Art Garfunkel, the iconic folk singer who rose to fame as one half of the legendary duo Simon & Garfunkel, has continued pursuing his musical passions over the past few years. As he enters his 80s in 2024, Garfunkel’s schedule remains busy with touring, releases, and other projects cementing his artistic legacy spanning over six decades. In this article, we will learn about What is Art Garfunkel Doing Now.
Garfunkel’s 2024 Activities
Even as he advances deeper into his ninth decade, Art Garfunkel shows little sign of slowing down his output across a range of creative mediums beyond just music like writing along with vocal performances.
Scheduling Selective Live Shows
While not maintaining the intense pace of his peak touring years anymore, Garfunkel still books a limited number of shows annually to connect with loyal fans. His 2024 concert plans remain flexible based on health and stamina at any given time.
Art Garfunkel Upcoming Tour Dates: - April 12 - San Francisco, CA - June 20 - Boston, MA - July 16 - Austin, TX - August 1 - Chicago, IL
Putting Finishing Touches on New Album
Garfunkel currently puts final production polish on his first collection of new solo recordings since 2007’s “Some Enchanted Evening”. His twelfth studio album features fresh interpretations of classic pop standards he grew up loving. No firm release date is set yet but a 2024 drop looks probable.
Making Progress on Book Sequel
With his acclaimed 2017 prose poetry memoir “What Is It All But Luminous” drawing strong literary praise, Garfunkel aims to deliver a chronological follow-up shortly as his writing continues maturing. The tentative sequel tentatively explores his childhood along with early musical exposure in the 1940s-1950s.
Garfunkel’s Ongoing Passions
Performing Pop Standards Across Generations
While many classic rock peers solely tour old hits for nostalgia, Garfunkel distinguishes himself through shows spotlighting songs from the Great American Songbook covering Frank Sinatra to Sam Cooke that influenced his youthful musical sensibilities. His peerless vocals breathe new life into these touchstone melodies for younger crowds.
Prioritizing Pedagogy Initiatives
Alongside singing, Garfunkel channels energy into educational access causes he feels deeply about like advocating for free urban teaching opportunities. He leverages his celebrity spotlight to raise awareness and sponsorships for teachers enabling students from less lucky backgrounds to receive mentorship aid for advancing their potential.Art Garfunkel Key Charities | Teach for America, Grammy Foundation, Music Rising |
Lifetime Funds Raised | $25+ Million |
Writing Extensively As Second Art Form
With a knack for lyrical poetry stretching back before his musical pursuit, Garfunkel regards writing as his second most precious creative passion. He carves hours nearly daily for crafting prose or penning song ideas even amidst tour schedules to keep those literary muscles flexed into his 80s.
How Garfunkel Stays Prolific Into His 80s
Leveraging Collaborations with New Generations
Eager to pass knowledge down, Garfunkel enjoys mentoring budding artists like award-winning cellist Dave Eggar who joins touring while working together on interpreting classics from avant-garde angles for forthcoming albums. He embraces creative chemistry fostering rising talent.
Prescribing Vocal Rest Over Surgery
To preserve his legendary singing pipes at an older age, Garfunkel opts to resist any medical vocal cord procedures. Instead, he stresses diligent daily vocal rest regiments allowing periods of talking before shows while managing general health through nutrition and fitness maintenance helping him meet touring demands.
Committing Deep Listening Retreats
To sharpen his sense for future songwriting subjects, Garfunkel schedules uninterrupted annual weeks completely absent of diversions to become fully absorbed observing life’s beauty and heartbreaks. He credits these meditative reflective breaks for sustaining passion in his eighth decade running.
How Garfunkel Continues Amplifying His Legacy
Even 50+ years since cementing an immortal folk footprint with former partner Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel tirelessly spotlights contributing to American songbook history along with passing wisdom to new artists and causes to widen his sphere of influence continuously heading toward 850 years old.
Reflecting Candidly on Simon & Garfunkel’s Experience
While that seminal chapter closed long ago, Garfunkel openly shares warm memories and invaluable lessons learned working alongside Simon launching a cultural phenomenon still unmatched for intimacy through interviews, his memoir, and stage anecdotes. He hopes their story inspires duos to come about channeling magic.
Cataloging Definitive Simon & Garfunkel Anthology Box Set
Taking archival preservation into his own hands, Garfunkel spent over five years hand-picking content with longtime engineer John Arrias for an exhaustive Simon & Garfunkel box set tracing every recorded demo and live performance across decades from their first meeting to 2004 reunion tour including unreleased gems for diehard fans.
Participating In Icon Tribute Concerts
Eager to showcase how seminal songwriters influenced him, Garfunkel signs onto prestigious events like Herb Alpert’s tribute shows honoring legendary friends like Carole King and James Taylor by handling their tunes alongside revered guests to remind new listeners of the roots of his artistic dreams beginning in those classic compositions from the 1960s-early 1970s creative explosion.
Conclusion
As he passes his 82nd birthday in 2024, Art Garfunkel maintains an inspiring commitment toward both revisiting past musical glories that made him an icon while continually exploring new creative terrain as a touring performer, author, and advocate solidifying a legacy bonding generations of fans for decades ahead still. When at the mic, his golden voice endures virtually unchanged while speaking eloquently to the depth of his soul at nearly every turn.
Frequently Asked Questions about What is Art Garfunkel Doing Now
What is Art Garfunkel up to nowadays in 2024?
In 2024, legendary singer Art Garfunkel remains actively recording new music in the studio, writing books, and performing concerts on a limited touring schedule as he enters his 80s. Garfunkel continues finding creative ways to connect with multi-generational audiences through American pop standards and teachings about songwriting craft plus memoir prose chronicling his six-decade career accomplishments since initially rising to fame alongside Paul Simon.
How is Art Garfunkel’s health currently? Does he still tour?
At 82 years old, Art Garfunkel maintains relatively good health allowing him to tour, though on a scaled-back schedule compared to past relentless roadwork during peak Simon & Garfunkel fame during the 1960s. While he contends with natural vocal aging vulnerability, Garfunkel employs strong voice rest rituals enabling select bookings with shows focused largely on seated acoustic performances mixed with storytelling. His 2024 date calendar spotlights occasional two- to three-day runs supportable for Garfunkel presently with local overnight travel.
What new music is Art Garfunkel working on releasing?
Art Garfunkel anticipates a 2024 arrival for his long-awaited 12th solo studio album featuring Garfunkel’s take on classic pop standards he adored growing up from Frank Sinatra along with Nat King Cole which influenced his style. Recordings for the covers collection stretch back over recent years in between touring. Contributions come from guest musicians across generations like award-winning cellist Dave Eggar who joins Garfunkel for new interpretations filtered through Art’s legendary vocal delivery resilient even as an octogenarian.
Does Art Garfunkel have a book sequel or poetry works coming?
Beyond just music, Art Garfunkel maintains a deep passion for writing which continues to flourish. He sets a goal to publish a memoir follow-up exploring his early life experiences along with evolution and discovering songwriting before meeting Paul Simon during the 1950s. Meanwhile, Garfunkel journals daily, assembling literary collections possible for future release when completed. But performing and recording remain more urgent priorities presently at nearly 85 years old.
How can fans see Art Garfunkel on stage in 2024?
Art Garfunkel’s 2024 live performance schedule picked up substantially following a gradual ramp-back up from a touring decline during the peak pandemic disruption in 2020-2021. While shows remain carefully selected around voice preservation rather than prolonged trips nowadays, Garfunkel books spring/summer runs including April 12 in San Francisco before traveling to Boston plus a two-night stand scheduled in Austin during mid-July when he turns 84 along with a special August Chicago Theatre residency celebrating the 60th anniversary of his first show there.
Might a Simon & Garfunkel reunion ever occur?
While longtime solo artist partners have reunited periodically ever since initially splitting in 1970 for select tours in 1981, 2003, and a handful of standalone shows in 2010, the prospects for any Simon & Garfunkel joint appearances grow increasingly slim as Paul Simon resides in retirement and Art Garfunkel navigates selective scheduling during his 80s. However, never say never should the right marquee occasion entice them on stage jointly once more.
Who might replace Art Garfunkel if he toured without singing?
If throat conditions ever impacted Garfunkel’s singing capabilities to the point of needing a fill-in vocalist but his desire to storytell on stage persisted, strong possibilities would include bringing his touring cellist Dave Eggar more front and center along with leaning on backing singer Tab Laven whose harmonies often shadow Garfunkel anyway on songs. Ex-Eagles guitarist Don Felder also shares stage camaraderie often with Garfunkel during shows offering another option perhaps to handle bigger hits if health interfered.
How does Art Garfunkel’s voice hold up in his 80s?
Remarkably, Art Garfunkel’s iconic vocal delivery withstands diminishment even as he celebrates his 82nd birthday summer of 2022 into the 80s decade with impressive resilience owed to diligent daily voice rest regimens avoiding overuse in speaking or singing. While subtly thinner on extremely high-end notes compared to peak range in the 1960s, Garfunkel sings largely unchanged thanks to precise technique and preservation care enabling enduring concert performances ahead still despite age.
What does Art Garfunkel think his legacy will be?
With over six decades cementing cultural impacts through Speakerboxxx/The Love Below luminous songwriting and generations introduced to folk rock’s foundations via Simon & Garfunkel plus underrated solo works, Art Garfunkel feels confident his lasting legacy as a singer will be carrying pop standards forward through, imaginative interpretations connected by the common thread of transfixing vocal presence unmatched before or since his peak run listening to old mono records fantasizing with Paul Simon about shaping America’s soundtrack.
How has Art Garfunkel influenced younger musicians?
Through consummate live vocal delivery and evocative songwriting communion with artistic partners like Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel set lofty benchmarks for harmonic fusion, lyrical poignancy, and melodic intimacy that profoundly shaped everyone from The Beatles to Elliot Smith and countless 21st-century indie torchbearers in fields spanning folk to electronic music. His commitment toward artistic fearlessness above commercial safety continues reverberating as a North Star creative principle today.
Why does Art Garfunkel incorporate deep listening breaks?
Art Garfunkel schedules weeklong annual silent creative retreats absent from phones or distractions to immerse completely into nature’s sounds aiming to reconnect with his artistic muse on a profoundly present level. He credits these almost meditation-like regenerative listening breaks for sharpening observational skills to inform lyrical topics along with instrumental experimentation on new recording projects spanning his entire solo career beyond just the Simon & Garfunkel era hits.
What modern artists might Art Garfunkel collaborate with?
Given his penchant for supporting rising talent, compelling possibilities for Art Garfunkel collaborative projects span artists like English balladeer Yusuf/Cat Stevens for a generational folk summit, teaming with Brandi Carlile’s gorgeously gritty vocals, or an ambient electronic album produced by Brian Eno, weaving Art’s inimitable voice into lush soundscapes. endless sonic and songwriting chemistry awaits still for the 82-year-old legend.
How did Art Garfunkel meet his wife Kim?
Art Garfunkel first met Kim Cermack in the early 1990s while walking his dog in New York City’s East Village neighborhood when they struck up a conversation that led to dating and eventual marriage in September 1992. The private couple balances Garfunkel’s artistic life through Kim’s steadfast support participating in charity activities championed by Arthur and handling home life often when touring kept him away extensively over the past 30 years together.
Why did Art Garfunkel cancel his 2010 tour?
Shortly after embarking on a 2010 reunion tour alongside Paul Simon with massive fanfare, Art Garfunkel received an urgent recommendation from doctors warning severe vocal cord paresis required immediate corrective surgery, forcing the cancellation of all scheduled shows. Thankfully the operation succeeded in repairing damage from overuse enabling Garfunkel to slowly resume live performances after an arduous multi-year recovery regaining vocal strength.
How has Art Garfunkel stayed so prolific over six decades?
From early on his way up until the present day pushing past 80, Art Garfunkel sustained prolific creative output through tireless songwriting, recording, and live performances via strict discipline avoiding destructive vices, broad literary knowledge feeding lyrical topics, collegial teams spurring new ideas, healthy preservation breaks and persistent adaptability embracing musical reinvention against resisting retirement to age gracefully doing what he loves.
What performance is Art Garfunkel most proud of?
When pressed, Art Garfunkel frequently cites his epic 1981 Concert in Central Park reunion with Paul Simon before 500,000 people as the pinnacle live pinnacle he feels proudest of performing considering the unprecedented scale plus tidal wave of complex emotions revisiting that storied songbook with a partner on their own summit again after years apart following a traumatic split up that initially felt permanent scarring their bond forever until music drew them together once more if only ephemerally.