In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Day this Tuesday, May 4, the children at Irving Park Elementary School in Greensboro, NC, chose to thank their teachers with a special performance of Natalie Merchant's "Kind and Generous" you can watch here.

We join Natalie Merchant in sending our thanks to all the health care workers and first responders who have served their communities during this pandemic with such skill, grace, kindness, and generosity, such as those at Montefiore in New York City. Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Natalie Merchant took part in the Hudson Valley Votes virtual concert and rally earlier this month to get out the vote in the US election. The event raised funds for Common Cause, which works to strengthen democracy in America. Merchant was joined by Simi Stone to perform her song "This House Is on Fire," which you can watch here.

Two Natalie Merchant albums are now available digitally for the first time: Butterfly, a studio album featuring four new songs and six reinterpretations from her catalogue arranged for string quartet, and Rarities, a collection of fifteen rare and previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1998 and 2017. For Rarities, Merchant curated a selection of unique home studio demos, album outtakes, live tracks, and collaborations with diverse artists like Billy Bragg, David Byrne, The Chieftains, Cowboy Junkies, and Amy Helm. Both albums were created for and were previously only available as part of the deluxe ten-CD box set The Natalie Merchant Collection in 2017.

Natalie Merchant will receive the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award at The ASCAP Foundation Honors in NYC on December 11. The Champion Award celebrates ASCAP members whose contributions extend beyond music to significant charitable and humanitarian efforts. Also being honored at the event is Francisco Núñez, the founder and artistic director of the Young People's Chorus of New York City, who will receive The ASCAP Foundation Life in Music Award. "Their passion and commitment to philanthropy are sterling examples of how the creative community can step forward to improve the human condition," said ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams. "They 'walk the walk' and are inspirations for all of us."

Natalie Merchant was on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. She performed 10,000 Maniacs' "These Are Days," joined by The Roots, and gave an intimate online-exclusive performance of her song "Motherland." You can watch both here. Merchant also spoke with John Wilson for the podcast These Three about three songs: one she wrote, one she wishes she'd written, and one she's working on now. Her two-week, sold-out US tour concludes in Hudson, NY, tonight. 

Natalie Merchant, who performs on The Tonight Show this Thursday, will receive the 2019 John Lennon Real Love Award and will lead a multi-artist tribute concert of her favorite John Lennon and Beatles tunes at Symphony Space in NYC on December 6. The award is given in recognition of Merchant's artistic achievements and lifelong commitment to social activism and charitable causes. Proceeds will benefit Theatre Within's ongoing free workshops at Gilda's Club NYC.

Natalie Merchant begins a two-week, sold-out A Summer Evening With… tour of intimate venues across the US Northeast tonight, visiting towns in which she has never performed. "We're looking forward to seeing the rocky coast of Maine, the green rolling hills of Vermont, the historic village squares and white-steepled churches of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut," says Merchant.

Natalie Merchant has announced A Summer Evening With… tour of intimate venues across the US Northeast. The eleven-concert tour begins in Brownfield, ME, on July 25 and features towns in which she has never performed. "We're looking forward to seeing the rocky coast of Maine, the green rolling hills of Vermont, the historic village squares and white-steepled churches of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut," says Merchant. "I imagine we will meet many locals and visitors seeking the same sort of experience that we are, and I expect the audiences and the settings will inspire us."

Natalie Merchant begins her sold-out A Summer Evening With… tour of intimate, historic venues across the UK. This is her most far-reaching of the country to date and includes songs from throughout her career. "There's so much of Britain I've never seen," says Merchant. "I expect this summer's tour will satisfy my desire to explore those historic and scenic regions while meeting up with my fans who live there." She will then tour Ireland as special guest of Lúnasa.

Natalie Merchant has announced A Summer Evening With… summer tour of intimate, historic venues across the UK. The tour, from St Ives on July 13 to Oxford on July 30, is her most far-reaching of the country to date and includes songs from throughout her career. "There's so much of Britain I've never seen," says Merchant. "I expect this summer's tour will satisfy my desire to explore those historic and scenic regions while meeting up with my fans who live there."

Natalie Merchant's hit 1995 song "Wonder" now opens Wonder: Introducing Natalie Merchant, a new collection on streaming services. The set include singles and fan favorites, beginning with "Wonder" from her debut solo album, Tigerlily, and closing with the 2015 recording of the song for Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings. A new film Wonder, based on RJ Palacio's 2012 best-selling novel inspired by Merchant's song, opens November 17. Watch an excerpt from the documentary Paradise Is There about the song here.