Bio & Press — Ali Dineen

“[What You Know] is one of my favorite songs of the past few years and has been a real balm to me. I think the chorus of it speaks to our moment perfectly. It's one of the rare songs that I listen to and think, 'God, I wish I'd thought of that.' ... If I'm alone on that island, I'd pick Ali Dineen because it would give me hope."

—Lin Manuel Miranda

ALI DINEEN is a songwriter and composer from Queens, NY, who is guided by a heart she has practiced listening to, and in doing so, invites others to do the same.

As a solo performer and collaborator, Ali has performed in living rooms, stadiums, museums and theaters across the United States and in Europe, including music directing for Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir when they opened for Neil Young on his Love Earth Tour. Other venues include the Owl Music Parlor, Ars Nova, the Museum of Art and Design, the Jalopy Theatre, the Brooklyn Folk Festival, HERE Arts, and the Savannah Folk Music Festival. Her voice can be heard yodeling on RadioLab and other podcasts, and on the soundtrack of indie films and the major motion picture Don’t Worry Darling. In 2025, her song “What You Know” was performed by Mandy Gonzalez and the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall as part of a tribute show to Lin Manuel Miranda. Ali received a 2025 NYSCA Support for Artists Grant, and was awarded the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation Residency in 2020. Ali is also the Music Director for local puppet troupe extraordinaire Boxcutter Collective, and is currently working on an opera about Joan of Arc. In addition to composing and performing, Ali teaches vocal harmony and guitar workshops at the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, leads the youth choruses at the Brooklyn New School, and has taught vocal and guitar workshops at the Ashokan Center and the WUMB Winter Acoustic Music Weekend. Her forthcoming full length album, Can’t Be Undone, will be released in 2027 on Jalopy Records.

Download: Electronic Press Kit PDF

“Ali’s songs are serious, without any concessions to pop trends, but they are sung with compassion and joy, and I was stunned in rapt attention...She doesn’t follow the structure of resolution and build-up that chord progressions are “supposed” to have, but manages to draw expertly contoured phrases anyway. Joni Mitchell said once in an interview: “...Music is when you pull the chords from your inner core, whether they sound weird to people or not, and anyone adventurous is doing that.” Ali Dineen is adventurous. Her songs show that she is following a heart she has practiced listening to…I’m not sure I’ve seen a more compelling, creative, and impressive musician so steeped in the history of folk music culture, and so truly herself. Watching Ali perform felt like witnessing something absolutely timeless.”

—Elizabeth Varnado, “We Saw Music”

SELECTED PERFORMANCES

Ars Nova, The Loneliness of Either Or, 2025

Neil Young’s Love Earth Tour, with The Stop Shopping Choir (Musical Director, pianist, vocalist), 2024

Flushing Town Hall , The Loneliness of Either Or: A Requiem for Joan of Arc, 2023

Brooklyn Folk Festival, with the Boxcutter Collective, 2023

Philadelphia Fringe Festival, with the Boxcutter Collective, 2023

New York International Puppet Fringe Festival, with Boxcutter Collective, 2023

Joe’s Pub, with the Stop Shopping Choir, 2022, 2023, 2024

New York Botanic Gardens’ “Garden Sets”, 2020

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, with ensemble, 2020

World Festival of Puppet Theater (Charleville, France), with Bread and Puppet Theatre, 2019