Vermont Public Community Calendar

The Montpelier Contra Dance happens every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday at the Capital City Grange Hall. We dance to live music with contra dance bands and callers from around New England and beyond. Beginners, singles, and all ages are welcome; all dances are taught. We use gender neutral role terms. There's a newcomers lesson at 7:45 pm and dancing 8-11pm. Some months on 3rd Saturdays there is a Waltzing Session 7-7:45. Check the website or Facebook page. Please bring clean soft-soled shoes. More info at www.montpeliercontradance.org. $12 adults, $5 kids/low-income, $20 dance supporters. Cash preferred. Venmo or CC accepted. Questions? 802-225-8921 or cdu.tim@gmail.com.

Capital City Concerts presents its first-ever Farmer’s Night program with Grammy-nominated Palaver Strings, Vermont’s own Grammy-nominated flutist Karen Kevra, and a select chorus conducted by Richard Riley. The evening features Sisask’s Te Deum, Bloch’s Suite Modale, Mustonen’s String Nonet #2, and colorful choral works from Estonia and Scandinavia.

This event is funded in part by a grant award from Montpelier Alive, with funds from the Montpelier Downtown Improvement District.

The concert will be repeated on Friday evening, February 29 at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Burlington, Vermont in conjunction with Cathedral Arts.

There was no master plan. No label strategy. Just a spontaneous jam at Nashville’s Station Inn between a few friends—seasoned players, all women, making a little noise. But something clicked. The room lit up, the crowd roared, and Sister Sadie was born.

What started as an accidental band became a force. GRAMMY-nominated. IBMA-decorated. Opry-validated. But for all the accolades, they were often reduced to one line: an all-female bluegrass band. True—but never the point. Sister Sadie has always been about the music. The fire. The truth.

Their new album, All Will Be Well, is that truth—loud, fearless, and free. You’ll hear echoes of bluegrass, but what rises is something bigger: country with claws, Americana with muscle, gospel grit and raw storytelling. From the haunting “Prodigal Daughter” to the swagger of “Do What You Want” and the aching beauty of “If I Don’t Have You,” these six women are not performing roles—they’re telling you who they are.

This is Sister Sadie, evolved: bold, bonded, and braver than ever. They're not asking for space. They're taking it. And they’re just getting started.

Join fiddler and vocalist Lissa Schneckenburger with Rachel Aucoin on piano and Samuel Foucher on accordion for an intimate evening of music in the Esther Mesh Room. Written during the first year of the pandemic, Schneckenburger’s newest work emerged from a period of deep isolation, reflection, and creative urgency.

With touring paused, writing became a lifeline, resulting in a wealth of new music and the album Falling Forward. Recorded in person after months of separation, the music ranges from joyful, dance driven fiddle tunes to quieter, introspective moments.

Blending her deep roots in New England traditional music with a renewed focus on original composition, Schneckenburger offers music for both meditation and release, reflecting our shared experience of recent years.

During his almost 40 years as lead singer and main songwriter of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Glen Phillips has helped create the band’s elegant folk/pop sound with honest, introspective lyrics that forged a close bond with fans. Alongside his work with Toad, Glen has released acclaimed solo albums and collaborated on projects ranging from Mutual Admiration Society (with members of Nickel Creek) to the experimental Remote Tree Children.

Brooklyn Rider returns to Spruce Peak Arts!

With a repertoire that spans classical masterpieces, contemporary compositions, and genre-defying collaborations, Brooklyn Rider, the innovative string quartet known for their adventurous spirit and captivating performances, redefines the boundaries of chamber music. Their dynamic approach and technical prowess promise an electrifying concert experience that resonates with audiences of all musical tastes.

Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman are world-renowned multi-instrumentalists and vocalists whose collaboration began in 2017 during a video shoot, Just Cross the River From Queens, at the Louis Armstrong House Museum. They have toured throughout the United States and internationally since 2019, recently released their first full-length duo recording, and served as Artists-In-Residence at NYC’s Symphony Space for the 2024–25 season.

Their performances reflect a shared devotion to the history, stories, and significance behind the music they play. Together, Paxton and Lichtman present an energetic and engaging program of acoustic blues, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley pop songs, 1920s jazz, twin fiddle hoe-downs, and original songs and compositions.

A Smithsonian Folkways recording artist, Paxton presents Black folk music across stride piano jazz, deep blues, rural fiddle and banjo music, ragtime, and other turn-of-the-century traditions, inviting audiences to experience the music as it was given to him. Lichtman is a world-traveling bandleader and multi-instrumentalist known for leading the trad-jazz jam sessions at Mona’s Bar in New York City since 2007.

The Montpelier Contra Dance happens every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday at the Capital City Grange Hall. We dance to live music with contra dance bands and callers from around New England and beyond. Beginners, singles, and all ages are welcome; all dances are taught. We use gender neutral role terms. There's a newcomers lesson at 7:45 pm and dancing 8-11pm. Please bring clean soft-soled shoes. More info at www.montpeliercontradance.org $12 adults, $5 kids/low-income, $20 dance supporters. Cash preferred. Venmo or CC accepted. Questions? 802-225-8921 or cdu.tim@gmail.com.

Renowned pianist Diana Fanning has curated a recital program that honors her fifty-year teaching career at Middlebury College. This concert will feature Chopin’s Sonata in B Minor, a masterpiece of the Romantic era, and Janácek’s On an Overgrown Path, a deeply-moving, autobiographical piece that represents memories from the composer’s life. Favorite works by Beethoven and Debussy complete the performance.

The Plainfield Town Hall Opera House is wheelchair accessible and assisted listening devices are available upon request.

Cape Breton’s Celtic legend Natalie MacMaster and Fiddle virtuoso Donnell Leahy invite some of the World’s top Celtic Musicians to join them for an incredible night!

This musical journey will feature true all-stars of the Celtic world from Ireland, England, Scotland and beyond. Natalie and Donnell will explore the connections between Celtic styles across countries and take the audience from the music’s ancient roots to its modern trends.

Join Natalie, Donnell, their daughter Mary Frances and their special guests for an unforgettable night!

The Grand Kyiv Ballet returns to Randolph's Chandler Center for the Arts on March 11, 2026, with their stellar rendition of Giselle, the classic French ballet by composer Adolphe Adam. The story follows a peasant girl who falls in love with a nobleman disguised as a commoner, and whose world is shattered when she discovers the truth about his identity.

Exploring themes of love, heartbreak, and tragedy, Giselle is celebrated for some of ballet’s most beautiful choreography and its hauntingly expressive score.

This timeless masterpiece of the classical repertoire is performed by the finest dancers of the Ukrainian National Opera and Ballet Theater.

Boston Dance Theater returns and performs Red is a feeling—an evening of short dance works woven together by the color red that highlight themes of the human experience including love, longing, and the fight to live.

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein performs at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph on Saturday, March 21st, with music by Bach, Schubert and Philip Glass.

Dinnerstein is an American pianist celebrated for her originality, integrity, and deeply personal musical voice. Praised by The Washington Post and The New York Times as a unique interpreter of Bach, she first gained wide attention with her landmark recording of the Goldberg Variations.

Since then, she has performed with leading orchestras and in major halls worldwide, released fifteen chart-topping albums, and continued to shape a career rooted in artistry, depth, and transformation.

Legendary musician Roseanne Cash brings her Grammy-winning songwriting skills and vocals to the Spruce Peak Arts stage. Join us on Saturday, March 21st, at 7pm.

"One of the most ambitious and literary songwriters of her generation” (Rolling Stone), Rosanne Cash is America’s foremost musical woman of letters, a literate and incisive artist whose poignant and distinctive vocals turn every song into a revelatory tale. A singular artist at the peak of her interpretive powers, Cash has earned four Grammy awards—three for The River & The Thread (2014, Blue Note)—and 12 additional nominations. Among many other accolades, in 2021 she became the first woman to receive the Edward MacDowell award for music composition. Her acclaimed 2010 memoir Composed has been described by the Chicago Tribune as “one of the best accounts of an American life you’ll likely ever read.” Cash was recently elected as an Honorary American member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ticket prices range from: $72.41 to $138.75

The Montpelier Contra Dance happens every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday at the Capital City Grange Hall. We dance to live music with contra dance bands and callers from around New England and beyond. Beginners, singles, and all ages are welcome; all dances are taught. We use gender neutral role terms. There's a newcomers lesson at 7:45 pm and dancing 8-11pm. Some months on 3rd Saturdays there is a Waltzing Session 7-7:45. Check the website or Facebook page. Please bring clean soft-soled shoes. More info at www.montpeliercontradance.org. $12 adults, $5 kids/low-income, $20 dance supporters. Cash preferred. Venmo or CC accepted. Questions? 802-225-8921 or cdu.tim@gmail.com.

Dragging some nightlife to the capital city. Every other month you can catch the terrific Vermont Drag Trip, Rhedd Rhumm, Sasha Sriracha and Miss Chekova giving you a great way to end your month! Live singing, dancing, lip syncing, comedy and whatever else decides to happen, this is the place to be! You must be 21 or over to attend.

Returning to Randolph on their 20th anniversary tour, The Garifuna Collective is a multi-generational ensemble that brings the history and spirit of Garifuna culture to life through music. Known for their role in the award-winning album Wátina, they create vibrant performances that honor tradition and connect generations.

Join us beforehand for a community mixer with free dinner, catered by Stockbridge Community Meals, and a bar by Fable Farm Winery. Registration required.

The Montpelier Contra Dance happens every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday at the Capital City Grange Hall. We dance to live music with contra dance bands and callers from around New England and beyond. Beginners, singles, and all ages are welcome; all dances are taught. We use gender neutral role terms. There's a newcomers lesson at 7:45 pm and dancing 8-11pm. Please bring clean soft-soled shoes. More info at www.montpeliercontradance.org $12 adults, $5 kids/low-income, $20 dance supporters. Cash preferred. Venmo or CC accepted. Questions? 802-225-8921 or cdu.tim@gmail.com.

The Montpelier Contra Dance happens every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday at the Capital City Grange Hall. We dance to live music with contra dance bands and callers from around New England and beyond. Beginners, singles, and all ages are welcome; all dances are taught. We use gender neutral role terms. There's a newcomers lesson at 7:45 pm and dancing 8-11pm. Some months on 3rd Saturdays there is a Waltzing Session 7-7:45. Check the website or Facebook page. Please bring clean soft-soled shoes. More info at www.montpeliercontradance.org. $12 adults, $5 kids/low-income, $20 dance supporters. Cash preferred. Venmo or CC accepted. Questions? 802-225-8921 or cdu.tim@gmail.com.

January 8-April 23rd, 2026
Reception: January 17, 5:30-7pm

ZERO CELSIUS unfolds at Mad Arts and Sugarbush Resort, bringing together artwork that explores the textures, tensions, and transformations of winter. From the hush of frozen landscapes to the volatility of a warming climate, the exhibition reflects on how the cold season shapes—and is reshaped by—human and environmental relationships.
Featuring sculpture, installation, sound, photography, and digital media, ZERO CELSIUS examines winter as material, concept, and metaphor: crystalline, fleeting, and ecologically vital. Visitors are invited to consider the fragility of snow in a changing world, reconnect with winter’s wonder and silence, and share their own stories of a season both timeless and increasingly imperiled.