depth and versatility to her music. Of American and Guatemalan heritage, her sound reflects a unique fusion of influences: classic rock, ’90s indie, and heavier roots meet her passion for pre-war blues, old-time fiddle and banjo music, country, and bluegrass. Cristina has an extensive touring history, providing direct support for artists such as Molly Tuttle, Bob Weir, Wynonna Judd, Sam Bush, Nikki Lane, Arlo McKinley, and Willi Carlisle, among others. She has been featured in Rolling Stone Country and NPR and appeared in the Bank of America commercial for Ken Burns’ country music documentary.

Brennen Leigh (Lead Vocal, Guitar, Mandolin, Background Vocals) is an American songwriter, guitarist, mandolinist, and singer whose direct, to-the-point storytelling has earned her cult icon status in Europe, Scandinavia, the United States, South America, and the United Kingdom. Her songs have been recorded by artists such as Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell, Sunny Sweeney, Charley Crockett, and many others. Renowned as much for her musicianship as her songwriting, Leigh caught the attention of legends like Guy Clark and David Olney, who praised her work as “tender, violent, sentimental, foolish, and wise—she is always Brennen. Confident and at ease with herself, without being a jerk about it.”

Ashleigh Caudill (Bass, Guitar, Banjo, Background Vocals), a folk singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, draws you into the tales she spins. Her sweet yet powerful vocals take you on a lonely train ride through the mountains, a drive along the countryside, or back in time with warm, dancing melodies and spacious acoustic instrumentation.

Ashleigh’s tonally rich, understated, and precise touch lifts every song she plays on, making her a highly sought-after bassist and harmony vocalist. She has performed with bluegrass, country, and Americana artists across the map—from Charlie Sizemore to Angaleena Presley, and from The Station Inn to The Grand Ole Opry.

You may have heard her music on the popular TV show Roswell, New Mexico, on Balsam Range’s IBMA award-winning album Papertown—with Caudill-penned “Row By Row” topping the bluegrass gospel charts at number one—or performed by other artists such as Jim Hurst, David Grier, and more.

Ginny Mac (Piano, Keys, Organ, Accordion, Background Vocals) hails from Fort Worth, TX, and fronts a dynamic group that brings a fresh and exciting twist to vocal and instrumental stylings across the Country & Western Swing, Americana, Hot Jazz, and international music genres. Ginny has also toured with Asleep at the Wheel, Brave Combo, Pat Green, Mike Dillon, The Texas Playboys under the direction of Tommy Allsup and Leon Rausch, and many others. She endorses Menghini S.r.l. Scandalli Accordions, based in Castelfidardo, Italy.

Karrie Sheehan (Drums, Background Vocals) was born and raised in North Carolina. She didn’t pick up the sticks until she was 24—but once she did, she never looked back. A lifelong listener with a love for everything from big band swing to folk, classical, and rock, she found drumming to be the perfect way to bring all of those influences to life.

Her early years in the North Carolina music scene took her through folk, indie rock, and eventually honky-tonk, where she developed a taste for the raw honesty of roots music. After moving to Austin in 2015, she dove headfirst into the city’s vibrant musical culture. There, she found a natural home in traditional country and western swing, discovering a community that values groove, history, and musicianship.

Over the years, she has performed with artists across the spectrum—from the high-energy garage rock of The Bluebonnets to Americana voices like Bonnie Montgomery and Summer Dean, and Texas country stalwarts Bob Appel and Justin Trevino. Each collaboration fuels her passion for learning, evolving, and honoring the music she loves.

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University of California, Irvine

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