About this Event
With a voice that draws you close and lyrics that stay with you, Speace brings poetry, honesty, and emotional depth to contemporary folk music. Join us at The White Lilac for a chance to hear this celebrated singer-songwriter in a room where every word matters.
“What Amy Speace says—what she sings—she says with a confluence of poetry and honesty, of emotional specificity.”
—Jon Pareles, The New York Times
Before finding her path in folk music, Speace moved to New York City after Amherst College to study classical acting. In the mid-1990s, she co-founded Five Points Theater Company on the Lower East Side, helping bring work by Hispanic and African American playwrights to the stage alongside fresh interpretations of Shakespeare that reflected the immigrant experience. Her background as an actor, classically trained singer, and poet informs the storytelling at the heart of her music.
Discovered by Judy Collins in 2005, Speace found an early champion in the folk legend, who signed her to Wildflower Records, brought her on tour, and recorded her song “The Weight of the World.” Since then, Speace has earned acclaim from Rolling Stone, Billboard, The New York Times, and NPR’s Weekend Edition, building a body of work rooted in vivid storytelling and deeply human experience.
Her career has taken her to the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, Glastonbury, and Mountain Stage. Her song “Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne” earned the UK Americana Music Association’s International Song of the Year award in 2020.
At The White Lilac, you’ll hear her in a setting made for listening: just 45 seats, an attentive audience, and the connection that happens when an artist and a room share a song.
All ages welcome. Seating is limited—reserve your tickets and join us.
The White Lilac • Downtown Kenosha
A Room That Listens.
Event venue & nearby stays
The White Lilac, 6th Avenue, Kenosha, WI, USA, United States