Usually when a performer does the Ann Arbor Folk festival in January they also offer a gig at The Ark some time in the next few months. Thus, The Ark presented Vienna Teng Friday night, but such is her popularity locally that the show was staged in the much larger Power Center.

Although not every seat was filled, it was clear The Ark made the right call. Her fans—and many of her classmates—were out in force. For those unaware, Teng—in addition to being an accomplished professional musician and singer/songwriter—is a student at the University of Michigan, where she is enrolled in the Erb Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, studying “green” business. Friday’s show was a rare one for the young performer, who has mostly put music on hold to pursue her studies.

Teng touched on her U-M experience several times, telling the audience that “I realized from the first day of class I belonged here.”

So what is so special about Teng? Her brand of sophisticated orchestral folk is a balm to the ear, her thoughtful lyrics a thankful alternative to much of which passes for pop music these days. She’s also comfortable with being a little unconventional; hence we heard vocal and percussion samples, backwards loops and an impromptu audience choir.

You have to love a singer who warns the audience her voice might stray into Tom Waits’ gruff territory because of illness, then proceeds to nail almost every song. She sounded a little strained on “Antebellum,” but the performance—augmented by the audience—was still lovely.

Teng began with an a cappella lullaby in Chinese, “Green Island Serenade.” She continued by accompanying herself on piano and then, about half way through the set, she brought out a string quartet of U-M School of Music students, plus a percussionist, to back her up.

“Blue Carvan,” haunting and sultry, was one of the show’s highlights. I remember it being a standout at the Folk Festival as well. “One Bedroom, One Bath,” with the instruments giving voice to a disagreement in an apartment above, was also a fun bit of experimentation. “Harbor” sounded great with all the strings. “Gravity,” with its backwards violin loops and time-travel theme, audience favorite “Whatever You Want,” and “Stray Italian Greyhound” (what Teng said was her attempt at a happy song), were also superb. A witty ditty using fortune cookie sayings (from www.fortunecookiemessage.com—who knew?) added a bit of levity to the evening.

“Grandmother Song,” with the audience keeping time and shouting out in agreement or disagreement with some of the words of wisdom passed on by Teng’s grandmother, made for an upbeat ending to the main part of the show.

Coming back for an encore, Teng performed a touching version of Don McLean’s “Vincent” as a thank-you to late Apple guru Steve Jobs. The prayerful “Soon Love Soon,” with around 20 volunteer singers joining her on stage, capped a perfect show on a hopeful note.

Katie Lee, of the excellent local acoustic band Orpheum Bell, opened the show, playing a strong set that included help from several of Teng’s musicians, a lineup assembled just 36 hours previously but sounding polished in any event.