Over a four-decade career, Natalie Merchant has earned a place among America's most respected recording artists, building a reputation for thoughtful songwriting through ten solo albums and six albums as the lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs, released on Elektra and Nonesuch Records. Her eleventh album, Cabinet of Wonder, a collection for children, will be released by Nonesuch Records on August 21, 2026. Merchant has toured extensively throughout her career and collaborated on stage and in the studio with a diverse range of artists including Billy Bragg, Philip Glass, David Byrne, The Chieftains, R.E.M., Wilco, Medeski Martin & Wood, Tracy Chapman, Mavis Staples, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. 

Beyond her work as a recording artist, Merchant has long supported nonprofit organizations dedicated to environmental conservation, social justice, children's advocacy, and the arts, including Scenic Hudson, The Fresh Air Fund, Doctors Without Borders, Tibet House, and Planned Parenthood. She served a five-year term on the New York State Council on the Arts, and in 2022 was appointed by Senator Chuck Schumer to a six-year term on the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Her commitment to arts education led to an Artist in Residence appointment with a Head Start preschool program in upstate New York, where she developed The Mother Goose Project, laying the foundation for Cabinet of Wonder. 

Cabinet of Wonder is an album featuring music and videos from her multimedia collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Children’s Theatre. Designed as a free enrichment program that introduces music, poetry, and the dramatic arts to children ages 2-6, Cabinet of Wonder reimagines Mother Goose and her rhymes through modern interpretations of the classic child-centered canon. The arrangements span classical, folk, jazz, funk, blues, and beyond, opening up a universe of imagination both in the classroom and at home, reflecting Merchant's lifelong commitment to storytelling, arts education, and creative collaboration.