Ring in the holiday season and join us with your own voice as Portsmouth Pro Musica Director, Priscilla French, leads you through Part One of Handel’s Messiah plus Hallelujah Chorus, accompanied by professional soloists and instrumentalists. Pick up your score at the door and sit with your voice part. The audience is the chorus! 

Bring the spirit of the season to Kittery! Should you choose just to come and listen, you can sit anywhere and take it all in as it unfolds around you in sonic bliss. 

Andrea Veal- soprano

Zaray Rossi- mezzo 

Cameron Wilcox- tenor

Lucas Weiss- bass

$20 advance | $25 day-of

*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

A Visioning Workshop for 2026 with TDH Resident Artist Catherine Stewart

Give yourself the gift of two of the most productive, imaginative hours you’ll have this year—and set yourself up beautifully for the next.

Join Make Create More founder and experienced facilitator Catherine Stewart for a two-hour creative visioning and goal-setting workshop designed for artists, creatives, and anyone craving more making in their life. Whether you’re building a practice, returning to one, or you don’t quite call yourself an artist yet, this gathering will help you turn possibility into a plan for 2026.

Drawing from theatre, somatic practices, and years of guiding collaborative creative processes, Catherine will lead you through playful prompts, reflective activities, and gentle accountability. You’ll leave with:

• A vivid vision of your most creative 2026

• The challenges you’re ready to face (and the support you’ll need)

• The celebrations you want to work toward

• A clear, actionable next step to begin your new year with intention

This is a warm, low-pressure space—come as you are. Bring a notebook and pen; all other materials will be provided. Expect to move a little, write a little, and dream a lot.

The Seacoast—and the world—needs more art, imagination, and courageous creators right now. Consider this your invitation to start 2026 rooted, resourced, and inspired.

Come solo or invite a friend to take the journey with you. And throughout 2026, you’ll have opportunities to reconnect with Make Create More to reflect on your wins and build continued creative momentum.

***Space is limited—reserve your spot and step into the year you’re ready to make.

Suggested Donation - $15 *Please reserve your spot even if you plan to donate at the door*

The Dance Hall hosts Portsmouth Music and Arts Center's adult Folk Ensemble showcase!

PMAC presents an evening of acoustic music featuring five adult ensembles led by teaching artists Steve Roy and Jason Crigler:

• Acoustic Coffeehouse blends folk, Americana, and roots influences through acoustic arrangements.

• Band of Hope honors the informal, collaborative spirit of Irish and Scottish session traditions.

• Noon Tunes explores fiddle tunes from a range of cultural traditions, such as Appalachian, French, Canadian, and Celtic.

• Ukulele Ensemble showcases the versatility of the ukulele with creative arrangements and a mix of musical genres.

• Bluegrass Ensemble performs a mix of traditional and contemporary bluegrass, led by a focus on group collaboration.

Enjoy the range and camaraderie of PMAC’s adult music community at this toe-tapping evening!

About PMAC: Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) is a 501c3 nonprofit community music and arts school serving the Seacoast. PMAC’s mission is to build community through the arts by providing all people with the opportunity to achieve their full creative potential, regardless of their age, ability, or economic status. PMAC’s Adult Ensemble program covers a variety of genres, instruments and is open to a variety of playing levels. For more information about PMAC, adult ensemble opportunities and more, please visit pmaconline.org.

$10 general admission | Children 12 and under Free
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Four of the finest voices in New England's traditional music scene shine a renewed light on the tunes of the Northeast with excitement and respect. From festival stages and concert halls to raucous August nights at fiddle camp, the Flyers are here to make sure New England music has a seat at the table as a distinct and vital American tradition. All residents of Portland, Maine, Katie McNally (fiddle), Emily Troll (accordion), Bejamin Foss (guitar), and Neil Pearlman (piano) cut their teeth playing for contra dances and learning from the greats. Individually, they've toured the world playing Irish, Scottish, and Quebecois music and they bring this wellspring of knowledge and technical prowess to the American music that was born from these traditions. 

Each member of the band brings years of experience and dedication to their craft: Foss and Pearlman have taught at Maine Fiddle Camp since they were teens, Troll plays in the acclaimed contra dance band Anadama, and McNally performed for over a decade with New England supergroup Childsplay. The Flyers have toured internationally and domestically, gracing the stages of festivals such as Celtic Connections, Celtic Colours, Festival of Small Halls, Ossipee Valley Music Festival and playing concerts and dances across the Northeast. They released their self-titled album in May 2024 and appear on the Celtic Colours Live, Vol. 10; both recordings feature founding band member Owen Marshall on guitar.

In the liner notes of their debut album, Amelia Mason writes "Practically every aesthetic choice the Pine Tree Flyers make is in service to New England music’s fundamental accessibility and appeal. In essence, they are repaying the music for its gift to them: a sense of joy, communion, and one’s place in the world." While New England tunes may not be well known outside of the Northeastern United States, the Flyers are proving that their musical heritage is as vibrant and vital as any American folk tradition. Make way for...THE PINE TREE FLYERS!​
​

"Inspirational" (The Strad)

"Infectious" (Strings Magazine)

"a lightness of being, a sweet soulful exuberance and palpable delicacy" (Songlines)

"...delightful speed and ferocity." (Kithfolk)

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $15 Student

*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

A Jason Anderson show is a magical thing - an uplifting night of catharsis and connection. Performing a mix of soulful originals and fresh takes on holiday classics, this one is sure to get you in the spirit. All proceeds from this event will benefit Cross Roads House, providing emergency and transitional shelter to unhoused individuals and families in the Seacoast area since 1982. We'll also be collecting items from CRH's winter wish list at the show - see the list below if you'd like to contribute!

"Jason's music is an experience; the kind that gives you goosebumps and wedges itself in your heart.” - Union + Co

“A master of live performance.” - John Craigie

“Yes…he is THAT good.” - MRTI Agency

$15 advance | $20 day-of | $10 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

**WINTER WISH LIST ITEMS**

• Hand warmers

• Cold/flu medicine in tablet form

• Adult winter gloves/mittens/hats

• Body Wash (Full size)

• Men's deodorant

• Lotion (Full size)

• Children's cold medicine

• Individually wrapped tissues

• Reusable water bottles

Cross Roads House has been an advocate and a place of refuge for the unhoused in the Seacoast community since 1982, working with individuals and families to stabilize, find housing and return to being thriving members of their communities. Learn more at crossroadshouse.org.

Join us for a candlelight concert celebrating the stillness and quiet of the season. Taylor O'Donnell and Charlie Christenson (both on piano and vocals) join violinist Jason Anick for a concert of original music, poetry, hymns, and winter time favorites. We celebrate the steady return of the sun and tend to the collective sorrow in good company. Come as you are. 

$18 Advance | $23 day-of | $12 Student

* fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Club d'Elf returns to The Dance Hall with its mesmerizing synthesis of Moroccan traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk.

Club d'Elf has been helping audiences lose track of time for twenty five years with its mesmerizing synthesis of Moroccan traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk. Circling about bassist/composer Mike Rivard and drummer Dean Johnston, each Club d'Elf performance features a different line-up, drawn from a constellation of some of the most creative improvisers from the jazz, DJ, rock & world music scenes of Boston, NYC and beyond.

The band's music draws from a startlingly wide spectrum of styles, including jazz, hip hop, electronica, avant garde, prog-rock and dub. Under the tutelage of member Brahim Fribgane (who hails from Casablanca) the band has absorbed Moroccan trance music, which is now an essential part of the mix. Diverse audiences are drawn to Fribgane’s mesmerizing oud stylings, and Rivard’s commanding playing of the Moroccan sintir. Trance forms the central core of the Club d’Elf aesthetic, weaving together the band’s various influences.

In April 2022 the band released its latest album, 'You Never Know', which rose to #2 on the Relix chart. The record unfurls upon kaleidoscopic clouds of spiced smoke, shifting from chopped dub-jazz through trance epics that reimagine Boston as a city of bazaars. Club d’Elf pay tribute to the music and musicians who have been primary influences, with half the album being covers of gnawa, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Moroccan band Nass el-Ghiwane, and Frank Zappa. The other half consists of original music inspired by Rivard's personal journey into darkness following a near death experience in the remote jungle of the Peruvian Amazon.

"You Never Know is a wide ranging romp, full of serenity, chaos, longing, improvisation and peerless musicianship inspired by music from India and Morocco as well as the maverick jazz of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa."

- Banning Eyre, Afropop Worldwide

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $15 student

*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Dave Hunter and the Seven Hundred
Playing the music of The Molenes and new alt-twang material

Formed in 2025 on the back of two decades of original music making in the Northeast, Dave Hunter and the Seven Hundred is launching its live efforts by recapturing the best of the songs of his former award-winning band, The Molenes, while presenting newly penned songs in the same acclaimed amped-up Americana vein.

Here in 2025, Dave Hunter and the Seven Hundred carries on with the mission. Guitarist and lead vocalist Dave Hunter (of The Molenes) is joined by Chris Kelly on guitar and vocals, Steve Barlock on bass and vocals, and Joe Welsh on drums and vocals. Together, they reembody several Molenes favorites, while presenting brand-new (and some re-discovered, unrecorded) material that takes the story forward. Currently recording toward a new full-length release for late ’25 or early ’26, the band is now setting up live dates in the Northeast to take the music back out where it matters.

The World Famous Grassholes play high-energy bluegrass (yes, a little bit like that Billy Strings guy, but also like Greensky and Leftover Salmon and Mighty Poplar, etc.), a mix of original compositions, classics, and cool covers. It’s good for dancing and nodding your head and tapping your feet, and meant to be enjoyed with friends and family. Part of a long legacy of performers that goes back to 2000, the Grassholes feature Heather Kahill on fiddle, Merrill Marsh and Sam Pfeifle on guitars, Flann O’Brien on the stand-up bass, and Field Rider on Banjo and harmonica. Everybody sings a bit here and there, whether you like it or not.

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

The Dance Hall welcomes back Primo Cubano, who together, channel the timeless joy of Cuban son—transporting audiences from Maine to Havana.

Primo Cubano brings the irresistible rhythms of traditional Cuban dance music to life, performing son—the style that first emerged in the Cuban countryside at the turn of the 20th century and later blossomed in Havana. Son became the heartbeat of Cuba’s popular music, blending African and Spanish roots into a sound that laid the foundation for modern salsa.

The group was founded by guitarist Paul D’Alessio, who first encountered son during a 2004 trip to Cuba with the Brunswick–Trinidad Sister City Association. Captivated by its energy and spirit, he began learning the tres, a guitar-like Cuban instrument, and formed Primo Cubano—literally, “Cuban Cousin.”

The band features a powerhouse lineup: trumpeter and percussionist Marc Chillemi, who adds bright brass lines and spirited coros (choruses); percussionist Lenny Hatch, whose passion for the congas began with the legendary Mongo Santamaría and has only deepened over two decades; vocalist and maraca player Eric Winter, whose lifelong love of singing and study of Spanish infuses the music with authenticity; and bassist Duane Edwards, a University of Maine at Augusta graduate whose mastery of the tumbao groove keeps dancers moving all night long.

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student

*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

The Dance Hall is excited to welcome this all-star folk lineup to The Dance Hall stage!

Hailed by David Grisman as a “wonderful mandolin player”, and by Darol Anger as “one of the finest mandolin players ever”, Portland, Maine-based musician Joe K. Walsh is known for his exceptional tone and taste, and his collaborations and recordings with acoustic music luminaries including Darol Anger, Brittany Haas, Grant Gordy, Molly Tuttle, Sam Grisman, Mike Block, Danny Barnes, Scott Nygaard, Matt Flinner, Mike Marshall’s Ger Mandolin Ensemble, and pop-grass darlings Joy Kills Sorrow, a band he co-founded. He has performed at festivals, clubs and theaters all over North America and Europe.

After a number of award-winning years with bluegrass stars the Gibson Brothers, Joe currently splits his time between the stylistically-omnivorous string band Mr Sun (featuring Darol Anger, Grant Gordy and Aidan O’Donnell), the Mike Block Trio, a duo with Matt Flinner, and a trio with Ella Jordan and Jed Wilson. His most recent solo record “Trust and Love” was released in 2025 on Adhyaropa Records, which also released his previous record ”If Not Now, Who?”. An in-demand educator, Joe is an associate professor at the Berklee College of Music. He was director of the Berklee American Roots Weekend string camp, currently co-directs the Ossipee Valley String Camp, and is coordinator of Swannanoa Mandolin and Banjo Week. He teaches regularly at music camps and workshops all over North America and Europe, and teaches online through Peghead Nation.

________

Steve Roy (Bass) is a multi-instrumentalist from Eliot, Maine who plays and teaches upright bass, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and ukulele. He is fluent in a vast array of musical styles, including bluegrass, jazz, folk, rock, jam, country, old time, heavy metal, etc. Bluegrass Now Magazine calls Steve a “devastating weapon.”

________

Freshgrass Award-winning guitarist Alex Rubin has brought his brand of virtuosic, astounding flatpicking to stages all across the world, including 49 states as well as Australia, Estonia, Finland, Japan, and New Zealand. Formerly a member of The April Verch Band, and currently a member of Ethan Setiawan and Fine Ground, Alex has deep knowledge of and aptitude for a wide range of traditional string music for the guitar; his tone and technique allow for melodic expression of anything from Métis fiddle tunes through Scandinavian polskas to Applachian melodies.

________

After more than a decade shaping the progressive bluegrass landscape as a founding member of the award-winning band Mile Twelve, banjoist Catherine “BB” Bowness steps confidently into the spotlight with her debut solo album, Goodtime Revival, releasing November 1, 2025. With Goodtime Revival, BB Bowness affirms her place as a powerful and original voice in modern acoustic music — one that bridges tradition and progression with clarity, warmth, and joy.

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

The Dance Hall is excited to present Nordic string band, Frigg, as they celebrate the release of their new album, Dreamscapes.

Frigg (who takes their name from the Norse goddess) is established as an ensemble of four violins, string instruments and a double bass. In the spring of 2002, the band’s first album is published, and Frigg is becoming a popular topic of discussion amongst the Nordic folk music circles. As the Nordics become ever smaller, European folk music events quickly become familiar to the band.

Frigg’s pace only accelerates and a hunger for more grows. Their music is living and taking on new directions and nuances. Audiences are in awe of the band’s ability to transport listeners to traditional Finnish polska, bluegrass and Balkan rhythms and all the way to the dynamics of classical music, as if there were multiple groups performing on stage! The tight ensemble performance and a candid stage presence work. Frigg is able to turn their gigs into a scenic experience, giving their listeners a break from the greyness of the world.

Frigg will go on to visit the WOMAD Festival at the invitation of the BBC, visit the Rainforest World Music Festival in the rainforests of Borneo, and tour Japan and Australia. The joyful Nordic folk music laced with Bluegrass is a knockout in North America and one state after the other get their share of Frigg fever. As icing on the cake, Frigg is invited to perform at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival along with the best of the best in Roots music. In addition to their own concerts, the band performs spectacular projects together with symphony orchestras, choirs and brass bands. New music is released at a steady pace, with albums repeatedly appearing in the listings and raving album reviews of fRoots, Songlines, Rhythms.au and numerous other world music portals.

And now, after twenty five years, twelve albums, around a thousand gigs in thirty countries and tens of thousands of kilometers travelled, that same passion still burns. The hypnotic combination of that now-famous violin sound, the irresistible forward-pushing strum of string instruments and the pulse from the double bass, all together continue to create new paths. Just like the steady flow of a mountain stream in the springtime, the origins of which are precisely known.

$30 Advance | $38 day-of | $20 Students

*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Join the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Winds for an evening of rich colors, soaring melodies, and inspiring storytelling through music. Adoration brings together the timeless beauty of Florence Price with the fresh, imaginative voices of New Hampshire composer Beverly Erickson whose work was commissioned by the quintet. Erickson's tribute to astronaut Buzz Aldrin takes the audience on a thrilling, celestial journey - from the launchpad to the vast wonder of the moon’s surface.

Recently added to the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts Arts Education Artist Roster (June 2025), the Principal Winds have built a reputation for artistry, versatility, and connection. They have captivated sold-out audiences at Throwback Brewery, inspired curiosity at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, and brought their vibrant performances to renowned stages including Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth.

This concert is more than a performance - it’s an invitation to celebrate beauty, innovation, and the power of live music. Reserve your seats now for an afternoon of music you won't want to miss.

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Legendary vocalist, Sharon Jones, is back at The Dance Hall with a night of music for you and your special someone.

Sharon Jones is a legendary performer and native of Portsmouth, NH, where she shines as an original stand-out of the Seacoast music scene, with engagements throughout New England, in Boston and in New York.

An entertainer in the classical sense of the word, Sharon's versatility allows her to communicate with audiences in any setting. Her two- and three-piece ensembles will complement the dining experience with jazzy background music. With her band, Sharon gives a riff-driven high-energy R&B and Blues performance that gets the crowds dancing. Her passion for performance radiates, and her expressiveness embraces her audiences. Ending Sharon's concerts is a challenge as the audience begs for more!

$25 advance GA | $30 day-of GA | $15 student GA | $85 Table (seats up to 4)
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)
**Bottle of wine add-on ($20) optional for table seating only - bar open as usual

As “The Family Hodes”, Maine based artists Peggo and Paul Hodes are joined by their talented daughter, singer-songwriter Ariana Hodes and their long-time musical colleague, Kent Allyn. Ariana tore up the indie country charts a while back and writes catchy songs about love and love lost. Her latest EP as “Ariana Hodes and The Longest Year” is already climbing the charts.

“A seamless blend of indie, country, and singer-songwriter textures that linger long after the last note…The Family Hodes reminds us that love, family, and artistry can coexist beautifully when anchored by authenticity…Elevates and polished into something timeless and quietly powerful. A soulful listen that feels like home, regardless of where you are.”

Peggo and Paul Hodes have been musical partners for going on four decades… With their multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist collaborator Kent Allyn, they have performed as a trio, recording multiple albums and sharing beach bonfires for years. Following an award-winning run of albums for children and families as Peggosus, Peggo and Paul teamed up with Kent to record a series of acoustic oriented albums, “Patchwork Quilt, A celebration of The American Spirit”, which earned them a trip to perform at the White House, “Summer Nights” and the classic Holiday album, “Winter’s Light”. They released Peggo’s solo Jazz record, “In Love” on Parma’s Big Round Records imprint. Now, as “The Family Hodes”, the blend of Mother-Daughter Vocal DNA and family songwriting lend an inventive richness to their performances and recordings…always light-hearted and heartfelt featuring original and folk songs extolling the wonders of love.

$17 advance | $20 day-of | $10 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Get your daily dose of laughter with co-headliners Amy Tee and Kelly MacFarland, hosted by Rebecca Donohue—

After comedy-night hits with Rachel Feinstein and Tim Murray, we're bringing you another night of laughter to beat the winter blues featuring co-headliners Amy Tee and Kelly MacFarland-- hosted by Rebecca Donohue.

Amy Tee has been featured on LOGO TV, Sirius XM, and in Curve magazine as one of the “funniest lesbians in America.” Named a rising star by The Boston Globe, she’s a fan favorite and one of the busiest comedians working across New England.

Kelly MacFarland shares deeply relatable stories about love, loss, and everything in between. Perfect for audiences who love comedy with brains, edge, and heart. Kelly has appeared on Comedy Central, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, the Today Show, AXS Gotham Comedy LIVE, Up Early Tonight on Hulu, Dry Bar Comedy, Don’t Tell Comedy and Denis Leary’s Comics Come Home at the Boston TD Garden.

Rebecca Donohue is a comedian, writer, and a comedy producer. She has appeared on Comedy Central, VH1, and a variety of cable networks that no longer matter because we only watch things on our phone now. She won a spot on a USO TOUR for the US Navy through the Boston Comedy Festival and has performed in 30 out of the 50 states. As a writer, Rebecca received an Emmy nomination for her work on the Discovery+ show Book of Queer. As a producer, her digital series I Want My Stuff Back, also received an Emmy nomination. Rebecca currently creates originals and develops talent for The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – a top 10 comedy-sports show in the US.

This show contains adult material and language. Parental discretion is advised.

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $15 student

*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

“a captivating fusion of folk traditions” -Tradfolk

A contemporary collage of Scottish and American traditional music, Hildaland is a duo that approaches geographic borders as markers of exploration rather than boundaries to be wary of.
Fiddle player Louise Bichan, originally from Orkney, Scotland, and mandolinist Ethan Setiawan, originally from Goshen, Indiana, have taken their duo from traditional Scottish roots through to progressive bluegrass and jazz, with music inspired largely by places and the journeys between them, both physical and musical. “a perfect meeting of different musical worlds” - Celtic Music Radio

LOUISE Bichan has won awards for her compositions and playing, and has travelled far and wide to perform in various line ups since a young age. She has appeared at the likes of the BBC TV's Hogmanay Live show, Edinburgh Castle, Reading Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Lorient Interceltique Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival and Sligo Live festival. In 2016 she released her first solo album, Out of My Own Light, to great acclaim. "a stand out talent" -Darol Anger

ETHAN Setiawan has won such accolades as the 2014 National Mandolin Championship, the 2017 RockyGrass Mandolin Championship and has shared the stage with the likes of Julian Lage, Darrell Scott, Bryan Sutton, Mike Marshall, Tony Trischka, Darol Anger, Casey Driessen, the Steel Wheels, Don Stiernberg, Matt Flinner, and Jacob Jolliff. “a rising young star" -Mandolin Cafe

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Jason Anick and Matt DeChamplain Quartet Record a Live Album!

Violinist Jason Anick and pianist Matt DeChamplain, will be joining forces for two special concerts that will be recorded live at The Dance Hall and released as an album! Joined by Matt Munisteri on guitar, Eduardo Belo on bass, and special guests (Sunday only), this world class combo will be debuting brand new compositions and swingin’ arrangements of Duke Ellington and Django Reinhardt classics.

Fresh off their highly praised debut album, “Reverence”, this world class quartet is excited to document their collective sound again, this time at one of their favorite concert halls. As an audience member, you will forever be a part of this album and say you got to witness it live!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason Anick

Berklee College of Music Professor Jason Anick, has earned a reputation among string players as an imaginative improviser, versatile composer, and insightful educator. Growing up playing fiddle tunes with his family and classical music with local orchestras, he developed a passion for improvisation, which led him to study jazz and classical music at Hartt Conservatory. In 2008, Anick started what would be a 10-year stint touring and recording with Grammy award-winning guitar virtuoso John Jorgenson while still a senior at Hartt Conservatory.
As a band-leader, Anick has launched a variety of musical projects over the years, including the Gypsy Jazz group Rhythm Future Quartet, an Americana-inspired Acoustic Trio, and a contemporary jazz ensemble with pianist Jason Yeager. His string of recordings (Sleepless, Tipping Point, United, Travels, Rhythm Future Quartet and Friends) has earned him praise from Downbeat Magazine as a "Rising Star in the world of jazz violin."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt DeChamplain

Pianist Matt DeChamplain grew up in Wethersfield, Connecticut. During high school Matt attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts studying under Jimmy Greene and Dave Santoro. He obtained his bachelors degree from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School in 2010 and graduated with his masters from the University of Toledo in Ohio in 2012.
Matt has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, Berks Jazz Festival, New York’s JVC Jazz Festival, the Berklee Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center and renowned jazz clubs such as the Regatta Bar, Smalls and Yoshi’s. While in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program he engaged in a two week intensive composition and performance workshop under the instruction of jazz luminaries Dr. Billy Taylor, Nathan Davis and Curtis Fuller culminating in three performances filmed live from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt Munisteri

“Daunting mastery…one of New York’s best vintage-guitar stylists, without a doubt”
– All About Jazz

A freewheeling and virtuosic guitarist, Munisteri currently gets to work with a wide variety of artists at the top of their game across the jazz and American roots music spectrum. Better still, he finds that these twin jobs as a sideman and a leader only serve to complement one another. “This way I’m constantly learning, with each part of my working life feeding and informing the other – it beats digging ditches.” When not working on his own projects his primary sideman gigs for the last few years have been playing with violinist Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing; Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra; and with the singer Catherine Russell, for whom he also currently serves as Music Director. He also recently lent a hand to his friend, guitarist Julian Lage, producing Julian’s acclaimed solo guitar debut “Worlds Fair” (2015).

Though an instrumentalist of prodigious technique, and a relentless improviser, Matt has always felt a primary connection to songs, to their forms and emotional landscapes, and his skills and originality as an accompanist have led to calls to record with some of today’s most soulful and individual singers including Holly Cole, Madeline Peyroux, Liz Wright, “Little” Jimmy Scott, Geoff Muldaur, Sasha Dobson, and Kat Edmondson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eduardo Belo

Eduardo Belo is a bass player and composer from Brasília, Brazil. Since a young age, Eduardo has been interested in many different styles of music and is known for his versatility. He has shared the stage with a variety of musicians, including: Michel Camilo, Romero Lubambo, Lee Konitz, Kevin Hays, Bebel Gilberto, Steve Wilson, Duduka da Fonseca, Pedro Martins, Chico Pinheiro, Ari Hoenig, Clarice Assad, Claudio Roditi, and Mario Adnet, among many others.

Eduardo is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship (2008) and won second place in the national bass competition, “Concurso Nacional de Contrabaixo Sandrino Santoro” hosted in Rio de Janeiro in 2009. After moving to New York City, Eduardo received his master’s degree at Queen’s College of New York and has been working as one of the most in-demand bass players in the scene. Eduardo is a regular in NYC jazz clubs and has performed in many big venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Bimhuis.

$25 advance | $30 day-of | $40 weekend pass | $18 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Jason Anick and Matt DeChamplain Quartet Record a Live Album!

Violinist Jason Anick and pianist Matt DeChamplain, will be joining forces for two special concerts that will be recorded live at The Dance Hall and released as an album! Joined by Matt Munisteri on guitar, Eduardo Belo on bass, and special guests (Sunday only), this world class combo will be debuting brand new compositions and swingin’ arrangements of Duke Ellington and Django Reinhardt classics.

Fresh off their highly praised debut album, “Reverence”, this world class quartet is excited to document their collective sound again, this time at one of their favorite concert halls. As an audience member, you will forever be a part of this album and say you got to witness it live!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason Anick

Berklee College of Music Professor Jason Anick, has earned a reputation among string players as an imaginative improviser, versatile composer, and insightful educator. Growing up playing fiddle tunes with his family and classical music with local orchestras, he developed a passion for improvisation, which led him to study jazz and classical music at Hartt Conservatory. In 2008, Anick started what would be a 10-year stint touring and recording with Grammy award-winning guitar virtuoso John Jorgenson while still a senior at Hartt Conservatory.
As a band-leader, Anick has launched a variety of musical projects over the years, including the Gypsy Jazz group Rhythm Future Quartet, an Americana-inspired Acoustic Trio, and a contemporary jazz ensemble with pianist Jason Yeager. His string of recordings (Sleepless, Tipping Point, United, Travels, Rhythm Future Quartet and Friends) has earned him praise from Downbeat Magazine as a "Rising Star in the world of jazz violin."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt DeChamplain

Pianist Matt DeChamplain grew up in Wethersfield, Connecticut. During high school Matt attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts studying under Jimmy Greene and Dave Santoro. He obtained his bachelors degree from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School in 2010 and graduated with his masters from the University of Toledo in Ohio in 2012.
Matt has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, Berks Jazz Festival, New York’s JVC Jazz Festival, the Berklee Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center and renowned jazz clubs such as the Regatta Bar, Smalls and Yoshi’s. While in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program he engaged in a two week intensive composition and performance workshop under the instruction of jazz luminaries Dr. Billy Taylor, Nathan Davis and Curtis Fuller culminating in three performances filmed live from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matt Munisteri

“Daunting mastery…one of New York’s best vintage-guitar stylists, without a doubt”
– All About Jazz

A freewheeling and virtuosic guitarist, Munisteri currently gets to work with a wide variety of artists at the top of their game across the jazz and American roots music spectrum. Better still, he finds that these twin jobs as a sideman and a leader only serve to complement one another. “This way I’m constantly learning, with each part of my working life feeding and informing the other – it beats digging ditches.” When not working on his own projects his primary sideman gigs for the last few years have been playing with violinist Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing; Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra; and with the singer Catherine Russell, for whom he also currently serves as Music Director. He also recently lent a hand to his friend, guitarist Julian Lage, producing Julian’s acclaimed solo guitar debut “Worlds Fair” (2015).

Though an instrumentalist of prodigious technique, and a relentless improviser, Matt has always felt a primary connection to songs, to their forms and emotional landscapes, and his skills and originality as an accompanist have led to calls to record with some of today’s most soulful and individual singers including Holly Cole, Madeline Peyroux, Liz Wright, “Little” Jimmy Scott, Geoff Muldaur, Sasha Dobson, and Kat Edmondson.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eduardo Belo

Eduardo Belo is a bass player and composer from Brasília, Brazil. Since a young age, Eduardo has been interested in many different styles of music and is known for his versatility. He has shared the stage with a variety of musicians, including: Michel Camilo, Romero Lubambo, Lee Konitz, Kevin Hays, Bebel Gilberto, Steve Wilson, Duduka da Fonseca, Pedro Martins, Chico Pinheiro, Ari Hoenig, Clarice Assad, Claudio Roditi, and Mario Adnet, among many others.

Eduardo is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship (2008) and won second place in the national bass competition, “Concurso Nacional de Contrabaixo Sandrino Santoro” hosted in Rio de Janeiro in 2009. After moving to New York City, Eduardo received his master’s degree at Queen’s College of New York and has been working as one of the most in-demand bass players in the scene. Eduardo is a regular in NYC jazz clubs and has performed in many big venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Bimhuis.

$25 advance | $30 day-of | $40 weekend pass | $18 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Join us for the David Surette Mandolin Festival Kick-Off Concert!

Founded in 2001, the David Surette Mandolin Festival is an annual weekend of mandolin-focused workshops and concerts in Seacoast Maine and New Hampshire. Presented by the Burke-Surette family, The Dance Hall, and Concord Community Music School.

This festival presents world class artists from around the world.

2026 Guest Artists TBA.

This event sells out early, so don't wait to buy your tickets!

$25 advance | $30 day-of | $15 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Each generation, perhaps once a decade, bluegrass experiences a band or an artist that redefines and recenters the genre itself. Della Mae is one such band. 

The GRAMMY-nominated string band was founded in 2010 and over the next decade and a half they’ve demonstrated to the roots music world, once and for all, that a band of all women is not, nor has ever been, a mere novelty. They remain at the forefront of the explosion of women instrumentalists and all-women acts in roots music and their impact is striking and measurable – not just in North America, but around the globe.

Now 15 years since their origin, Della Mae can boast their strongest lineup yet. Founders Kimber Ludiker and Celia Woodsmith are joined by guitarist and songwriter Avril Smith and vocalist and two-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year Vickie Vaughn.

There has never been a band like Della Mae in roots music before, but thanks to Kimber Ludiker, Celia Woodsmith, Avril Smith, Vickie Vaughn – and all of the women who have been part of this band over its long life – we know there will be many more bands, singers, songwriters, and pickers just like Della Mae in the future.

The Dance Hall presents the Brian Shankar Adler Trio- blending jazz, Indian classical music, and tango with cinematic improvisations.

Brian Shankar Adler Trio
Featuring: Helen Sung (piano) and Fernando Huergo (bass)

Brian Shankar Adler is an award-winning, interdisciplinary percussionist and composer. Described as "a polyrhythmic force… New York City gritty yet still somehow capable of evoking the delicacy of a summer breeze…” (JazzTimes), his work transcends the terrain between genre and geographic region.

Adler has performed in caves, forests and adjacent glacial ice fields as well as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and The Stone. He has been recorded on over fifty albums including his solo works: Echoes of the Gomero (Adhyâropa Records, 2025), For a Gallery on the Moon (Chant Records, 2020), and Fourth Dimension (Chant Records, 2019).

Playing primarily a hybrid drum set that includes North Indian tabla, Argentine bombo legüero and an array of found objects, Adler's work explores the perception of time, the communicative properties of gesture and the anthropogenic footprint on regional ecosystems. With equal focus on improvisational and compositional practices, he uses rhythm as a tool for collaboration.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helen Sung is an acclaimed jazz pianist, composer and a Guggenheim Fellow. Helen was also part of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (renamed the Herbie Hancock Institute in 2019) and won the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition. A Steinway artist, “Sung plays with crisp swing and elegant invention, her rhythms drawing from the music’s deepest blues roots – and setting listeners’ heads bobbing – while she explores her own fresh ideas, often inspired from her classical training.” (New York Times)

"As a classical-turned-jazz artist, one of the things I have come to love the most about this American art form is its generous, communal heart: this is music made together, played together, and enjoyed together. Tenor legend Jimmy Heath told me (during my studies at the then Monk Institute) the jazz bandstand exemplified true democracy, where the musicians each had a role to play, everyone got a chance to shine and have their say, but in the end they create something greater together than they could on their own. "

-Helen Sung
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fernando Huergo is a bassist, composer, and educator from Córdoba, Argentina, now based in Boston. He has recorded over 160 albums, including 11 as a leader and co leader. Fernando has toured and given clinics in North, Central and South America, Europe and Asia. An active performer on the jazz scene, he currently plays with Guillermo Klein y Los Guachos, Mehmet Sanlikol, Jason Yeager, El Eco, Yulia Musayelyan, Pablo Ablanedo Octet, Macuco Quintet, Maxim Lubarsky, Leo Blanco, Daniel Ian Smith and Jim Kelly among others.
Fernando teaches bass at New England Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Brooklyn’s Kaleta & Super Yamba Band are fronted by Afrobeat and Juju veteran Leon Ligan-Majek a.k.a. Kaleta. The singer/guitarist from the West African country of Benin Republic lived his adolescent life in Lagos, Nigeria where Afrobeat was born. Kaleta's guitar chops earned him decades of touring and recording with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill and more.

Kaleta got his start in the late 70s performing in church and was soon after picked up by iconic Juju master and world music pioneer King Sunny Ade. A few years later Fela Kuti came calling. Kaleta would go on to tour the world playing guitar for the King of Afrobeat in his storied band Egypt 80 through the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Now based in New York City, Kaleta has been leading Super Yamba Band since 2017. Their debut album "Mèdaho," which was released by California indie label Ubiquity Records, draws on the group’s shared reverence for the raw, psychedelic sounds that captivated Kaleta as a music loving kid in 1970s Benin. Mèdaho means "big brother," "elder" or "teacher" and is dedicated to Kaleta's late brother Ligan-Ozavino Pascal who introduced him to funk and soul music at a very early age. The album was included on Bandcamp’s “Best Albums of Summer 2019” list and two of the songs were chosen for the ABC/Hulu series High Fidelity staring Zoe Kravitz.

Kaleta and his band have also erupted onto the stages and video screens of major music festivals and music publications across the US. They performed at the historic Apollo Theatre in 2019. They even prompted Action Bronson to stop his own show on VICELAND TV just so he could hear more Yamba. They also performed on Adult Swim’s Fishcenter Live show in 2019. In 2017 they rocked Paste Magazine’s Emerging Music Festival in NYC and after that performance Afropop Worldwide fell in love with Kaleta, saying “his James Brown grunts have got to be some of the best in the business!”

The members of Super Yamba Band have honed their craft performing with a diverse range of artists such as David Byrne, Rubblebucket, Yeasayer and Between The Buried And Me to name a few. Collaborating over several years with Senegalese griot and talking drum master Modou Mbenge, known best for his work with African pop star Abdou Guite Seck, was a defining moment in the development of Super Yamba's sound and the musician's understanding of the African music tradition. Super Yamba has also collaborated with Ghanaian singer Osei Korankye and Guinean singer Ismael Kouyate.

$25 advance | $30 day-of | $18 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

The Dance Hall is excited to welcome back The Mountain for a night of rippin’ old-time pickin’, luscious harmonies, and intimate vibes.

The Mountain is Phil Boyd (banjo, mandolin, octave mandolin), Colin Vandenbergh (mandolin, fiddle), Chris D’Amore (bass, guitar) and Joe Kenneally (guitar, banjo, octave mandolin). Don’t be shocked to see onstage hugs. The band was born out of spending a little too much time picking tunes in Joe’s barn during that time we couldn’t go out.

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

The Dance Hall welcomes back Randy Armstrong & WorldBeat Marimba featuring Ben Baldwin, Marty Quinn & Lisa Marshall.

Randy Armstrong & WorldBeat Marimba perform South African, Zimbabwe and Popular Songs on handmade South African Marimbas, Trinidad/Tobago Steel Pans, World Percussion and Vocals. Their exciting collaborative concerts include performances with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops! and with choruses Voices from the Heart, Ben Baldwin and the Stairwells, Songweavers, and the WorldBeat Marimba Singers. When listening and experiencing this upbeat and vibrant music, you will want to get up to dance and sing! It is a celebration of life and the art of unified ensemble playing. Weekly Classes and Rehearsals Available. The only South African Marimbas made in Cape Town in New Hampshire USA!

THE STORY: Marimba bands can be heard and experienced throughout South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Southern Africa. Even in the United States you can find Marimba bands—from the Pacific Northwest to New England—inspired by many African musicians who have taught the tradition and instruments at universities and cultural institutions in the U.S. for decades.

Randy has been a performer, teacher and student of the balafon which is the West Africa marimba/xylophone style instrument similar to the South African marimbas for over four decades. While on tour in South Africa as an accompanist for the women’s chorus, Voices From The Heart in the summer of 2018, Randy experienced the dynamic and joyous music of Marimba Bands at concert halls, churches, schools and street performances.

At a concert Voices From The Heart performed with the Archbisop Desmond Tutu and his family in attendance, a young group of talented and energetic South African Marimba players performed traditional songs and pop tunes that had the entire audience singing and dancing together. Even Papa Tutu got up to dance to the song, PATA PATA made famous by South African singer, Miriam Makeba and played brilliantly by the Marimba Band.

At that moment, Randy was inspired to commission a set of South African Marimbas handcrafted by ethnomusicologist, Gavin Coppenhall—African Ethos Instruments in Cape Town. The Marimbas arrived at the Port of New York on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2018 and the journey began.

$25 advance | $30 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

Kotoko Brass returns to The Dance Hall with their unique, joyful, and improvisational style of West African dance music.

Kotoko Brass melds the beautifully complex traditional drumming of Central Ghana, the sturdy bass and keyboards of the Caribbean, and the joyous horns of New Orleans to forge a sound the Boston Globe has described as “propulsive, infectious party music.” The band began when brothers Ben, a performer, scholar, and educator of Ghanaian drumming, and Brian Paulding, a longtime trombone player in Boston’s reggae scene, joined forces. Ben fortified the percussion section with Attah Poku and Kwame Ofori, two master percussionists from Ghana. The rhythm section of M’talewa Thomas (bass), Dillon Zahner (guitar), Yusaku Yoshimura (keyboards), and saxophonist Andy Bergman, fill out veteran rhythm and horn sections.

Coming together as Kotoko Brass feels like a superpower. When the traditional Ghanaian percussion and driving drum set grooves meet the steady rhythm section and jubilant horn melodies, we can’t help but dance. Now, after over a year of sharing our sound and energy with audiences across New England, we have seen just how infectious this energy is.

While each member plays an equal and vital role in Kotoko Brass, the drums are at the heart of the band. The tradition of Asante drumming is intimately intertwined with dance in West Africa, and our audiences experience that first-hand. That instinctual link between drumming and dancing exists in nearly all indigenous traditions, and it informs the harmony and melody in all of our music.

At its core, our music is a celebration of tradition, diversity, and unity. While our compositions are influenced by and emerge from the rich culture and heritage of the Asante Kingdom of central Ghana, they are brought to life by a group that spans age, ethnicity, and nationality. The wealth of our varied musical experience serves not only as an endless well of inspiration, but as a vital opportunity to broaden the depths of our communication as humans.

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $15 Student

*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

The Dance Hall presents Vermont-based American Roots band Low Lily.

With the release of their new record ‘Angels in the Wreckage’ (produced by Dirk Powell), the Vermont-based American Roots band LOW LILY brings their infectious sound to a new level. With the energy of fiddle music, the introspective quality of contemporary folk, the precision of bluegrass, and the drive of Americana, the members of Low Lily (Liz Simmons, Flynn Cohen, and Natalie Padilla) combine their individual talents into one stunning soundscape.

"Low Lily brandishes their formidable individual Folk foundations within a collective sound that’s as smart with sense of pop phrasing and flair as it is roots-savvy."
-Roots Music Report

Low Lily has shared their signature sound with enthusiastic audiences throughout North America and the UK, garnering two #1 songs on international folk radio and two Independent Music Award wins. In 2018, the band released a full-length album with 2X award-winning title track “10,000 Days Like These" and their original song “Hope Lingers On”, which has been sung by choirs around the world as an anthem for peace and justice.

$20 Advance | $25 day-of | $15 Student

*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)