RISSI PALMER BRINGS SOME ‘COLOR ME COUNTRY’ TO TUCSON

This August, the Southwest Folklife Alliance invites you to experience an extraordinary evening of music, storytelling, and cultural connection as acclaimed singer-songwriter Rissi Palmer comes to Tucson for a free public concert at the Fox Tucson Theatre.

Register online for free tickets to the Aug. 28 concert co-presented by Tucson Meet Yourself, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the Fox Tucson Theatre.

Palmer performs at the Fox on Aug. 28, 7 p.m. co-presented with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in partnership with the Fox and Tucson Meet Yourself. The show is free, but registration is required.

Palmer has built a national reputation as both an acclaimed country music artist and a passionate advocate for recognizing the deep and enduring contributions of Black artists to country music.

In 2007, her breakthrough single, “Country Girl,” made her the first Black woman in nearly two decades to chart on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart—a milestone that challenged long-held assumptions about who belongs in country music and helped open doors for a new generation of artists.

Today, Palmer is recognized not only as an acclaimed singer-songwriter, but also as one of the country’s leading advocates for preserving and celebrating the diverse traditions that have shaped American music. Through her Apple Music radio program, Color Me Country, and the Color Me Country Foundation, Palmer amplifies the stories and contributions of Black, Indigenous, Latino, and other historically underrepresented artists whose influence is part of country music’s history.

Her own music reflects that same spirit of inclusion. Drawing from country, soul, folk, gospel, and other American roots traditions, Palmer creates songs that explore identity, resilience, family, and belonging. She has performed everywhere from the Grand Ole Opry and the White House to Lincoln Center and the Apollo Theater, earning recognition as both a gifted performer and a thoughtful cultural ambassador.

Funding to bring Palmer to Tucson is from the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: 250,” a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian’s vision for the next 250 years.

Whether you’re a longtime Tucson Meet Yourself fan or discovering us for the first time, we hope you’ll join us for this special evening with Rissi Palmer.

Friday, August 28
Fox Tucson Theatre
Free and open to the public

A Tucson Meet Yourself Like Never Before

Rissi Palmer’s concert marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Tucson Meet Yourself, which takes place Oct. 16-18, downtown Tucson.

As part of our partnership with the Smithsonian’s “Of the People” initiativecommemorating America’s 250th anniversary, we’re thoughtfully reimagining the festival experience.

Rather than simply adding more attractions, we’re creating more opportunities for meaningful encounters. Visitors will discover redesigned gathering spaces through micro-pavillions and themed villages, including the new Of the People Neighborhood where artists, cooks, musicians, tradition bearers, and community members will invite our community into conversations and demonstrations.

The new series of micro-pavilions are mini-festivals within Tucson Meet Yourself intimate spaces where visitors can spend time with artists and tradition bearers through demonstrations, hands-on activities and conversation.

Planned micro-pavilions include Caseta de Flamenco, Expo Peru, Asian Cultures of Tucson, Jewsish Cultural Community, Qazaq Dalasy: Living Culture of Kazakhstan’s Great Steppe, Tucson Museum of Art, Disability Cultures, Teachers: Pedagogies of “Of the People,” the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Latino, and the Tucson Lotteria exhibit with 56 original pieces by Kim Fernandez.

Another highlight at TMY 2026 is the work of four Tucson teenagers who spent the year working as field folklorists, documenting living trades including boxing, desert landscaping, westernwear including bootmaking, jeans, hats, and other leather goods, and glassblowing. Their research on occupational folklife is part of the experience visitors encounter in the Of the People Neighborhood.

The redesigned footprint of this year’s festival gives room for our community to matter. Visitors might stop to watch a craft demonstration, sit down to hear a story, discover a food tradition, encounter a musician, participate in a workshop—or simply find themselves in conversation with someone they might never otherwise have met.

That is the deeper purpose behind this year’s changes.