As the summer fades away, Judy Collins lends a touch of nostalgia to Wolf Trap with thoughtful new numbers and vintage songs that marked a moment in history and influenced a generation. During her 52 years of music making, Collins has performed at Wolf Trap regularly and recalls conversations with Catherine Filene Shouse. When the wind rustles the trees of the farm park, some say they hear echoes of her sweet voice singing “Both Sides Now.”
Indeed there are several sides to Collins’ talents. Her folk artist persona won a Grammy Award in 1968. The classical piano student remembered her unbending teacher in the documentary, “Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman,” nominated for an Academy Award in 1975. The fervent activist campaigned for just causes in her songs and in the courthouse. The author has penned one novel and six nonfiction books, two or them memoirs, the most recent being her reflections on the suicide of her son, “Sanity and Grace: A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength.”
| Onstage |
| Judy Collins |
| » Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center |
| » When: 8 p.m. Thursday |
| » Info: $40 in-house, $22 lawn; 877-965-8727; wolftrap.org |
“Life is a mixture of sad things and celebrations,” she said. “Some days, I would rather be writing than singing. I’ve been doing it since junior high school, and have always kept a journal. I wrote a song book in 1969 and by the time I wrote my first memoir in 1987, I couldn’t stop.
“It’s hard to live in the present. I’m always looking back at those who came before me. It’s fun to go to ancestry.com and read about the first family member who emigrated to the United States, a preacher from Dorset, England, who came in 1811. There were lots of preachers in my family. My great uncle was a missionary in China and a big game hunter who shot a lot of lions at a time when lions were menaces.”
As she continues to tour the world and record, Collins seeks songwriters whose words speak to her. “Paradise,” the most recent album on her Wildflower label, is a remarkable mixture of evergreen numbers such as “Over the Rainbow” and “Ghost Riders in the Sky” and songs for the 21st century.
Perhaps the most poignant is “Kingdom Come,” the song she dedicated to the New York firemen lost on Sept. 11. “Weight of the World” introduces the fresh voice of Amy Speace, a former Shakespearean actress who owes her new career to a chance meeting with Collins’ manager.
“Of all the causes I fought for in the past, anti-war was the most important,” Collins said. ” ‘Weight of the World’ is as good as any anti-war song I’ve heard. The album also has a new song about Paul Gauguin and duets with Joan Baez and Steven Stills.
“In addition, I’ll share with the audience a song in my next album that I wrote for my mother before she died last year. I call it ‘In the Twilight’ because that is where she was. She would not have wanted to stay around after losing her mind. It joins other tales of heartache and troubles in folk songs and covers. I look forward to returning to Wolf Trap and sharing this music and the stage with Jesse Winchester, one of my favorite artists.”
