Westport, CT - Now in its fourth year, VersoFest is rising in the ranks as one of Connecticut’s premier music festivals, delivering on its mission to provide a forum to share knowledge, discover inspiration, and celebrate media in all forms. From April 3 to April 6, The Westport Library’s annual music and media festival promises all of this and more — with four days of insight from industry legends, show-stopping performances, artistic expression, and engaging opportunities for community collaboration.Commencing this year’s lineup is a Verso Visionary conversation between legendary singer/songwriter Patti Smith and award-winning journalist and rock memoirist Alisyn Camerota on Thursday, April 3. Hit band The Wallflowers follows up with Friday night’s concert on April 4, and the weekend welcomes another Visionary conversation between hardcore punk legend Henry Rollins and Nabil Ayers, president of the record label Beggars Group, on Saturday, April 5.
Prior to Rollins and Ayers taking the stage, Saturday at VersoFest 2025 will be a celebration of boundary-defying artistic expression. Between interactive art exhibits and a graffiti workshop led by visionary artist 5iveFingaz, a weekend family kickoff celebration, and a panel discussion focused on the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, featuring an all-star cast of Springsteen collaborators and experts, the Saturday morning and afternoon run of events will be free to attend and open to all.
Saturday starts off with a bang — the VersoFest 2025 Weekend Kickoff Celebration will be a raucous curtain raiser to set the stage for a full weekend of VersoFest events. From 10 am to 12 pm, come celebrate music, media, and creativity in style, with DJs and other fun fare for the whole family.
Taking the stage in the Trefz Forum from 1 to 2:30 pm, Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run at 50 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Springsteen’s breakthrough 1975 album — a seminal work that is widely considered to be one of the greatest rock albums of the 20th century. This event is free to attend. Click here to register.
An all-star panel will lead the procession, including Mike Appel, Springsteen’s first manager and the co-producer of Born to Run. Described as a “managerial genius” by Springsteen himself, Appel had a pivotal role in the launch of Springsteen’s career. His mark on the production of Springsteen’s first three albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.; The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle; and Born to Run can be heard decades later in the albums’ musical risk-taking and lyrical romanticism.
“Mike was my musical brother in arms,” Springsteen said in his autobiography Born to Run. “He knew everything about the great groups, the fabulous hit records, every important nuance of the great singers' voices, the greatest riffs, the heart and soul that were in our favorite music.”
Joining Appel is former Columbia Records promotions director Michael Pillot, who spearheaded the album promotion for Born to Run and solidified Springsteen’s quintessential image, as well as music historians Robert Santelli and Kenneth Womack. As the current executive director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, as well as the founding executive director of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, Santelli is a Grammy-winning authority in music preservation. Likewise, Womack’s work spans numerous volumes of literary and cultural criticism and poignant commentary for BBC, NPR, ABC’S 20/20, NBC’s Access Hollywood, and more; he also wrote the 2024 book, Bruce Songs.
Former music industry executive and Verso Studios advisory board member Dick Wingate will host alongside Shumer. While at Columbia Records, Wingate worked closely with Pillot, managing the production of Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, as well as many other influential rock albums.
Launching in tandem with VersoFest 2025, globally renowned artist 5iveFingaz is bringing his bold signature style to The Westport Library in a series of art exhibits that will provide a vibrant and immersive backdrop to the festival. From March 29 to June 1, his work will span the Library’s Sheffer, South, and Jesup Galleries.
On Saturday, April 5, from 10 am to 2 pm, the South Gallery will feature an Interactive Community Participation Mural designed by 5ive, which will invite members of the community to help fill in and create their own masterpiece during VersoFest. By allowing the viewer to participate in the creation of the artwork, creative immersion and community contribution will be as much a part of the piece as the art itself.
5ive’s immersive exhibit Visual Verses will be displayed in the Sheffer Gallery, transforming the space as it merges the expressive power of visual art with the profound impact of language. Each painting in this collection transcends traditional boundaries by weaving together vivid colors, dynamic compositions, and original phrases crafted to evoke thought, emotion, and reflection. This fusion of imagery and language urges viewers to engage not only with the aesthetics, but also with 5ive’s deeper narratives and intentions behind each piece. More information on 5ive’s Jesup Gallery exhibit is forthcoming.In addition to his art exhibits, 5ive will also lead two consecutive graffiti workshops, both of which will take place concurrently with the interactive mural. Presented by Verso University, Graffiti 101: Finding Your Voice as a Graffiti Artist will provide a space for participants to tap into their artistic expression and create their own unique pieces using spray paint and markers. This workshop contains two sessions: the first running 12 to 12:45 pm, and the second running 1 to 1:45 pm. Both sessions will cover the same content and are free to attend. Click here to register.
Sunday, April 6, will cap off the weekend with a VersoFest Oral History Podcast live recording with David Letterman Musical Director Paul Shaffer and SNL Tour De Force Christine Ohlman, followed by an afternoon event to close the festival. More details coming soon.
Since 2022, VersoFest has welcomed a number of celebrated global sensations including hip hop legend Chuck D, famed producers Steve Lillywhite and Tony Visconti, Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler, the Doors drummer John Densmore, Cramps drummer Miriam Linna, Alice Cooper Group bassist Dennis Dunaway, established hit-makers Spin Doctors and the Smithereens, up-and-coming bands Sunflower Bean and the Lemon Twigs, hip hop originators Tony Crush and DJ Grand Wizzard Theodore, and a wide array of authors, photographers, artists, and thought leaders.
All VersoFest performances, panels, and workshops are free or at market rates thanks to the generous support of donors, community partners, and Library programming funds. A selection of events will be recorded by Verso Studios Crew Call and available on-demand at a later date.
The complete VersoFest 2025 schedule, plus tickets and additional information, can be found here.
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