Natalia Zukerman and Anne Heaton come to Helsinki Hudson

HUDSON — I’m very excited about an upcoming show at Club Helsinki Hudson. It combines one of my all-time favorite artists, Natalia Zukerman, and her friend, singer-songwriter and storyteller Anne Heaton, in an unusual evening of songs, stories, and images from each of them, on Thursday, December 5, at 8 p.m.

It’s sort of going to be like two one-woman shows in one evening.

In “The Women Who Rode Away,” from which she will perform excerpts, Zukerman’s songs and paintings engage in a dialogue. Featuring original music and projected paintings by Zukerman, this intimate portrait recounts the artist’s journey of finding her own voice through the stories of the women in her life who paved the way, such as Jane Avril. As much as it’s about the artists who influenced her, it’s also a kind of creative memoir of Natalia’s own artistic evolution.

And singer-songwriter and pianist Anne Heaton will be premiering music from her new album, “To the Light,” and its accompanying book of stories, in which each song has a tale of how it came to be along with the creativity keys that inspired its completion.

Natalia’s “The Women Who Rode Away” project began with her song “Jane Avril,” about the French can-can dancer made famous by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec through his paintings. “The song came from a challenge from a friend. We gave each other the assignment to write a song in a week with the words ‘feather boa’ in it,” says Zukerman, who lives in Brooklyn and frequently retreats to Columbia County for peace, quiet, and artistic inspiration - and to visit her mother, famed classical flutist Eugenia Zukerman - known locally as artistic director of several music series, including Leaf Peeper Concerts and Classics on Hudson.

Natalia’s other portraits in song and on canvas include “In the Long Mirror,” about black feminist poet Audre Lorde, “Georgia’s Mountain” about the great American artist Georgia O’Keeffe and “Ride in the Rain,” one of the more autobiographical songs in the program.

Anne Heaton says about To the Light : “On this record, I wanted to stay connected to my music community across the country .... As each song was written, I thought of a musician-friend who might help me bring it fully to life. Then I reached out to that person. In this way, I was able to co-produce these songs with some amazingly talented friends.” Other songwriters who contributed to the album include Natalia Zukerman, Shannon McNally, Beth Wood, Mai Bloomfield, Chaska Potter, Duke Levine, Meg Hutchinson, Jennifer Kimball, and Laura Donohue.

The new song project includes “Joy” and “Let Yourself Be,” a gorgeous nostalgic look back at a childhood friendship.

Remember - for reservations in the Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800. To purchase tickets online go here. For the most up-to-date concert information, always visit Club Helsinki Hudson.