Anaïs Mitchell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anaïs Mitchell
Mitchell in 2010
Background information
Born	(1981-03-26) March 26, 1981 (age 44)
Origin	Montpelier, Vermont, U.S.
Genres	Indie folk, Americana, country folk
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter musician playwright
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Waterbug Righteous Babe Wilderland Thirty Tigers BMG
Associated acts	Bonny Light Horseman Ani DiFranco Justin Vernon Todd Sickafoose Michael Chorney Josh Kaufman Eric D. Johnson

Anaïs Mitchell (born March 26, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and playwright. She writes songs, plays instruments, and creates plays for the stage. She has released eight studio albums, like Hadestown (2010) and her self-titled album Anaïs Mitchell (2022).

Mitchell turned her album Hadestown into a successful stage musical. She worked with director Rachel Chavkin to bring it to life. The musical first opened in the US in 2016 and in Canada in 2017. It then moved to London in 2018 and finally to Broadway in New York City on April 17, 2019.

The Broadway show of Hadestown won eight Tony Awards in 2019, including the award for Best Musical. Anaïs Mitchell herself won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for her music and lyrics. She was also nominated for Best Book of a Musical. The cast album for the Broadway show won a Grammy Award in 2020 for Best Musical Theater Album. Mitchell also wrote a book called Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown, which came out in October 2020. In 2020, Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People.

Mitchell is also a part of the band Bonny Light Horseman. Their first album came out in 2020. The band released their second album, "Golden Rolling Holy", in 2022, and "Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free" in 2024.

Early Life and Education

Anaïs Mitchell grew up on a farm in Addison County, Vermont. Her father, a novelist and college professor, named her after a famous author, Anaïs Nin. She went to Mount Abraham Union High School. Her family raised her in the Quaker faith. Her mother worked for Vermont's Agency of Human Services. As a child, Mitchell traveled to many places like the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. She later attended Middlebury College, where she studied political science and graduated in 2004.

Music Career Highlights

Anaïs Mitchell started writing songs when she was about 17 years old. In 2003, at age 22, she won the New Folk award at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Her first album, Hymns for the Exiled, was released in 2004. This album caught the attention of singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, who then signed Mitchell to her record label, Righteous Babe Records.

Developing Hadestown

In 2006, Mitchell showed an early version of her "folk opera" called Hadestown. She created this project with arranger Michael Chorney and director Ben T. Matchstick. A new version of Hadestown was performed in 2007. Her third album, The Brightness, was also released that year.

Her album Hadestown, produced by Todd Sickafoose, came out in 2010. It received very good reviews. The album tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, but it's set in America during a tough time after a big event. Famous musicians like Ani DiFranco and Justin Vernon from Bon Iver appeared on the album.

New Music and Collaborations

While working on the stage version of Hadestown, Mitchell also wrote and recorded new songs. In 2012, she released Young Man in America. Mitchell also opened for Bon Iver's tour in North America in 2012, playing at big venues like Radio City Music Hall. Critics praised her album, calling it "genre-defying" and a "masterpiece."

In 2012, Mitchell recorded seven songs from a collection called Child Ballads with musician Jefferson Hamer. The album was released in 2013 and won a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. In 2014, she released xoa, an album where she re-recorded some of her older songs with just her guitar and voice. This album also included some songs from Hadestown sung by Mitchell for the first time.

Hadestown on Stage

In 2016, the expanded stage version of Hadestown opened at New York Theatre Workshop. Vogue magazine even predicted it would be "your next musical theatre obsession." The show then premiered in Canada in 2017. In 2018, London's National Theatre announced a three-month run before the show moved to Broadway. Hadestown officially opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on April 17, 2019.

In 2019, Mitchell became part of a "supergroup" called Bonny Light Horseman. The group includes Eric D. Johnson and guitarist Josh Kaufman. Their first album came out in January 2020. In June 2021, another supergroup, Big Red Machine, released their album How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, which features Mitchell singing on three songs.

Personal Life

Anaïs Mitchell met Noah Hahn while she was at Middlebury College. They got married in 2006. They have two daughters named Ramona and Rosetta.

Discography

Studio Albums

EPs

Cast Albums

Singles

As Lead Artist

As Featured Artist

Other Appearances

Audiobooks

• Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown (October 6, 2020; Penguin Audio)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Anaïs Mitchell para niños