Nice Tix: Joanna Newsom meets the CSO

Pixie harp-strummer Joanna Newsom sent critics into a blathering lather with the release of her 2006 album Ys. Steve Albini and Van Dyke Parks helped to turn her five ten-minute-average-length tunes from Ren-fair fare into eerie fantasy epics. It was no wonder why the Liv Tyler slasher flick The Strangers used the Edmund Spenser–inspired chamber-indie for ambience.

Now Newsom takes her sweeping song cycle to the next level in a collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. On Friday, August 22 at 7:30pm, the California native makes her Symphony Center debut, performing songs from Ys backed by the orchestra, and solo selections with her band. Ticket go on sale Monday July 7 and range from $25–$45.