Your ears are about to enter a room in Ann Arbor, Michigan that has hosted acoustic folk legends since 1965. In existence in various locations since 1965, The Ark has built a reputation on intimate, acoustic performance and community connection. It currently seats about 400 and features more than 300 live performances each year, so every night here can feel like a special event.
Artists who have performed at The Ark include The Tallest Man on Earth, Lady Lamb, the Verve Pipe, John Paul White and His Band, Los Lonely Boys, the Milk Carton Kids, Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Priscilla Ahn, Tom Paxton, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, The Avett Brothers, Ani DiFranco, Birds of Chicago, The Proclaimers, Mandolin Orange, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Lissie. The improv comedy group The Second City has performed here as well, adding another layer to the venue’s variety. Stand for a moment and imagine the range of voices and instruments that have passed through this room, the steady rhythm of hundreds of shows each year, and the way a single night here can reveal something new.
Picture roughly 400 seats filled here more than 300 nights a year, each one a little different.