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.

** SALSA BEFORE THE SHOW** From 7:00-7:30 take a free lesson with Salsa Secrets! Salsa Secrets is a latin dance school in Portsmouth NH. They teach group classes for absolute beginners to advanced dancers. Salsa Secrets holds social dances on the third Saturday of each month at their Lafayette Road location in Portsmouth. Everyone is welcome to experience the healing power of dance! 

$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)

Celebrate your gals and pals with an (early) DANCE PARTY with DJ Skooch!

This (Early) Galentine's Day Dance Party with the one and only DJ Skooch is all about celebrating friendship, chosen family, and the care we share with one another. All genders are welcome, and this space is meant to feel safe, inclusive, affirming, and grounded in connection.

DJ Skooch will be dropping all the hottest 80s/90s/early 00s jams! You can get your groove on with your besties EARLY, and still get your booty to bed at a reasonable hour!

$15 advance | $20 day-of

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

  A Special Valentine's Day

Not just for Some, But For Everyone
I'll be singing my way into your hearts
On February 14th. I will bring your fondest memories back with the songs that spoke to us in such a way that the whole world felt like a kinder, gentler place. 

Here's to Love And All The Joy It Brings.
Yours truly,
Sharon

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!

THE BAND John Hyde (Piano), Jim Lattini (Drums), Ron Mahdi (Bass), Jason Palmer (Trumpet)

$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”, Kittery Point artists Peggo and Paul Hodes return for their annual Valentine’s day show at The Dance Hall. joined by their long-time musical colleague, Kent Allyn with special guests, Ariana Hodes and The Longest Year!

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.

“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.”

Cincinnati based artists Ariana Hodes and Cassandra Bailey-Langjahr are best friends who met bartending in Nashville TN, in 2017. With their different journeys and backgrounds in music they weren’t sure if their styles would work together, but knowing they needed to get out of restaurant life they decided to give co-writing a try. Because that’s the Nashville way. Their first co-write resulted in nothing less than magic, the blend of their voices nothing short of astonishing. They decided to play out as a duo, and pop-folk band Ariana Hodes & The Longest Year was born. They hit the road in 2019 touring in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska and Kentucky. Between covid and grad school they’ve managed to record and release their first EP. They are now successfully crowdfunding for a studio album of brand new songs to be released in Spring 2026. Wherever they play, the quality of their close harmonies never fail to impress, the catchiness of their hooks get audiences humming and wanting more. It’s a guaranteed good-time hang where everybody makes new friends, and leaves with a little bit more hope for the world.

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

David “Fuze” Fiuczynski & KiF
w/special guests Skunk Jesus

David Fiuczynski is an iconoclastic innovator and a rebel with a guitar. Fluent in funk, rock, fusion, wicked fretless blues slides, Eastern melodicism, Western microtonalism and everything in-between, his remarkably open-minded and versatile approach to his instrument and music in general has made him a “first call” player, and lead to tours and recording projects with a remarkably diverse cast of characters, including Stewart Copeland (The Police), Jack DeJohnette (Miles Davis, John Coltrane), John Zorn, Hiromi, JoJo Mayer, Marc Guiliana (David Bowie), Bernie Worrell (P-Funk), Dennis Chambers, Me’shell NdegeOcello, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Marcus Miller, Billy Hart, John Medeski, Cuong Vu, Ronald Shannon Jackson’s Decoding Society and countless others.

KiF was conceived, quite appropriately, at a musical meeting in Marrakech where Moroccan players repeatedly mentioned that Jimi Hendrix had visited the country. Thus was the inspiration for KiF….. Jimi playing hard grooves with Mid-Eastern inflected melodies blending dervishes, minarets, spires, desert sands in the mind of an audience entranced by colorful, multi-cultural musical palettes…

Skunk Jesus is a New England-based band that blends groove-heavy rhythms, psychedelic textures, and improvisational energy into a sound that’s both grounded and exploratory. The trio features Riley Stockwell on guitar, Mike Dettorre on drums, and Shon Gordon on bass—three players with deep chemistry and a shared love of pushing musical boundaries. With roots in funk and rock, their live sets fluidly move between tight arrangements and wide-open jams, always leaving space for something new.

Known for bringing in special guests, Skunk Jesus creates an ever-evolving live experience. They invite some of the region’s best players to join them on stage, improvising freely and exploring their creativity within the band’s unique framework.

$18 advance | $22 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)

The Dance Hall is excited to welcome back Hildaland, joined by Dearest Dear for a night of Scottish, old time, and Swedish inspired music.

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 captivating fusion of folk traditions” Tradfolk
“a perfect meeting of different musical worlds” Celtic Music Radio

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

Dearest Dear: Helen Kuhar (guitar, vocals, harmonium) and Rose Jackson (fiddle, vocals) come together to bring you driving traditional tunes from New England, Quebec, Ireland, and France, old songs with contemporary relevance, and contemporary songs with traditional sensibilities harmonized with voices, fiddle, guitar, and harmonium.

$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, plus a special guest (on 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.

Glen Loper is a mandolin and tenor banjo player and teacher living in Portland, ME.  Best known in the contra dance world, Glen brings his lively and exuberant playing to dances, festivals, and camps across the Northeast and beyond with bands including Stomp Rocket and Frigate. He plays Irish, New England and Quebecois tunes and styles, among others. He also is a longtime teacher at Maine Fiddle Camp, where he and David Surette taught together and annually took over the stage for "Maine Mandolin Camp"!  We're thrilled to have Glen back at the festival again!

We're so excited to have Chris Moore at the festival for the first time this year! Chris returned to his home state of Maine in 2013 to work as the Director of Music Education for 317 Main Community Music Center in Yarmouth. He plays and teaches a variety of music styles including traditional Shaker music, English country dance music, and bluegrass. Chris is also a songwriter whose songs have been recorded and performed by Adrienne Young, Mark Erelli, Rani Arbo, Dennis Brennan, Joe K. Walsh and others.

We have another wonderful new instructor this year in Noah Fishman! Noah is a performer, composer, and educator rooted in Maine. At home on a number of stringed instruments including mandolin, bass, and guitar, Noah is known for his instrumental creativity and fluid improvisation across folk, chamber, and jazz styles. Noah has played across the United States and Europe with his own projects and with bands like Frigg, Alisa Amador, and Mike Block Trio. He also writes music for film and television and teaches at music camps.

And lastly, we're so thrilled to have our longtime friend Steve Roy back at the festival. A multi-instrumentalist who plays and teaches mandolin, bass, guitar, fiddle, and ukulele, Steve is fluent in a wide array of musical styles, including bluegrass, jazz, folk, jam, country, old-time, and rock. Steve is a member of Old Hat Stringband, and has been a sideman with many national and local acts. He regularly teaches at many music camps. Steve was one of David's dearest friends and favorite musical collaborators, and we're so glad he's returning to the festival this year!

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.

Kalos is drawn to water. Every performance is like stepping into a river—they never play a song the same way twice. Their album titles—Harbour and Headland—honor the meeting point between the land and sea and they sing songs about shorelines, seafarers and drownings. They revel in the driving danceability of Irish tunes, but also take inspiration from the pastoral melodies and naturalistic metaphors of Scottish music. But while the music they write is forged in tradition, it is nonetheless cast and tempered in new and unexpected ways.

The trio spans three generations, three cities and two countries. Ryan McKasson (violin, viola, voice), Eric McDonald (guitar, mandolin, voice) and Jeremiah McLane (accordion, piano, voice) met over the years at highland games, contra dances and fiddle camps across North America. They made their first recording in 2016 and have been touring together since 2019. Kalos prizes the magic of live performance—breathing, dancing and weaving together like high-wire acrobats. They are as generous as they are virtuosic. Like nature itself, their music is full of chaos and chance yet always feels spacious and balanced. Their concerts are more an exposé than a performance—they are immersive, trance-inducing experiences.

Kalos appreciates how acoustic music can be a balm, a respite in the midst of our radio-static modern life. “As noisy as music is, it feels like meditation compared to the clatter of social media,” McLane muses. All three band members come from Scottish immigrant families, so even when they venture beyond the edges of traditional Celtic music they remain deeply connected to past centuries and forgotten folkways. The acoustic instruments they play are made of sonorous wood—mahogany, spruce, ebony—and the band is always attuned to the sonic quality of the spaces they play in. They love a reverberant church or a forest green encircled by the far-off hum of cicadas.

**EARLY BIRD TICKET PRICE AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME**

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

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 present guitarist and songwriter, Lyle Brewer.

"staggering– each note both runs into the next and seems to stand out on its own. The melodies take the place of lyrics. The songs tell stories without words."

-USA Today

Lyle Brewer is a guitarist and songwriter from Massachusetts. He has released several instrumental guitar albums and has performed all over the country with such artists as Neighbor, Ryan Montbleau and Lori McKenna. For the last decade Brewer has been a professor of guitar at The Berklee College of Music in Boston. He has released three transcription books and maintains a hearty teaching schedule.

$18 advance | $22 day-of | $10 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 brings you Daisy's Big Parade, a story about the internal struggle between being who you are & who the world tells you to be.

Taylor O’Donnell: voice/piano
Mike Effenberger: keys
PJ Donahue: Drums
Brad Myrick: guitar
Scott Kiefner: upright, electric bass
Stefanie Guzikowski: voice
Nate Laban: guitar/voice

ABOUT THE ALBUM: The two main characters in the story are Daisy and Anna Lee. They are in fact, the same person. Daisy is the mask we put on to please the world. Daisy seeks fame, fortune, attention and will mow down anyone in her path to get it. She is a reckless addict who cares about one thing- herself. Daisy wants the world to adore her. She wants her big parade.

Musically, Daisy is represented by the bluesy band pieces. The first three tracks give us a good glimpse at the loose cannon that Daisy is. It’s not until track 4 that we start to see the other side of Daisy, the side she does not want the world to see- Anna Lee.… read more about the project and Daisy’s story HERE.

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

Ida LeClair "the funniest woman in Maine” returns to the Seacoast in a brand new show!

Written by Susan Poulin with Gordon Carlisle

Performed by Susan Poulin

Directed by David Kaye

Join Ida as she celebrates her fifty years as a cashier down to the A&P. She'll fill you in on how she got started, what keeps her coming back year after year and how she's feeling about that old question of retirement. Down to the A&P, there are lots of laughs, of course, and more drama and intrigue than you'd think. Heck, as the only supermarket in Mahoosuc Mills, everyone passes through, eccentric locals and wacky tourists alike. And Ida has a front row seat to all of it: the good, the bad and the ugly. Ida just loves the A&P, and you will, too!

Selected by Portland Magazine as one of the "Ten Most Intriguing People in Maine,” award-winning writer and performer Susan Poulin is the author of fourteen plays, seven of which feature her alter ego, Ida LeClair, “the funniest woman in Maine.” She writes the popular Maine humor blog and podcast, Just Ask Ida, and is the author of Finding Your Inner Moose: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Living the Good Life and The Sweet Life: Ida LeClair’s Guide to Love and Marriage published by Islandport Press. Susan continues to be a leader in bringing a female voice to New England storytelling and humor, and sharing the healing power of laughter with audiences. For the latest on Ida, visit: idaswebsite.com

$19 advance | $24 day-of | $12 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)

Coming to The Dance Hall from NYC, ContraPunctus features four distinct voices in contemporary music, including Maine's own Mike McGinnis.

The group takes its name and inspiration from counterpoint, musical lines interwoven in conversation, while embracing the full breadth of their collective experience across jazz, free improvisation, rock, and folk traditions. Their repertoire moves fluidly between original compositions, reimaginings of Carla Bley, Baden Powell, and Billy Strayhorn, and spontaneous improvisations. At once rooted and exploratory, ContraPunctus invites listeners into music that is alive in the moment; polyphonic, adventurous, joyful and generous.

Meet the band:

Mike McGinnis (Alice Coltrane, Anthony Braxton, Yo La Tengo): saxophone/clarinet

Carmen Staaf (Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jenny Scheinman): pianist

Gui Duvignau (Michael Wolff, Sofia Ribeiro) : bassist

Hamir Atwal (Tune-Yards, Myra Melford, Ben Goldberg): drummer

"The foursome of clarinetist Mike McGinnis, bassist Gui Duvignau, drummer Hamir Atwal, and pianist Staaf has been uniting with intermittent regularity for a minute now, and I’m betting dollars to donuts that their chemistry is cohering while their book is expanding. A lot of the attraction the keyboardist generates is due to touch. She’s expert at weighing the value of each new phrase and implementing them with a judicious delivery. She’s also got mucho skills when it comes to making the outside seem in."

"They’ve hit the studio since the last time I heard ’em, and I can’t wait to check it because their book teems with melodies, always a plus compared to the mildly predictable riff tunes that occasionally show up on stages these days. Plus, they’re a band, with a handful of writers and broader persona because of it. The three or four times I’ve caught ’em, Carmen Staaf, Mike McGinnis, Gui Duvignau, and Hamir Atwal have tickled me immensely by continuously passing the ball around. A romantic tune from the bassist, an introspective piece from the pianist, and a flight of fancy from the reed player – their directions are many. Not to mention that Carla Bley update. And the solos – Staaf’s a fire starter, pure and simple. Variety is you know what, so get ready to be tickled yourself."

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

The Dance Hall is excited to bring back the "Sardinian Sorcerer of Sound", guitar wizard, melody magician...Paolo Angeli!

Guitarist Paolo Angeli is a musical conjurer, an artist whose imaginative leaps defy gravity. A composer, ethnomusicologist and instrument builder who draws on his deep knowledge of traditional Sardinian music, he inhabits a timeless zone as a soil-rooted master and brash experimentalist. While suffused with Mediterranean cadences, Angeli’s original pieces encompass flamenco, jazz, Baroque, post-rock and new music. He plays a prepared Sardinian guitar of his own invention, a fantastical 18-string hybrid combining elements of guitar, cello and drums.

A feast for the eyes as well as the ears, Angeli in full flight is an astounding sight, as he bows, strikes, hammers, plucks and strums an instrument with strings going in all directions and foot-pedal-controlled motorized propellers. With sympathetic strings creating shimmering drones, he adjusts tunings on the fly to create exquisitely lapidary, orchestral music using electronic effects in real time (he eschews loopers, creating every sound in the moment).

It’s not surprising that this singular musician has improvised and collaborated with masters such as Pat Metheny, Fred Frith, Evan Parker, Zeena Parkins, and Phillip Greenlief, and has sold out a concert at Carnegie Hall (New York) as well as two nights at SFJazz in Los Angeles. Angeli’s music may be unclassifiable, but it takes no expertise to recognize its strange and extravagant beauty.

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

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