Ben Caplan

On April 23, 2026, Canadian singer-songwriter Ben Caplan will perform at Melkweg in Amsterdam. Born in Hamilton and based in Halifax, he weaves North American folk with klezmer and influences from Eastern Europe. His warm, grainy voice carries stories with a clear narrative focus, in songs that move between acoustic ballads and more rhythmic pieces.

Since his debut In the Time of the Great Remembering (2011), Caplan has been steadily building a repertoire that continues to broaden. Birds with Broken Wings (2015) opened his sound to brass and strings while keeping the folk foundation intact. With Old Stock (2018), which originated in the theatrical production Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story, he pushed his songs more toward storytelling and introduced a cabaret sensibility. Recollection (2020) revisits several songs in stripped-down versions, placing voice and lyrics even more to the fore.

Live, Caplan alternates between intimate moments and more energetic passages. At the Melkweg he draws from his entire catalogue: spare songs that remain small and direct alongside numbers with klezmer swing and a driving groove. The voice and the story form the core, with folk that is open to influences and leaves room for dynamic range onstage.