Anaïs Mitchell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anaïs Mitchell
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Mitchell in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 26, 1981 |
| Origin | Montpelier, Vermont, U.S. |
| Genres | Indie folk, Americana, country folk |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
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Anaïs Mitchell (born March 26, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and playwright. She is well-known for her folk music. She also created the popular musical Hadestown.
Mitchell has released several studio albums. These include Hadestown (2010), Young Man in America (2012), and her self-titled album Anaïs Mitchell (2022).
She turned her album Hadestown into a full stage musical. It first opened in New York in 2016. Later, it moved to London and then to Broadway in 2019. The Broadway show of Hadestown won eight Tony Awards in 2019. This included the award for Best Musical. Mitchell herself won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for her music and lyrics. The cast album for the Broadway show also won a Grammy Award in 2020.
Mitchell also wrote a book called Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown. It was published in 2020. She was even named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2020. Mitchell is also a member of the band Bonny Light Horseman. Their first album came out in 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Anaïs Mitchell's father was a novelist and a college professor. He named her after a famous author, Anaïs Nin. She grew up on a farm in Addison County, Vermont.
Mitchell started writing her own songs when she was about 17 years old. In 2003, at age 22, she won the New Folk award at the Kerrville Folk Festival. This was a big step for her music career.
Musical Journey
Mitchell released her album Hymns for the Exiled in 2004. This album caught the attention of another singer-songwriter, Ani DiFranco. DiFranco then signed Mitchell to her record label.
In 2006, Mitchell showed an early version of her "folk opera" called Hadestown. She worked on this project with musician Michael Chorney. A new version of Hadestown was performed in 2007. Her third album, The Brightness, was released that same year.
Her album Hadestown came out in 2010. It tells the old Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice. But Mitchell set the story in a post-apocalyptic, Depression-era America. Famous musicians like Ani DiFranco and Justin Vernon from Bon Iver appeared on the album.
Mitchell kept working on turning Hadestown into a stage musical. At the same time, she wrote and recorded new songs. In 2012, she released her album Young Man in America. Critics praised this album.
In 2013, Mitchell released Child Ballads with fellow musician Jefferson Hamer. This album won a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. In 2014, she released xoa. This album featured new versions of her older songs, sung only with guitar and her voice.
Hadestown on Stage
The expanded musical version of Hadestown opened in New York in 2016. It quickly became very popular. Vogue magazine even called it "your next musical theatre obsession."
The show then went to Canada in 2017. In 2018, it played at the National Theatre in London. Finally, Hadestown opened on Broadway in New York City on April 17, 2019. It was a huge success.
Other Projects
In 2019, Mitchell joined a "supergroup" band called Bonny Light Horseman. The band includes Eric D. Johnson and Josh Kaufman. Their first album came out in 2020. They released more albums in 2022 and 2024.
In 2021, Mitchell also sang on three songs for the band Big Red Machine's album.
Family Life
Anaïs Mitchell married Noah Hahn in 2006. They have two daughters together, named Ramona and Rosetta.
Discography
Studio Albums
- The Song They Sang... When Rome Fell (2002)
- Hymns for the Exiled (2004)
- The Brightness (2007)
- Hadestown (2010)
- Young Man in America (2012)
- Child Ballads (with Jefferson Hamer) (2013)
- Xoa (2014)
- Anaïs Mitchell (2022)
EPs
- Country E.P. (with Rachel Ries) (2008)
Cast Albums
- Why We Build The Wall (EP – Selections from Hadestown. The Myth. The Musical. Live Original Cast Recording) (2016)
- Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Live Original Cast Recording) (2017)
- Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2019)
Awards and Achievements
Anaïs Mitchell has won several awards for her music and her work on Hadestown.
- 2003: Kerrville Folk Festival – New Folk Award (Won)
- 2014: BBC Radio 2 Folk Award – Best Traditional Track for "Willie of Winsbury" (Won)
- 2019: Tony Award – Best Original Score for Hadestown (Won)
- 2020: Grammy Award – Best Musical Theater Album for Hadestown (Won)
- 2021: Libera Awards – Best Americana Record for Bonny Light Horseman (Won)
See also
In Spanish: Anaïs Mitchell para niños
