Presented by Duke Arts Presents
Cherokee songwriter Ken Pomeroy writes songs that cut straight to the heart. Her music pairs a soft soprano with spare guitar and clear-eyed storytelling, creating songs that feel both fragile and powerful.
Raised in Moore, Oklahoma, Pomeroy began writing at age eleven and quickly developed a reputation for lyrics that carry unusual emotional weight. Her music has appeared on the Twisters film soundtrack and in the acclaimed series Reservation Dogs, bringing her work to a growing national audience.
Pomeroy is emerging as a striking new voice in roots music, drawing from personal experience and Native storytelling traditions to shape songs that linger.
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American Tobacco Campus
Free and open to all
Ken Pomeroy arrived to many ears, seemingly out of the blue, with her 2025 Rounder Records debut, Cruel Joke. The album, with its hushed tones and intimate nature, felt like being welcomed into a secret world: familiar but fresh, flashes of darkness filled with hope, and the kind of songwriting that opens up with repeated listens. A singer-songwriter in the purest sense, Pomeroy’s observations tap into an emotionality steeped in universal truths: longing, freedom, and the joys and heartaches of home.
Hailing from Moore, Oklahoma, and now calling Tulsa home, the twenty-three-year-old was no secret to the area’s growing music community where she had been performing since she was a teenager. Drawing inspiration from fellow locals like Wilderado and John Moreland, Pomeroy’s arrival on a larger stage was not a surprise to those in the know, a culmination of years being on the stage, learning how to play guitar, carry a tune, and most importantly, write.
With the release of Cruel Joke (May ’25) Pomeroy and her long-time collaborator, Dakota McDaniel, spent much of the year on tour. The two made the most of their opportunities supporting acts ranging from Iron & Wine to I’m With Her, Madison Cunningham to Flyte, Shane Smith & the Saints to American Aquarium. Appearances at Newport Folk, Telluride Bluegrass and Big Ears Festival exposed Pomeroy to a larger audience, broadening her fanbase outside of a single genre.
Prior to the album’s release, Pomeroy’s song “Cicadas” was featured in Sterlin Harjo’s
Reservation Dogs after the two met through the Tulsa music scene. The placement led to a “viral moment” as for many it was the first time hearing Pomeroy. Harjo then cast Pomeroy in his next series The Lowdown and featured her performing her original song “Bound to Rain” on the show. This led to an appearance on CBS Saturday Sessions with her full-band, providing an avenue to showcase Pomeroy’s range of musicality beyond folk and Americana, dipping into avant-rock and jazz moments.
By year’s end, Cruel Joke had found its audience, making its way on numerous end-of-year lists with NPR’s Ann Powers calling Pomeroy a “generational talent” and Stereogum’s Marissa R. Moss & Natalie Weiner describing her writing as “gorgeously succinct lines accompanied by equally tasteful but interesting arrangements […] her unexpected vocal choices and knack for softening the somber with a great melody makes songs […] truly unforgettable.”
2026 finds Pomeroy completing work on her next record and touring extensively throughout North America while heading to the UK and Europe for her first dates overseas. She states: “A lot of really cool things are happening, but it hasn’t set in. I haven’t had time to bask in it. Even when I started playing music, I never thought, ‘I’m a musician. I chose this life.’ I feel like something way above me pointed at me and said, ‘Okay, here’s your path.’ And I’ve just been following it kind of blindly ever since.”
Duke Arts returns to American Tobacco Campus in September with a new season curated by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tift Merritt. This year’s series honors the women whose artistry and audacity have shaped generations of musicians. Merritt has invited participating artists to reflect on the women who influenced their own creative lives and showed them how to carve space for their own work in music.
Now in its sixth year, Duke Arts at American Tobacco has become a signature September tradition in downtown Durham. This ongoing partnership between Duke Arts and American Tobacco Campus brings world-class artists to the heart of the city through free public performances open to all audiences.
These outdoor concerts are free, appropriate for all ages, and open to the general public. No registration is needed. Come early, bring a chair or blanket, and enjoy food and drinks from any of the 15 bars and restaurants on campus. Alcoholic beverages are allowed ONLY if they have been purchased from an establishment participating in The Bullpen Social District; all other alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited. The stage is located under the Lucky Strike water tower, and the closest parking is at the South Parking Deck at ATC.
Concerts are weather permitting, with notice of cancellation announced at dukearts.org and via Duke Arts social media accounts on the day of the event.
For more information about American Tobacco Campus, visit https://americantobacco.co/your-visit/
Where are the concerts held? The stage is located under the Lucky Strike water tower at American Tobacco Campus, 300 Blackwell Street
Durham, NC 27701.
Is the series free? Yes! All concerts are free, appropriate for all ages, and open to the general public. No registration required!
Where should I park? The closest parking is at the South Parking Deck at ATC.
What should I bring? Bring a blanket or lawn chair, and come early to secure your spot!
Will there be food available? Enjoy food and drinks from any of the 15 bars and restaurants on campus.
Is alcohol allowed? Alcoholic beverages are allowed ONLY if they have been purchased from an establishment participating in The Bullpen Social District; all other alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited.
Two-time Grammy Award–winning songwriter Patty Griffin is one of the most beloved voices in American folk and Americana. For more than two decades, she has written songs that capture the small moments and big emotions that shape everyday life.
From NPR’s Tiny Desk to award-winning screen work, banjoist and songwriter Kaia Kater fuses folk, bluegrass, and contemporary roots music to tell stories of heritage and home.
Madison Cunningham moves between indie folk, rock, and art-pop, known for layered arrangements and fearless songwriting—an approach that earned her a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.
This event is part of the
We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative