Hendrik Hertzberg of The New Yorker describes Dar Williams as “one of America’s very best singer-songwriters.”  

At 7:30 p.m. next Saturday, March 22, Dar Williams will be performing in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro.  

Born Dorothy Snowden Williams 57 years ago in Mount Kisco, New York, she was nicknamed Dar by one of her sisters who had trouble pronouncing Dorothy. 

Williams began learning to play guitar when she was nine years old, and at the age of 11 took up songwriting. 

Her parents encouraged her to embrace music and the arts. By the time she graduated from high school, she was writing plays as well as songs. 

Williams attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she studied theater and religion. In her spare time, she wrote songs, took voice lessons, and appeared on a 1985 compilation called “Boston Women’s Voice,” performing her song “You’re Aging Well.” 

In 1990, she moved to Boston, landing a job at the Opera Company of Boston as a stage manager. She also put renewed effort into her musical ambitions, appearing on the local coffeehouse circuit and releasing a six-song EP, “I Have No History,” on cassette. Another cassette-only release, “All My Heroes Are Dead,” followed in 1991, and she left Boston for Northampton, Massachusetts.

In the 1990s, Williams became a major figure in the contemporary folk music community due to her warm, witty and meaningful songs. Her music is tuneful and makes room for upbeat pop influences as well as more somber acoustic sounds, and deals with topical and feminist themes in a manner that’s human and grounded.

Williams star rose in the folk community when she opened a concert for Joan Baez and was invited to play more shows with Baez who also added some of Williams’ songs to her own repertoire.

In 1993, after Williams released “The Honesty Room” Baez once again showed her support by bringing Williams on the road for a tour, and on her 1995 live album “Ring Them Bells” not only performed “You’re Aging Well,” but brought Williams up to sing it with her. 

In 1997 Baez released the album “Gone from Danger,” which included two songs penned by Williams, “February” and “If I Wrote You.”

In 1998, Williams joined Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell to form the contemporary folk supergroup Cry Cry Cry. They issued a self-titled all-covers album and toured until 2000.

Williams returned to her solo career with 2000’s “The Green World” and 2001’s “Out There Live,” her first LP recorded in concert. 

2003’s “The Beauty of the Rain,” included contributions from Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, John Popper and Cliff Eberhardt, the latter who sang a duet with Williams.

1997’s “End of the Summer” was Williams’ first creative breakthrough after some promising early efforts, 2005’s “My Better Self” was an album that blended streamlined contemporary pop sounds with personal lyrics, and 2021’s “I’ll Meet You Here” was a mature and introspective collection about facing life’s uncertainties. 

For tickets, call 570-724-6220 or visit deanecenter.com now or purchase them beginning at 7 p.m. next Saturday, March 22 at the ticket booth in the lobby at the Deane Center