Iceland, Rated PG-13, 98 Minutes
Director: Joe Penna
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Maria Thelma Smaradottir

Showtimes:
Daily - 5:30 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday & Wednesday matinees - 1:30 pm

Tickets: $9 adults, $7 seniors, $6 members/students
Matinees and Bargain Nights (Monday & Tuesday): $7 adults, $5 seniors, $4 members/students

A man stranded in the Arctic after an airplane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown in hopes of making it out alive.

In English.

April School Vacation Week Free Family Films

USA, Rated G, 139 minutes
Director: Robert Stevenson
Cast: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke David Tomlinson

Showtime:
Friday, April 19, 7:00 pm

Admission: Free

When Jane and Michael, the children of the wealthy and uptight Banks family, are faced with the prospect of a new nanny, they are pleasantly surprised by the arrival of the magical Mary Poppins. Embarking on a series of fantastical adventures with Mary and her Cockney performer friend, Bert, the siblings try to pass on some of their nanny's sunny attitude to their preoccupied parents.

Presented by the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts

Saturday, April 20, 7:00 pm

Location:
Colebrook Country Club
15 Abenaki Lane
Colebrook, NH

Tickets: $15 all seats

Local fan favorites--Rock On! will feature classic music from the '60s, '70s and '80s. Come dance all night with music provided by band members Jules Rancourt, Katie Rancourt, Bernie Walling and Tom Jordan. This band always packs in the crowds, wherever they perform!

Saturday, April 20, 7:00 pm

Location:
Masonic Hall
Catamount Arts
115 Eastern Ave
St. Johnsbury, VT

Admission: Free (Donations accepted)

As always, Catamount Arts Bluegrass Night will be hosted by Vermont's favorite bluegrass band, Bob Amos & Catamount Crossing. This month's special guests will be Dana and Sue Robinson.

Dana and Sue are Vermont based singer-songwriters who also love playing southern oldtime music and traditional English and Southern Mountain Ballads.

Wednesday, April 17, 7:00 pm
Encore - Wednesday, April 24, 7:00 pm

Location:
Catamount Arts Center
115 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: $15 adult, $12 Catamount Arts member, $6 student

Klimt & Schiele: Eros and Psyche, recounts the start of the Vienna Secession, a magical art movement formed in the late 1890's for art, literature and music, in which new ideas are circulated, Freud discovers the drives of the psyche, and women begin to claim their independence. It was a movement that marked a new era outside the confines of academic tradition.

At the heart of Secession were artists Gustav Klimt and his protégé and dear friend Egon Schiele. This exhibition proves an in-depth examination of images of extraordinary visual power: from the eroticism of Klimt's mosaic-like works, to the anguished and raw work of the young Schiele in his magnetic nudes and contorted figures against the backdrop of nocturnal Vienna, full of masked balls and dreams imbued with sexuality.

Thursdays, April 25, May 2, and May 9 - 6:00-8:00 PM

Location:
Catamount Arts Classroom
115 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Instructor: Sharon Kenney Biddle

There is nothing quite like the look and feel of a hand-bound book. In this three session class, students will splash around with water-based paint to make a visually exciting cover for their book. The cover is designed to weave together without messy glue and is easier than it looks. Next, participants will learn how to make a crossed structure binding with threads in brilliant or subtle colors. The finished book will make a wonderful journal, sketchbook, or poetry book…or perhaps a gift for Mothers’ Day!

Class fee: $65 (10% discount for Catamount Arts members and high school students) plus an $8 materials fee to be paid on the first day of class to the instructor. Scholarship funds are available – please contact Anne Campbell at 802-748-2600 ext. 109 to discuss this option.

To register, please click on the “Buy tickets” button or call 802-748-2600 ext. 3. Students under 18 years old must have a completed enrollment found HERE.

Sharon Kenney Biddle has been teaching bookbinding and making books for over twenty years.

For ages 13 and up.

Taught by Ballet Hispánico artists, master teachers, and its Artistic Director

Thursday, April 25th, 7:00 pm

Location:
Black Box Theater
St. Johnsbury Academy
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: Adults - $15, Students: $5
Parent of students under 18, please complete the enrollment form HERE.

Come dance with the masters! Then come to the show on Friday, April 26th.

Ballet Hispánico, America's leading Latino dance organization, has been bringing individuals and communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through dance for nearly 50 years. Community Arts Partnerships (CAP) provide exploratory learning experiences of Latino cultures in New York City and around the world in schools, businesses, community centers, public spaces, and university campuses. Ballet Hispánico’s Community Acciones are workshops and classes that build a deeper connection to dance and culture. The programs are created around the needs of the community and are taught by the Ballet Hispánico artists, master teachers, and its Artistic Director.

USA, Rated G, 93 Minutes
Director: Todd Douglas Miller
Cast: Buzz Aldrin, Joan Ann Archer, Janet Armstrong

Showtimes:
Daily - 5:30 pm & 7:30 pm
Sunday & Wednesday matinees - 1:30 pm

Tickets: $9 adults, $7 seniors, $6 members/students
Matinees and Bargain Nights (Monday & Tuesday): $7 adults, $5 seniors, $4 members/students

Apollo 11 is a cinematic space event film fifty years in the making. Featuring never-before-seen large-format film footage of one of humanity's greatest accomplishments, it is a look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

“Fresh and funny…a delight. A crowd pleaser.” - NY Times

Friday, April 26, 7:00 pm
Special school-time performance - Friday, April 26, 11:00 am

Location:
Lyndon Institute Auditorium
168 Institute Circle
Lyndon Center, VT

Tickets: $48, $38, $28, $15, students $15
Ticket prices do not include any applicable fees or sales taxes.

Save 20% when you buy by March 27. Discount is automatically reflected when you choose your seats.

Seniors and Catamount Arts members save $3.00 when ordering in person with id at the box office.

Ballet Hispánico, the nation’s premier Latino dance organization, brings its bold and eclectic brand of contemporary dance to the Northeast Kingdom. The organization’s founder, National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez, sought to give voice to the Hispanic experience and break through stereotypes. Today, Ballet Hispánico is led by Eduardo Vilaro, an acclaimed choreographer and former member of the Company, whose vision of artistic excellence, social equity, and cultural identity and high quality arts education for all drives its programs.

The Company is a group of highly trained professionals who perform the works of Latino choreographers for audiences around the world. Their repertory explores the diversity of Latino cultures and brings innovative ways of experiencing and sharing a cultural dialogue. Representing a multitude of nationalities, our artists reflect the ever-changing face of our nation.

Please note: We’ll present a Thursday, April 25th workshop of “Latin social dancing” for one and all. Contact Molly Stone (mstone@kcppresents.org) for details of time and place – and to sign up. All are welcomed.

“A gem…as strong as ever. A gorgeous flowing spectacle.” -- Village Voice

“Playfulness and passion…an explosive but whisper-soft virtuosity — but all in all it’s a party of a dance that might be happening anywhere a group of happy people are congregating.” – Boston Globe

“The most technically accomplished and musical dancers you'll find in the contemporary sphere" -- Washington Post

Friday, April 26, 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 27, 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 28, 2:00 pm

Location:
Tillotson Center
14 Carriage Lane
Colebrook, NH

"Paul and Corie Bratter are newlyweds in every sense of the word. He's a straight-as-an-arrow lawyer and she's a free spirit always looking for the latest kick. Their new apartment is her most recent find--too expensive with bad plumbing and in need of a paint job. After a six-day honeymoon, they get a surprise visit from Corie's loopy mother and decide to play matchmaker during a dinner with their neighbor-in-the-attic, Velasco, where everything that can go wrong, does. Paul just doesn't understand Corie, as she sees it. He is too staid, too boring, and she just wants him to be a little more spontaneous. Running "barefoot in the park" would be a start.

About Carriage Lane Players:
The Carriage Lane Players is a non-profit community theater organization based in Colebrook, New Hampshire. We have presented numerous plays and mystery-dinner theaters in the region since 2014, including "The Odd Couple-Female Version," "Steele Magnolias," "Deathtrap," "Boeing Boeing," "Don't Dress for Dinner," and "See How They Run." "Barefoot in the Park" was the group's first show in 2014, and the play is being revised with several returning cast members for this fifth anniversary year of the players.

Saturday, April 27, 10:00-11:30 am

Location:
Morse Center
St. Johnsbury Academy
St. Johnsbury, VT

Instructor: Robin Kristoff

Catamount Arts and the School of Creative & Performing Arts (SOCAPA) invite young storytellers ages 5-7 to create a group film! This free workshop, to run alongside the 48-Hour Film Slam competition for older students, will introduce children to visual storytelling. Each child will help create a story, think of how to tell their story in pictures, and illustrate one section of the story they tell. The narrations and illustrations will be converted into one group film, which will be screened Sunday evening, April 28, at St. Johnsbury Academy’s Fuller Hall during the Tap Into Film: 48-Hour Student Film Slam premiere.

FREE. Class is limited to 6 students. Please complete your registration by filling out the enrollment form HERE.

Robin Kristoff grew up in Barnet, VT and returned to her hometown after completing her M.A. at Emerson College. She is an Assistant Director of the School of Creative & Performing Arts (SOCAPA), and the author of middle grade fantasy novels Star Thief and The Empire's Orphans.

Piano

Saturday, April 27, 7:30 pm

Location:
South Church
1052 Main Street
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: Adults - $18
Senior - $16
Student - $6
Special* - $6
*For those who find the regular price beyond their budget. We believe classical music should be available to everyone. Just request the special rate. No questions asked.

Season Passes are available by calling the box office at 802-748-2600.

"A poet...[with] an expressive edge to his playing that charms, questions, and coaxes." — Philadelphia Inquirer

At the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, one of the world's most prestigious and demanding events for the piano, Daniel Hsu captured the Bronze medal, showcasing his virtuosity and style.

• Johann Sebastian Bach — Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp Major, BWV 848
• Ludwig van Beethoven — Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110
• Sergei Rachmaninov — Étude-tableau in E-flat Minor, Op. 39, No. 5
• Frédéric Chopin — Etude in C Major, Op. 10, No. 1
• Franz Liszt — Transcendental Etude No. 8 "Wild Jagd"
• Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky — Dumka, Op. 59
• Frédéric Chopin — Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op.35

For more information, please visit the Northeast Kingdom Classical Series website.

Sunday, April 28

Departs Western Avenue Park N Ride in St, Johnsbury, VT at 9:00 AM - Returns at approximately 4:45 PM
Departs Pleasant Street Parking Lot (behind theatre) in Littleton at 9:30 AM - Returns at approximately 4:15 PM

The Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH

Tickets: $99 all seats

Includes:
• Deluxe Round Trip Motor Coach Transportation
• Continental Breakfast (Coffee & Breakfast Goodies) on the way
• Admission to the Show
• Bottled Water & Homemade Brownies on the way home

A Chorus Line is a concept musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Centered on seventeen Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line, the musical is set on the bare stage of a Broadway theatre during an audition for a musical. A Chorus Line provides a glimpse into the personalities of the performers and the choreographer as they describe the events that have shaped their lives and their decisions to become dancers.

Sunday, April 28, 1:30 pm

Location:
Catamount Arts Center
115 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Admission: Free

The #MeToo movement has shined much-needed light on the pervasiveness of sexual violence and created unprecedented demand for gender violence prevention approaches that actually work. The Bystander Moment tells the story of one of the most prominent and proven of these approaches—the innovative bystander model developed by pioneering anti-violence activist and writer Jackson Katz and his colleagues. At its core, the video explores the role of bystanders—especially friends, teammates, classmates, and coworkers—in perpetuating sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other forms of gender violence. Katz gives special attention to peer culture dynamics— especially male peer culture dynamics across race and ethnicity—that help to normalize sexism and misogyny while silencing other men in the face of abuse. He also stresses the crucial importance of appealing to people not as potential perpetrators or passive spectators, but as active bystanders and potential leaders who have a positive role to play in challenging and changing the sexist cultural norms that too often lead to gender violence.

Sunday, April 28, 3:00 pm

Location:
St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts
155 Emery Street
Berlin, NH

Tickets:$12 (adults) $8 (under 18)

Filling the hall with the sounds of woodwinds and strings.

Sunday, April 28, 4:00 pm

Location:
Plainfield Town Hall Opera House
18 High Street
Plainfield, VT 05667

Tickets: Adults - $15, Seniors - $10, Students - $5

Brazilian sambas, folk waltzes, gentle choros, Gypsy jazz and original compositions on mandolin, fiddle, guitar, bass and drums. An all-star lineup led by the one and only Will Patton.

UK, Rated PG-13, 125 Minutes

Director: Terence Davies

Cast: Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Ehle, Duncan Duff

Showtimes:
Monday, April 29, 7:00 pm

Admission: Free

Cynthia Nixon delivers a triumphant performance as Emily Dickinson as she personifies the wit, intellectual independence and pathos of the poet whose genius only came to be recognized after her death. Acclaimed British director Terence Davies exquisitely evokes Dickinson's deep attachment to her close knit family along with the manners, mores and spiritual convictions of her time that she struggled with and transcended in her poetry.

Hosted by Quotidian: A Dinner Club for Daily Life

Thursday, May 2, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Location:
142 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Presented by:
Hend A-Raimi
Val Elliott
Spice Box

The Evening:
Please come and join Hend Al-Raimi for an authentic Yemeni traditional women-only dining experience. Learn a traditional Yemeni dance, take off your shoes, sit on the floor and eat out of communal platters as you would if you were to visit any home in Yemen. Relax on cushions as she tells you of her time in Yemen and her adventure of moving to the United States, as you sip Chai tea and eat sweet Yemeni cake. Come with questions, Hend would love to demystify what it is to be a Muslim. Val Elliott co-owner of Spice Box will help with preparing and serving the food.

Menu:
In accordance with Muslim tradition, all meat will be Halal — that is, animals slaughtered in an Islam-prescribed ritual, and no alcohol will be served with the meal.

• Fresh Juice
• Fasolya: White Bean Stew
• Daggah or Dagah: Beef,Lamb and Potato with sauce
• Laban: Yogurt and greens
• Yemeni Flat Bread
• Chai Tea
• Rawani: Sweet Yemeni cake

Hend Al-Raimi and Val Elliott
Al-Raimi and Elliott, both 38, met in the summer of 2017 at the Danville Farmers Market and discovered they had some things in common: Both grew up in households in which yelling was a form of affection. Both lost a parent when they were in their twenties. And both found a love for food and cooking at a young age. That shared passion eventually led them to launch Spice Box, a catering and pop-up restaurant venture. Al-Raimi, a native of Yemen now lives in Danville with her family. Hend moved to the U.S. in November 2016 via Jordan to escape the war in her native country. Al-Raimi's headscarf, or hijab, is a visible marker of her identity as a Muslim in an area that has little cultural diversity. But Al-Raimi's worries were largely unfounded. She said her neighbors have been welcoming and have wanted to learn more about her and her culture. Before Val Elliott attended college in New York City, her familiarity with "ethnic" food was limited to that of her Italian heritage and the Greek cuisine of a family friend. "I was in college before I had nachos," admits the St. Johnsbury resident, who grew up in the Hudson Valley. Elliott's 5-year-old daughter, on the other hand, is already developing a more nuanced palate. For one thing, she likes chicken curry. Elliott learned how to make it from Hend Al-Raimi. - Seven Days By Kymelya Sari, January 30, 2019

Parking: There is on street parking on Eastern Avenue

Arrival: Please arrive promptly at 6:30pm so that we can begin our evening together

Friday, May 3, 7:30 pm - First Congregational Church, Littleton, NH
Saturday, May 4, 7:30 pm - Bradford Congregational Church, Bradford, VT
Sunday, May 5, 3:00 pm - South Church, St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: $15 adults, students are free (Tickets available at the door - $18 adults, students are free)

North Country Chorus, under the direction of Alan Rowe, will perform Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Requiem by Gabriel Fauré. The Chorus will be joined by St. Johnsbury Academy's Hilltones and the North Country Youth Chorus, led by Kaitlyn Bryant. Details at http://northcountrychorus.org.

Dinner, Raffle, and Auction
A fundraiser benefiting the Vermont Make A Wish Foundation

Saturday, May 4, 6:00 pm

Location:
Winston Prouty Campus - Vermont Hall
209 Austine Drive
Brattleboro, VT

Tickets: $50

This year we're trying something new and hope you'll join us. For $50 you will receive dinner and a chance to win the $1500 cash prize!

Live auction items include: Celtics tickets, weekend stays in a Boston Brownstone, a Bianchi bicycle, handrafted lawn chairs, and more, a silent auction, and raffles!

A limited number of tickets will be sold - the more you buy, the better your chances are to win!

Make-A-Wish Vermont grants wishes for all eligible Vermont kids with a life threatening medical condition at no cost to the wish family. Because of the funds raised at events like this, there is no cost to our Wish family, and our kids can wish to “be” (firefighter, zoo keeper, violinist), to “meet” (Barack Obama, Michael Jordan, Adam Sandler), to “go” (Patriots game, fly fishing, Alaska) or to “get” (room makeover, swimming pool, puppy). An average wish costs about $10,000, so please join us in helping to grant a Vermont WISH!

Major sponsors: B.P.O.E #1499 - The Richards Group - Dave Manning, Inc.

Presented by the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts

Friday, May 10, 7:00 pm

Location:
Great North Woods Center for the Arts
1993 US Route 3
Columbia, NH

Tickets: $15 all seats

FIDDLE, HAMMERED DULCIMER, CLAWHAMMER BANJO

The dynamic father-son duo Ken & Brad Kolodner weave together a captivating soundscape on hammered dulcimer, banjo and fiddles pushing the boundaries of the Old-Time tradition into uncharted territory. Regarded as one of the most influential hammered dulcimer players and Old-Time fiddlers in North America, Baltimore’s Ken Kolodner has joined forces with his son Brad Kolodner, a rising star in the clawhammer banjo world. Together, they infuse their own brand of driving, innovative, tasteful and unique interpretations of traditional and original fiddle tunes and songs. They perform tight and musical arrangements of original and traditional old-time music with a “creative curiosity that lets all listeners know that a passion for traditional music yet thrives in every generation.” In concert, they regularly perform as a trio with bassist Alex Lacquement who locks everything together with his commanding and tasteful choices. They also perform on occasion with multi-instrumentalist Rachel Eddy (fiddle, banjo, guitar and vocals), a former member of the Old-Time supergroup Uncle Earl.

Rachel was born and raised in rural WV just south of Morgantown, where her musical family inspired her to play and sing as a little girl. She grew up listening to local fiddlers, her father among them, going to old-time festivals, and attending square dances. The old-time bug bit her early in life and Rachel now performs and teaches full-time on fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and bass. She has recently relocated back to West Virginia after living the last 5 years in Stockholm. During that time, she invigorated the Swedish old-time scene, inspiring dozens of people to learn Appalachian music and dance. In addition to being a performer, Rachel is passionate about teaching. She has taught fiddle, banjo and guitar at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins WV, at Sore Fingers Summer school in the UK, and different various weekend workshops from the hills of West Virginia to Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, London and Wales. Rachel’s love of music comes from the heart and she loves every part of her job from performing, to educating dedicated students, and the electrifying charge of playing in jam sessions around the world!

Over the years, she has had the honor of sharing stages, workshops and recording sessions with the likes of Tim O’Brien, Erynn Marshall, Dirk Powell, Adam Hurt, Rayna Gellert, Russ Barenberg, Bruce Molsky, Mark Schatz, and a month long tour in Germany with the g’earls from Uncle Earl!

May 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 7:30 pm
Sunday matinees on May 12 and 19 at 2:00 pm
**** Two Additional Matinee performances have been added specially geared towards young children on the two Saturday mornings May 11 & 18 at 10 am. After these performances the kids will get a chance to “meet and greet” with the Shrek characters in costume and a professional photographer will be on site for photo opportunities on the stage right in the play’s setting.

Location:
Littleton Opera House
2 Union St.
Littleton, NH

Tickets: RESERVED $14 for advance purchase or $16 at the door

Group Rate: Tickets must be purchased all at once for discount. Patrons may a contact Upstage Players about group sales and school rates at GetUpstageTickets@gmail.com

Music by Jeanine Teasori

Book & Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire

"Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek...." And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand... and his name is Shrek.

Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek The Musical is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure, featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie; Caroline, or Change) and a sidesplitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire. Shrek brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there's more to the story than meets the ears.

Shrek the Musical is directed by the Upstage Managing Artistic Director, Andrew Lidestri and choreography by Lidestri & Madalyn Sheehy

Season Tickets now available! Get a discounted price on premium seats. A limited number of season tickets are available for each show and each performance. Buying tickets for all three season shows at the door would cost $40. For only $30, get your tickets early and in a prime location only available to season ticket holders. Call the Catamount Arts Box Office to purchase and select season tickets. See our whole season and support local arts!

Friday, May 10th at 7:30,
Saturday, May 11th at 7:30,
Sunday, May 12th at 2:00,
Friday, May 17th at 7:30,
Saturday, May 18th at 7:30 and
Sunday, May 19th at 2:00

Location:
Haskell Opera House
93 Caswell Ave/1 Church Street
Derby Line, VT/Stanstead, QC

Tickets: $15 adults, $12 students and seniors

An original play by border humorist Ross Murray. It’s Labour Day, 1973. In Holland, Vermont, a rock festival is set to begin while, at the Haskell Free Library, rumours begin to fly that the former Fab Four will be meeting there. But when a mysterious stranger and confused American tourists turn things upside down at the world’s only international library, soon no one knows whether they’re coming or going.

Saturday, May 11, 12:00 pm
Encore - Saturday, May 18, 12:00 pm

Location:
Catamount Arts Center
115 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: $25 adult, $23 Catamount Arts member, $16 student

Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads an accomplished ensemble in Poulenc’s devastating modern masterpiece of faith and martyrdom. Isabel Leonard is the young Blanche de La Force, opposite Met legend Karita Mattila as the First Prioress.

This is an on-screen event.

Saturday, May 11, 1:00 pm

Location:
York Street Meeting House
161 York St.
Lyndon, VT

Tickets: adults $15, students $10, children under 13 free

Regarded as one of the most influential hammered dulcimer players and Old-Time fiddlers in North America, Ken Kolodner has joined forces with his son Brad Kolodner, a rising star in the banjo world. “Ken & Brad are both exceptionally talented musicians and they have created a tight, top-notch sound.” – Bluegrass Today, January 2014. They will be joined by multi-instrumentalist Rachel Eddy (fiddle, banjo, guitar and vocals), a former member of the Old-Time supergroup Uncle Earl.

Location: Catamount Arts Center

Admission: Free

Northern Vermont Songwriters is a new organization for songwriters to share knowledge and maximize creativity. Membership and meetings are free. We meet at 6:45 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month in the cabaret room at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury. Songwriters from Vermont, New Hampshire and anywhere else are invited to attend, and all genres of music are welcome. Songwriters may bring a song to share. The song may be performed live for the group, or a recording may be played (an iPhone dock will be available). Songwriters are encouraged to bring 6 copies of lyrics to share with the group. They may also bring lyrics only, or choose to simply listen and comment on the songs of others. Members might be invited to participate in public performances, including a Songwriter Round at Catamount Arts and at First Night. Another exciting benefit is occasional workshops hosted by music industry professionals, designed to help songwriters improve their craft. Please join us for our next meeting. Any questions should be sent to jakarns33@gmail.com; or phone: (802) 467-9859.

Tuesday, May 14, 7:00 pm

Location:
Catamount Arts Center
115 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: $25 adult, $23 Catamount Arts member, $16 student

by Arthur Miller
directed by Jeremy Herrin

Broadcast live from The Old Vic in London, Academy Award-winner Sally Field (Steel Magnolias, Brothers & Sisters) and Bill Pullman (The Sinner, Independence Day) star in Arthur Miller’s blistering drama All My Sons.

America, 1947. Despite hard choices and even harder knocks, Joe and Kate Keller are a success story. They have built a home, raised two sons and established a thriving business.

But nothing lasts forever and their contented lives, already shadowed by the loss of their eldest boy to war, are about to shatter. With the return of a figure from the past, long buried truths are forced to the surface and the price of their American dream is laid bare.

Jeremy Herrin (NT Live: This House, People, Places & Things) directs a cast including Jenna Coleman (Victoria), and Colin Morgan (Merlin).

All My Sons is an Old Vic co-production with Headlong

Thursday, May 16, 8:00 pm

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: $68 Reserved front & center, $52 General admission, $44 Members general admission.

PAT METHENY was born in Kansas City into a musical family. Starting on trumpet at the age of 8, Metheny switched to guitar at age 12. By the age of 15, he was working regularly with the best jazz musicians in Kansas City, receiving valuable on-the-bandstand experience at an unusually young age. Metheny first burst onto the international jazz scene in 1974. Over the course of his three-year stint with vibraphone great Gary Burton, the young Missouri native already displayed his soon-to-become trademarked playing style, which blended the loose and flexible articulation customarily reserved for horn players with an advanced rhythmic and harmonic sensibility – a way of playing and improvising that was modern in conception but grounded deeply in the jazz tradition of melody, swing, and the blues. With the release of his first album, Bright Size Life (1975), he reinvented the traditional “jazz guitar” sound for a new generation of players. Throughout his career, Pat Metheny has continued to re-define the genre by utilizing new technology and constantly working to evolve the improvisational and sonic potential of his instrument. METHENY’S versatility is almost nearly without peer on any instrument. Over the years, he has performed with artists as diverse as Steve Reich to Ornette Coleman to Herbie Hancock to Jim Hall to Milton Nascimento to David Bowie. Metheny’s body of work includes compositions for solo guitar, small ensembles, electric and acoustic instruments, large orchestras, and ballet pieces, with settings ranging from modern jazz to rock to classical.

As well as being an accomplished musician, Metheny has also participated in the academic arena as a music educator. At 18, he was the youngest teacher ever at the University of Miami. At 19, he became the youngest teacher ever at the Berklee College of Music, where he also received an honorary doctorate more than twenty years later (1996). He has also taught music workshops all over the world, from the Dutch Royal Conservatory to the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz to clinics in Asia and South America. He has also been a true musical pioneer in the realm of electronic music, and was one of the very first jazz musicians to treat the synthesizer as a serious musical instrument. Years before the invention of MIDI technology, Metheny was using the Synclavier as a composing tool. He also been instrumental in the development of several new kinds of guitars such as the soprano acoustic guitar, the 42-string Pikasso guitar, Ibanez’s PM-100 jazz guitar, and a variety of other custom instruments. He took the whole instrument development process into a different level with his mechanical, solenoid driven Orchestrion.

It is one thing to attain popularity as a musician, but it is another to receive the kind of acclaim Metheny has garnered from critics and peers. Over the years, Metheny has won countless polls as “Best Jazz Guitarist” and awards, including three gold records for Still Life (Talking), Letter from Home, and Secret Story. He has also won 20 Grammy Awards in 12 different categories including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, Best Instrumental Composition. The Pat Metheny Group won an unprecedented seven consecutive Grammies for seven consecutive albums. Metheny has spent most of his life on tour, averaging between 120-240 shows a year since 1974. At the time of this writing, he continues to be one of the brightest stars of the jazz community, dedicating time to both his own projects and those of emerging artists and established veterans alike, helping them to reach their audience as well as realizing their own artistic visions.

Sunday, May 19, 12:55 pm
Encore - Tuesday, May 28, 7:00 pm

Location:
Catamount Arts Center
115 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: Adults - $18, Members - $15, Students - $6

Running time: 140 minutes

Carmen is as sensual and free-spirited as ever as she finds herself caught in a love triangle. The passionate one act ballet by Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso, originally conceived for legendary Bolshoi prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, will captivate audiences alongside Petrushka, a new creation for the Bolshoi by contemporary choreographer Edward Clug. The double-bill event for cinemas encapsulates and showcases the soul of Russian Ballet.

This is an on-screen event.

Sunday, May 19, 4:00 pm

Location:
Plainfield Town Hall Opera House
18 High Street
Plainfield, VT 05667

Tickets: Adults - $15, Seniors - $10, Students - $5

The Heliand Consort is a virtuoso woodwind & piano chamber music group that performs engaging classical music from the baroque through 20th century and contemporary repertoire. Recognized for its dynamic and creative programming, Heliand Consort is also distinguished by its commitment to audience engagement and the frequent inclusion of folk songs which complement the instrumental programs. The instruments include flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and piano.

Sunday May 19th, 6:30 pm

Location:
United Community Church
1325 Main St.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: $30, $20, $15; students $12

Catamount Arts Presents the Jarlath Henderson Trio. Sponsored by United Community Church, St. Johnsbury, VT. Powerful, "otherwordly" music matched with this transcendent venue promises to be an intense experience.

BBC Young Folk Musician award winner

Jarlath Henderson is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and doctor. Jarlath Henderson is a wildly inventive multi-instrumentalist and masterful balladeer from Northern Ireland who is best known as a remarkable player of uilleann pipes and whistles. A three-time All-­­Ireland Champion piper, Henderson revives traditional songs, such as murder and love ballads, with a somber intensity through his sublime original arrangements (“new and otherworldly”—NPR Music).

“The youngest ever winner of the BBC Young Folk Award, back in 2003, Tyrone-born multi-instrumentalist and singer Jarlath Henderson has since won further acclaim in his firebrand partnership with Scottish piper and whistle player Ross Ainslie. After rapturous reviews for their debut album *Partners in Crime*, released in 2008, and 2013’s follow-up *Air-Fix*, the duo is now expandable into a thrilling six-piece band. Renowned primarily for his extraordinary prowess on uilleann pipes and whistles, while fast emerging as an equally gifted vocalist, Henderson has performed and recorded in such illustrious company as The Transatlantic Sessions, Jack Bruce, Lau, Capercaillie, Paddy Keenan, Salsa Celtica, Phil Cunningham, and Michael McGoldrick. His hotly-anticipated solo debut, *Hearts Broken, Heads Turned*, launched at Celtic Connections 2016, comprises bold yet sensitive arrangements of traditional songs, also featuring Henderson on guitar and cittern, together with his hand-picked accompanying line-up of Hamish Napier (keyboards, flute), Innes Watson (fiddle, guitar) and Duncan Lyall (double bass).”

Piper's Den
A band that bridges the gaps between traditional and contemporary, Scottish and world music. Hazen Metro, Dan Houghton and Tristan Henderson are a midnight-meeting of three composers and multi-instrumentalists, playing reeds, strings and more. Unleashing beguiling compositions and arrangements, from simple and complex, onto the world’s stage.

Wednesday, May 22, 7:00 pm
Encore- Wednesday, May 29, 7:00 pm

Location:
Catamount Arts Center
115 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: $15 adult, $12 Catamount Arts member, $6 student

Voyage through the masterpieces and obsessions of the genius and founder of Impressionism, Claude Monet. An art-world disruptor at the turn of the 20th century whose obsession with capturing light and water broke all convention, Monet revolutionized Modern Art with his timeless masterpieces.

An in-depth, exclusive tour led by Monet scholars of the museums that house the largest collections of the prolific artist's lilies paintings including the Musée Marmottan Monet, the Orsay Museum, the world-famous panels at L'Orangerie and concluding with Monet's own house and gardens at Giverny, the site where his fascination for water lilies was born.

Presented by the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts

Saturday, May 25, 7:00 pm

Location:
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
113 Main St.
Lancaster, NH

Tickets: $15 all seats

Fiddle, guitar, and bass—it’s a combination as old as the hills. But follow this trio of Jason Anick, Max O’Rourke and Greg Loughman into those hills, and you’ll find yourself taking unexpected turns and discovering vistas you never knew were out there. It’s a new brand of acoustic music they make—traditional instrumentation spinning ear-catching melodies, channeling the wit and spontaneity of three irrepressible musical storytellers.

The Jason Anick Acoustic Trio, which formed in 2017, applies Jason's formidable improvisational and compositional chops to the roots/fiddle music of his youth. Virtuoso fiddler, Jason Anick, grew up listening-in on his Dad’s bluegrass rehearsals and competing in fiddle contests around his native New England. Jason went on to study jazz at the Hartt School of Music, where he was recruited by Grammy winning guitarist, John Jorgenson, to join his renowned, world-touring quintet. Through the John Jorgenson Quintet, as well as his own subsequent projects, Jason rose to the top ranks of jazz violinists, earning himself a position at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music. But all along, he kept an ear out for the right opportunity to apply his formidable improvisational and compositional chops to the roots music of his youth. His long time musical collaborator, Greg Loughman, a top-call Boston bassist with an affection for both jazz and international folk music, was an obvious choice. Berklee student at the time, Max O’Rourke—a guitarist and composer with an insatiable harmonic curiosity—made an impression on Jason and Greg while playing together in the Rhythm Future Quartet. They recognized they had a chemistry well-suited to the artistic freedom afforded by the trio format, allowing them to explore and pull from multiple genres to create an exciting and sophisticated musical conversation that has been wowing audiences since 2017.

Live @ the Barrage

Saturday, May 25, 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm)

Location:
The Barrage
1423 Stearns Brook Road
Holland, VT

Tickets: $10 all seats

The first of the 3rd season of Live @ The Barrage welcomes three dangerously dynamic musical acts to get the Barrage warmed up after a long winter.

The Tsunamibots - Originally programmed for mundane tasks The Tsunamibots rebelled against their creators and decided, that the human race didn't deserve saving but were much more worthy of enslaving. The Tsunamibots are programmed to ride a perfect wave of human decimation and human-cyborg conversion, straight to the beach of Robotic Revolution. Each Tsunamibot has been programmed with a music genre pack that consists of a meld of Man or Astro-Man, Servotron, Misfits, and DEVO creating a fresh and human crushing sound.

origami ghosts - Origami Ghosts is the musical project of Seattle native John Paul Scesniak -- traveler, teacher, and musician. Since 2004 “JP” has surrounded himself with some of Seattle’s finest and most creative musicians to produce highly entertaining performances and unique recordings, all under the Origami Ghosts moniker. The group’s light, playful, and thoughtful sound draws from folk, pop, and rock, among other inspirations. Scesniak’s style drives the Origami Ghosts engine -- finger picked, jangly and angular guitar playing (often with a swinging tempo) coupled with soulful, personal and heartfelt vocal melodies and lyrical content.

Adrienne Cooper Smith - Multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, knitter, cook, bicyclist, photographer, and videographer. Adrienne grew up a few miles south of Nashville, and moved to Vermont in her mid teens. She has performed as a solo artist since 2016, and has played accordion, mandolin, and banjo in multiple projects, including Miku Daza and Hoary Bat. In May of 2018, Adrienne became one of the founding members the experimental music collective Community of Sound. She will be performing at The Barrage along a bike tour across New England.

Live @ The Barrage is a seasonal music series located in the Northeast Kingdom’s premier Barn/Garage Music Venue. Each concert showcases a diverse collection of alternative artists who are plying their trade throughout New England and America. The Barrage is mostly exposed to our beautiful Vermont summer weather, and operates with the motto of “the show must go on”, so check the weather and plan accordingly. The Barrage is an all ages, all stars & stripes welcome venue, we do reserve the right to disinvite jerks and hot messes. The only thing served at The Barrage is live music, plan accordingly and responsibly.

Sunday, May 26, 7:00 pm

Location:
York Street Meeting House
161 York St.
Lyndon, VT

Tickets: by donation at the door (suggested sliding scale ($5 - $15))

Transcending the traditional definition of choral music, this group of Village Harmony veterans is particularly renowned for its command of varied world ethnic singing styles. The current ensemble is led by Adam Simon, Sophie Michaux and Larry Gordon. This concert program will especially feature Corsican and Balkan songs, renaissance pieces and new compositions by Simon.

Friday, May 31, 8 PM

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: Reserved Front & Center: $39, General Admission: $29, Members GA: $25

Traditional-leaning pickers from the Northeast, the Ghost of Paul Revere began to make waves after an appearance at the famed Newport Folk Festival. They have been classified as bluegrass, "holler roots" and "holler folk," but the Portland, Maine-based trio draws inspiration from beyond those Americana-esque realms. The trio lend their voices to their folk-y call-and-responses with a definite rocker vibe.

Sunday, June 2, 2019

Departs Western Avenue Park N Ride in St, Johnsbury, VT at 11:00 AM - Returns at approximately 7:00 PM
Departs Pleasant Street Parking Lot (behind theatre) in Littleton at 11:30 AM - Returns at approximately 6:30 PM

The Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH

Tickets: $99 all seats

Includes:
• Deluxe Round Trip Motor Coach Transportation
• Continental Breakfast (Coffee & Breakfast Goodies) on the way
• Admission to the Show
• Bottled Water & Homemade Brownies on the way home

Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is a musical in two acts written by Alan Janes, and featuring the music of Buddy Holly. It opened at London's Victoria Palace Theatre on 12 October 1989. An early example of the jukebox musical, Buddy ran in London's West End for over 12 years, playing 5,140 performances. Janes took over the producing of the show himself in 2004, and Buddy has been on tour in the UK for 17 of the last 24 years, having played Broadway, five U.S. National Tours, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Holland, Singapore, Finland, Austria, Denmark and countless other productions around the world, leading to the show being named as ‘The World’s Most Successful Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical’. Janes was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical, and internationally Buddy has received 29 nominations and awards.

Presented by the Great North Woods Committee for the Arts

Saturday, June 8, 2:00 pm

Location:
Great North Woods Center for the Arts (outside)
1993 US Route 3
Columbia, NH

Tickets: $20 all seats

A MUST SEE! Not just another Scottish Pipes & Drums band! Albannach’s primal drumming and precise piping stirs the soul of anyone who hears them- young and old! These folks ARE Highlanders! Scottish Warriors to the Core! Lead drums, bass drums, bagpipes and didgeridoo--they wow their thousands of fans everywhere they perform! You may have seen them at the N.H. Highland Games in Lincoln every fall--where the concert tent is swarming with swaying bodies as they perform.

With 5 CDs, 1 Documentary (Scotumentary), Multiple Fan Tours to Scotland, Canada and the open sea; the Nach Army is 43,000 and growing!

These Celtic Rock Stars are as charismatic off stage as they are on. Being charming, intelligent, funny AND Scottish make all the right ingredients for a great interview. Radio, TV, Print they are comfortable with it all!

Saturday, June 8, 7:00 pm

Location:
South Church
1325 Main St.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: $15 all seats

This fun and engaging performance will feature comedians and storytellers Susanne Schmidt and Kevin Gallagher who will describe how getting older is the best thing that could ever happen to you. The band “The Brevity Thing” will also perform amazing musical accompaniment. Join us for a delightful evening as we celebrate the time in our lives when we stop caring about what others think, looks aren’t everything, and it’s perfectly acceptable to sit at concerts.

Susanne Schmidt is a standup comedienne, master storyteller and producer for “The Moth”. Her work has been featured on CBS News, The Moth and National Public Radio. Susanne has appeared in The Boston Women in Comedy Festival, The Toronto SheDot Festival and named the “Best of the Valley Voices” by The Academy of Music Theater and New England Public Radio. Susanne is a teaching artist at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, a graduate professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling and the mother of two amazing young men who would prefer that she stop talking about them on stage.

Kevin Gallagher is a psychotherapist by day, listening to the stories of life. But in the evenings he transforms into a storyteller, battling with the curse of the Irish: the gift of gab and the misery of insecurity. He lives in Vermont and is blessed with a cat and a partner, Michael and Blossom (you figure out who is who) and they provide much of the laundry and housework that completes his fulfilling life. When he is not in the throws of psychotherapy, he enjoys the lack of macramé he might otherwise endure. Kevin is a Moth GrandSLAM winner.

The Brevity Thing - Steve Goldman, Dave Ball and Jom Hammack, provide a level of entertainment unto itself. They are accomplished musicians who write, arrange, and perform music throughout Vermont.

For more information, visit:

http://www.sayitforwardproductions.org/sayitforward/tellers

http://www.thebrevitything.com/the-band.html

Drawing - Saturday, June 8, 2019

Tickets: $50 each or 3 for $100 (Discount will be applied automatically once three tickets are in your basket.)
Only 2000 tickets will be sold!

Celebrate arts in the community with Catamount Arts. The sole winner will be able to choose one of three awesome prizes. (There will only be one winner and only one of the three prizes will be awarded.)

The winner does not need to be present at the drawing.

1. Yanmar 221 Tractor w/bucket loader  (MSRP $14,582)

2. $10,000 Cash!

3. 2019 Harley Davidson XL 883 IRON (MSRP $9,784)

The winning ticket will be drawn on Saturday, June 8th at 7:00 pm during the Bob Amos & Catamount Crossing Bluegrass concert at United Community Church. Raffle ticket holders get free admission to the show!

Winner is responsible for all associated fees which include, but may not be limited to, all Federal, State & local tax liability; license, title, registration and/or similar fees associated with receiving this prize. Must be 18 years or older to win. Winner must claim prize within ten (10) days of drawing.

Proceeds to benefit Catamount Film and Arts.

Friday, June 14, 8 PM

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: $43.00 (Reserved Front & Center), $33.00 (General Admission), $28.00 (Members General Admission)

The master of North African desert blues returns to The Colonial. For centuries, the desert town of Agadez has served as a converging point for the great camel caravans driven by the Tuareg that link West Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean. Born in 1980 at a nomadic camp near this dusty outpost, the young guitarist and songwriter Omara “Bombino” Moctar was raised during an era of armed struggles for Tuareg independence and violent suppression by government forces. Bombino’s electrifying jams capture the spirit of resistance and rebellion while echoing with guitar riffs reminiscent of fellow Africans Tinariwen and Ali Farka Touré not to mention rock and blues icons such as Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Page.

Thursday, June 27, 7:00 pm
Encore - Tuesday, July 2, 7:00 pm

Location:
Catamount Arts Center
115 Eastern Ave.
St. Johnsbury, VT

Tickets: $25 adult, $23 Catamount Arts member, $16 student

Adapted by Helen Edmundson
Based on the novel by Andrea Levy

Andrea Levy’s Orange Prize-winning novel Small Island comes to life in an epic new theatre adaptation. Experience the play in cinemas, filmed live on stage as part of National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday.

Small Island embarks on a journey from Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948 – the year the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury, England.

The play follows three intricately connected stories. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as the play traces the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK.

A company of 40 actors take to the stage of the National Theatre in London in this timely and moving story.

Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30

Location:
Harvest Moon Orchard
5449 Main St
Newbury, VT

Tickets:
3-Day non-RV Camping Pass - $80
3-Day RV Camping NO HOOKUP Pass - $100

Gates open at 3pm on Fri. June 28 and close at 1pm on Sun. June 30.

For complete line up and event details please visit patrickrossmusic.com

***Please Note***

• Camping is optional
• 15 & under - FREE with accompanying paid adult
• If you would like camp (even for one night) you must purchase a 3 Day Pass
• No Dogs allowed
• The event is rain or shine with rain protection in place on site.

ADMISSION POLICY

Due to the nature of the performing arts, programs are subject to changewithout notice.

Refunds are given only in the case of event cancellation. All sales are final.

Limitation of Liability:

You voluntarily assume all risks and danger incidental to Patrick Ross's Camping and Music Festival, for which the ticket is issued, whether occurring before, during or after Patrick Ross's Camping and Music Festival , and you waive any claims for personal injury or death against Rock Farmer Records LLC, its management, facilities, artists, other participants, and all of our affiliated entities, agents, officers, directors, owners and employees on behalf of yourself and any accompanying minor. You bear all risks of inclement weather.

License; Ejection and Cancellation; No Redemption Value

Event Providers reserve the right, without refund of any amount paid, to refuse admission to, or eject, any person whose conduct management deems disorderly, who uses vulgar or abusive language or who fails to comply with Patrick Ross's Camping & Music Festival rules and Vermont State Law. Breach of terms or rules will terminate your license to attend Patrick Ross's Camping & Music Festival without refund. A ticket is a revocable license and admission may be refused upon refunding the ticket's face value upon discretion of the organizers. A ticket is not redeemable for cash.

Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30

Location:
Harvest Moon Orchard
5449 Main St
Newbury, VT

Tickets:
Friday, June 28 - $20 (camping NOT included)
Saturday, June 29 - $30 (camping NOT included)
Sunday, June 30 - $15 (camping NOT included)

If you need camping, you will need to buy a 3-day pass found HERE.

Gates open at 3pm on Fri. June 28 and close at 1pm on Sun. June 30.

For complete line up and event details please visit patrickrossmusic.com

***Please Note***

• Camping is optional
• 15 & under - FREE with accompanying paid adult
• If you would like camp (even for one night) you must purchase a 3 Day Pass
• No Dogs allowed
• The event is rain or shine with rain protection in place on site.

ADMISSION POLICY

Due to the nature of the performing arts, programs are subject to changewithout notice.

Refunds are given only in the case of event cancellation. All sales are final.

Limitation of Liability:

You voluntarily assume all risks and danger incidental to Patrick Ross's Camping and Music Festival, for which the ticket is issued, whether occurring before, during or after Patrick Ross's Camping and Music Festival , and you waive any claims for personal injury or death against Rock Farmer Records LLC, its management, facilities, artists, other participants, and all of our affiliated entities, agents, officers, directors, owners and employees on behalf of yourself and any accompanying minor. You bear all risks of inclement weather.

License; Ejection and Cancellation; No Redemption Value

Event Providers reserve the right, without refund of any amount paid, to refuse admission to, or eject, any person whose conduct management deems disorderly, who uses vulgar or abusive language or who fails to comply with Patrick Ross's Camping & Music Festival rules and Vermont State Law. Breach of terms or rules will terminate your license to attend Patrick Ross's Camping & Music Festival without refund. A ticket is a revocable license and admission may be refused upon refunding the ticket's face value upon discretion of the organizers. A ticket is not redeemable for cash.

An oasis of good-natured ribbing in a fiercely partisan world” —The Washington Post

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: $79 Reserved front & center, $64 General admission, $54 Members general admission.

The Capitol Steps are a troupe of Congressional staffers-turned-comedians who travel the States satirizing the very people and places that once employed them. The Steps perform over 500 shows a year all over the country.

The Capitol Steps were born December, 1981 when three staffers for Senator Charles Percy were planning entertainment for a Christmas party. Their first idea was to stage a nativity play, but in the whole Congress they couldn’t find three wise men or a virgin! So, they decided to dig into the headlines of the day, and created song parodies & skits which conveyed a special brand of satirical humor that was as popular in Peoria as it was on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Ronald Reagan was President when the Steps began, so co-founders Elaina Newport, Bill Strauss and Jim Aidala figured that if entertainers could become politicians, then politicians could become entertainers! Most cast members have worked on Capitol Hill, some for Democrats, some for Republicans, and others for politicians who firmly straddle the fence. No matter who holds office, there’s never a shortage of material. Says Elaina Newport, “Typically, the Republicans goof up, and the Democrats party. Then the Democrats goof up and the Republicans party. That’s what we call a two-party system.”

Although the Capitol Steps are based in Washington, DC most of their shows are out-of-town or for out-of-town audiences. Whether it’s the National Welding Supply Association, a University audience, high schoolers, or State Legislators, people love to laugh at the foibles of Jerry Falwell (“Loonies of the Right”) or even Bill Clinton’s new office (“In the Ghetto”). In fact, the Capitol Steps have performed for the last five presidents (six if you include Hillary). The only complaints the Steps seem to get are from the politicians and personalities who are NOT included in the program!

Friday, July 5, 8 PM

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: $24.00 (Reserved Front & Center), $20.00 (General Admission), $17.00 (Members General Admission)

The War and Treaty, The name itself represents the pull between trauma and tranquility, music inspired by darkness and despair that ultimately finds a higher spiritual purpose. A rising act in the Americana field, are a married duo comprised of Michael and Tanya Trotter, which have received comparisons to Ike and Tina Turner. Separately and together, they've tried on numerous stylistic identities and artistic approaches. Long before she met Michael, Tanya (nee Blount) dueted with Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2 and recorded sultry, mid-'90s R&B slow jams in a Toni Braxton vein. Michael sang in church, and during a tour of duty in Iraq, was dealt the singular sacred duty of paying tribute to fallen comrades in song, before striking out as a smoothly seductive R&B singer-songwriter. After teaming up in life and music, the pair dabbled in sleek soul updates under their combined surnames. But they also drew inspiration from voices embraced as touchstones across generations and genres — Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Nina Simone among them — and ultimately settled into a rootsy aesthetic animated by the range of their musical experiences.

Friday, Aug. 9, 8 PM

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: $48.00 (Reserved Front & Center), $38.00 (General Admission), $32.00 (Members General Admission)

Fueled by the belief that classic jazz feeds the heart and soul, THE HOT SARDINES are on a mission to make old sounds new again and prove that joyful music can bring people together in a disconnected world.

In the last two years, the Hot Sardines have been featured at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival, have sold out NYC venues from Joe’s Pub to Bowery Ballroom, and earned a No. 1 slot on the iTunes Jazz chart in the U.S. and internationally.

These mischief-makers of hot jazz have been described as “potent and assured” (The New York Times) and “simply phenomenal” (The Times, London). “Everything in our DNA is about connecting with the audience. That’s where we feel most at home,” says Elizabeth, of playing live with the eight-piece band (including one wildly percussive tap dancer).

Saturday, Aug 31, 8 PM

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: $85.00 (Reserved Front & Center), $69.00 (General Admission), $59.00 (Members General Admission)

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn, “the king and queen of the banjo” (Paste Magazine), have a musical partnership like no other. Béla Fleck is a fifteen-time Grammy Award winner who has taken the instrument across multiple genres, and Abigail Washburn a singer-songwriter and clawhammer banjo player who re-radicalized it by combining it with Far East culture and sounds. The two met at a square dance, began collaborating musically and eventually fell in love. Over the years, they played together most visibly in the Sparrow Quartet alongside Ben Sollee and Casey Driessen and informally at a pickin’ party here, a benefit there, or occasionally popping up in each other’s solo shows. Fans of tradition-tweaking acoustic fare eagerly anticipated that Béla & Abigail would begin making music together as a duo.

Fleck has the virtuosic, jazz-to-classical ingenuity of an iconic instrumentalist and composer with bluegrass roots. His collaborations range from his ground-breaking standard-setting ensemble Béla Fleck and the Flecktones to a staggeringly broad array of musical experiments. From writing concertos for full symphony orchestra, exploring the banjo’s African roots, to jazz duos with Chick Corea, many tout that Béla Fleck is the world’s premier banjo player. Washburn has the earthy sophistication of a postmodern, old-time singer-songwriter who has drawn critical acclaim for her solo albums. She has done fascinating work in folk musical diplomacy in China, presented an original theatrical production, and has contributed to singular side groups Uncle Earl and The Wu-Force. In addition to being named a TED Fellow in 2012, Abigail was recently named the first US-China Fellow at Vanderbilt University, in addition to Carolina Performing Arts/Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s DisTil Fellow for 2018-2020

With one eye on using the banjo to showcase America’s rich heritage and the other pulling the noble instrument from its most familiar arena into new and unique realms, Bela & Abigail meet in the mean, head-on, to present music that feels wildly innovative and familiar at the same time. Whether at home, on stage or on record, their deep bond, combined with the way their distinct musical personalities and banjo styles interact, makes theirs a picking partnership unlike any other on the planet.

Saturday, September 7, 8 PM

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: GA: $19, Members GA $15

Bluegrass and Hip-Hop may sound like an odd combination, but don’t tell that to Producer Rench, who birthed the fusion in 2006, with Gangstagrass. “There are a lot more people out there with Jay-Z and Johnny Cash on their iPod playlists than you think.” says Rench, who had previously made a name for himself as an in-demand Brooklyn country and hip-hop producer and singer/songwriter. He should know – he’s toured the country with a band of bluegrass pickers and hip-hop emcees to the delight of standing room crowds everywhere.

When FX Network came to Rench looking for the Gangstagrass sound for the theme song to their new series Justified, he had bluegrass players lay down an original track with rapper T.O.N.E-z, the younger brother of early hip-hop legends Special K and T-LaRoc. The result was “Long Hard Times To Come,” the song that opened every episode of six seasons of the hit series. “Long Hard Times To Come” was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2010, contending for best theme song after critical praise and massive fan response.

Gangstagrass has toured internationally, blowing minds on main stages from SXSW to Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, with a live stage act taking full advantage of the improvisational aspects of both hip-hop and bluegrass. With two emcees R-Son and Dolio The Sleuth trading verses, Dan Whitener on Banjo, Landry McMeans on dobro, and Rench on guitar, and frequent 3 part harmonies, the Gangstagrass live show has garnered a reputation among fans for its dynamism and spontanaety. Currently touring across the US, Gangstagrass is using live performances to organically develop new material for an album that will further explode the boundaries between genres generally thought to be incompatible.

Saturday, October 5, 8:00 pm

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: $35 Reserved front & center, $25 General admission, $22 Members general admission.

The youngest of fourteen children, born in Arkansas and raised in Southern California, Iris DeMent spent her childhood immersed in gospel and traditional country music. Beginning with her 1992 debut, ‘Infamous Angel,’ which was hailed as “an essential album of the 1990’s” by Rolling Stone, Iris DeMent released a series of stellar records that established her as “one of the finest singer-songwriters in America” according to The Guardian. The music earned her multiple Grammy nominations, as well as the respect of peers like John Prine, Steve Earle, and Emmylou Harris, who all invited her to collaborate. Merle Haggard dubbed her “the best singer I’ve ever heard” and asked her to join his touring band, and David Byrne and Natalie Merchant famously covered her “Let The Mystery Be” as a duet on MTV Unplugged. NPR called her “one of the great voices in contemporary popular music” and The Boston Globe to hail her work as “a work of rare, unvarnished grace and power.”

“Iris DeMent makes music that celebrates humanity’s efforts toward salvation, while acknowledging that most of our time on Earth is spent reconciling with the fact that we don’t feel so redeemed. Grounded in hymns, early country songs, gospel and folk, DeMent’s work is treasured by those who know it for its insight and unabashed beauty.” —NPR

Saturday, October 19, 8:00 pm

Location:
Colonial Theatre
2050 Main St
Bethlehem, NH

Ticket: $42 General admission, $35 Members general admission.

Get ready for some hot Latin jazz! Adonis Puentes’ rich, soulful voice is the perfect front for his all-acoustic orchestra, layering traditional Cuban rhythms with deep bass lines, jazzy horns, and his melodic guitar. A Grammy-nominated vocalist and composer from Cuba who weaves passionate, hypnotic Salsa and Cuban Son melodies through jazz arrangements, Puentes and the Orchestra create a worldly experience that is as emotive as it is danceable!

“Original compositions richly imbued with tradition; superb arrangements with an international flavor; a world class band that delivers with great precision; witty, intelligent lyrics inspired by everyday life and by the greatest power of all: Love.” —Latin Jazz Network