Think of Brandi Carlile as something of a Forrest Gump of music — in the best way. Just as Tom Hanks’ character in the 1994 movie was always interacting with brilliant and revered people, so too does Carlile, except as a collaborator. Just consider her work with a host of household-name artists including the Indigo Girls, the Fray, Tori Amos and Chris Isaak. Unlike Gump, though, it’s her musical instinct, not happenstance, that brings Carlile to the attention of many world-class musicians. To say that such work is the stuff of dreams isn’t an overstatement when you consider Carlile’s musical inspirations came from attending concerts by Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, and others at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall.

“I watched them,” she said, “and I wondered what it would be like to stand on that beautiful stage.”