By Margot Edwards
Berklee.edu Correspondent
August 15, 2007

Singer/songwriter Madi Diaz became the first Berklee student to perform at the venerable Newport Folk Festival when she appeared before Linda Ronstadt at the opening-night concert on Friday, August 3. She followed in the footsteps of Bob Dylan, the Indigo Girls, Arlo Guthrie, Elvis Costello, and Berklee alumni Bruce Cockburn, Patty Larkin and Gillian Welch, who have all made a strong impact at the festival in the past.

Diaz and her band—alumni guitarists Kyle Hurlbut and Adam Ollendorff, alumnus bassist Adam Popick, and drummer Lorne Entress—performed a tight, six-song set for an audience of 3,000 at the historic International Tennis Hall of Fame. Diaz captivated the crowd with her powerful voice and Americana-influenced pop songs from her debut CD Skin and Bone.

Madi Diaz leads her band in a Newport soundcheck. George Wein, CEO of Festival Productions and founder of the Newport Folk Festival, talks to Diaz before her set. Diaz and alumnus guitarist Kyle Hurlbut. Diaz relaxes backstage before her set. Diaz is interviewed before her soundcheck by Barbara Dacey of WMVY-FM.

All photographs by Margot Edwards. To inquire about photo availability and usage, please email us.
Instructions for Photo Usage

Margot Edwards is a publicist in Berklee's Office of Public Information.