Ordinary Elephant and Early Risers at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of acoustic folk music from far and near by Louisiana-based Ordinary Elephant and Putney-based Early Risers at Next Stage on Friday, April 12 at 7:30 pm.

Mesmerizing folk duo Ordinary Elephant has spent the better part of the last decade on a never-ending tour that’s earned Crystal and Pete Damore widespread critical acclaim and made fans of luminaries like Tom Paxton and Mary Gauthier. In 2017, the couple took home the International Folk Music Award for Artist of the Year on the strength of their breakout album “Before I Go,” and two years later, they returned with the similarly lauded “Honest,” which the Associated Press hailed as “one of the best Americana albums of the year.”


Rob Flax’s Boom Chick Trio to Perform at Next Stage on 4/6

Next Stage Arts presents eclectic jazz combo Boom Chic Trio on Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 pm. Equal parts hot swing, snarky songwriting, and lyrical storytelling, this energetic trio of virtuoso violin, guitar, and bass plus three part harmony vocals will transport you to a speakeasy somewhere in the back of a bar. You might not be able to sit still in your seat, and you’ll have a smile on your face most of the show!

“BOOM CHICK! What a name to express the hot jazz trio that are masters of their craft,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “We’re excited to introduce these musicians to our community because they cross some interesting lines between traditional sounds while making it feel exciting and new.”


Next Stage Arts Presents Cuban Quintet Espirales Project

Next Stage Arts presents Cuban quintet Espirales Project on Friday, March 29th at 7:30 pm, at Next Stage Arts, located at 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT. Tickets are $20 in advance / $25 at the door / $10 livestream. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. For information, call 802-387-0102 or visit nextstagearts.org.

Newly emerging on the Cuban music scene in 2023, the Espirales Project brings together five top graduates of Cuba’s Instituto Superior de Arte performing across several genres—Cuban, jazz, world, and chamber music. Tania Haase, Olivia Rodríguez, Alejandro Aguiar, Jesús Estrada and Rodrigo García have led or contributed nationally and internationally to projects across all these styles, performing at Cuba’s International Jazz Plaza Festival and the Habana Clásica concert music festival. They are also teachers who have designed a development program on Cuban music and culture.


The Gaslight Tinkers at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present roots and world music quintet The Gaslight Tinkers at Next Stage on Friday, March 22 at 7:30 pm. Blending African, Caribbean, Funk, Reggae, and Latin grooves with traditional fiddle music, the quintet creates the genre-bending future of the music of the past.

The Gaslight Tinkers’ mix of global rhythms creates a joyous world beat sound around a core of traditional New England old time and celtic fiddle music, merging boundless positive energy with melody and song. Drawing from their extensive musical backgrounds in traditional folk, Caribbean, old time, Celtic, and rock, I-Shea, Clara, Garrett, Elie, and Peter craft a sound that brings world traditions together.


Next Stage Arts Presents Vermont Premier of Works From Grammy-Nominated Album by Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar

Next Stage Arts presents the Vermont premier of works from Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar’s Grammy-Nominated album “Ourself, Behind Ourself Concealed,” on Sunday, March 17th, at 7:00 pm. The performance will be held at Next Stage Arts, located at 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT. Tickets are $20 in advance / $25 at the door / $10 livestream. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. For information, call 802-387-0102 or visit nextstagearts.org.

Introducing to the Vermont area, for the very first time, the music from their Grammy-nominated record “Ourself, Behind Ourself Concealed,” classical virtuosos Tasha Warren (clarinet and bass clarinet) and Dave Eggar (cello) invite the audience on a captivating musical odyssey through the realms of classical, jazz, tango, and beyond. Joining forces with the duo is the exceptional Martha Redbone, who brings her distinctive blend of folk, gospel, and blues, accompanied by the masterful guitar virtuoso Phil Faconti. Together, they create an unforgettable evening, weaving an immersive tapestry of musical storytelling that promises to be a unique and enriching experience.


Soaring: An Evening of Circus and Song Takes Center Stage at Next Stage Arts

Next Stage Arts is thrilled to present “Soaring: An Evening of Circus and Song” featuring soprano-aerialist Elizabeth Wohl, pianist Ivan Tan, and special guest artists on Saturday, March 16th at 4:00 and 7:30 pm. The performances will be held at Next Stage Arts, located at 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT.

Prepare to be enchanted as Elizabeth Wohl, a professional classically-trained opera singer, combines her vocal prowess with breathtaking aerial acrobatics. Wohl, known for her innovative interpretations of classical music, will perform a repertoire that includes works by Mozart, Gounod, Bizet, and Vermont composer Gwyneth Walker, accompanied by the skilled pianist Ivan Tan.


Le Patin Libre Returns to Brattleboro with Threshold

Next Stage Arts presents Montreal-based contemporary ice skating company Le Patin Libre, performing their work Threshold at the Nelson Withington Skating Facility on Friday, February 16 at 6:00 and 8:00 pm. Le Patin Libre performed to a sold-out audience at the rink last winter. A second show has been added this year to accommodate what is sure to be an enthusiastic response to the company’s return.

A contemporary reinvention of the show on ice, Le Patin Libre company is once again sharpening its blades for a new frozen opus. Dazzlement assured.

Le Patin Libre, whose members are all highly trained skaters, caused a sensation in 2014 with Vertical Influences, a revolutionary display of contemporary dance on ice. “We take full advantage of what makes skating a unique and legitimate art form: the glide”, explains Alexandre Hamel. “The glide allows the disconnection of the body’s displacement in space from its physical movement.” A Le Patin Libre performance is an adrenalin-laced experience. “We use that rush to fuel our choreographic poetry.” The same artistic team—skaters Pascale Jodoin, Jasmin Boivin, Taylor Dilley, Samory Ba and Alexandre Hamel, joined by dramaturge Ruth Little—brings us another gravity-defying show. “Dancers and acrobats have to walk, run, flip, leap, and so on. We, on the other hand, can zoom around without moving a muscle!”


Genticorum, with Special Guests Seamus Egan and Lissa Schneckenburger at Next Stage Arts on 2/10

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present Québécois trad trio Genticorum, with special guests Seamus Egan and Lissa Schneckenburger, at Next Stage Arts on Saturday, February 10th, at 7:30 PM.

Genticorum is among the most distinctive voices of Québécois traditional music.

In French, to describe the chemistry between people, you say they have atomes crochus — literally, that their atoms are interlaced. There’s no better way to talk about Genticorum. The trio’s connection is magnetic. In the filigree of their arrangements, seamlessly melding fiddle, flute, accordion, guitar, foot percussion, and voices, there’s always an organic spark: at its root, this is social music, and audiences can’t help but feel the pleasure these three musicians get from playing together.


George Lernis Quintet at Next Stage Arts

Next Stage Arts presents world-recognized percussionist George Lernis and his quintet, performing the music from his latest album “Between Two Worlds” at Next Stage on Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 pm.

The name of the album was inspired by the 15th century Turkish mystic Hacı Bayram Veli’s poem “Between Two Worlds” and depicts Lernis’s journey as an immigrant originally from Nicosia, Cyprus who eventually moved to the U.S. The music showcases Lernis’s bi-musicality, blending Jazz and Middle Eastern music in a tasteful and respectful manner to both of these rich musical traditions. Lernis’s quintet features a stellar group of musicians including the wonderful Turkish vocalist, Heiraza AKA Burcu Gülec, Swedish born bassist Bruno Råberg, American trumpeter Emiel De Jaegher, and Turkish piano, oud, and ney player Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol.


The Rasa String Quartet at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts presents Boston-based Rasa String Quartet at Next Stage on Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 pm.

The Rasa String Quartet celebrates the art of strumming and works inspired by strummed instruments, for string quartet! This program pairs old masterworks from Beethoven, Debussy, and Turina alongside newly celebrated classics from Jessie Montgomery and Caroline Shaw:

Program:
Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, II. Assez vif et bien rythmé
Jessie Montgomery: Strum
Caroline Shaw: Valencia
Joaquín Turina: The Bullfighter’s Prayer
L.V. Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74 “Harp”


Argentinian Duo Lerner and Moguilevsky To Perform at Next Stage 12/2

Next Stage Arts presents Argentinian duo César Lerner and Marcello Moguilevsky’s unique musical fusion of klezmer, tango, jazz, and South American folk music at Next Stage on Saturday, December 2 at 7:30 pm.

“Lerner & Moguilevsky are masters of their craft, threading various cultural ideas together into something new and exciting,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “Bringing an artist to Putney from Argentina is an exciting opportunity. The thought that we’re bringing artists from around the world to our region feels positive for our community.”


Kat Wright and Brett Hughes Holiday Show at Next Stage

PUTNEY – Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present singer/songwriters Kat Wright and Brett Hughes with their quartet performing songs of the season at Next Stage on Friday, December 1 at 7:30 pm.

Kat Wright and Brett Hughes, two of Vermont’s most beloved songbirds, join forces once again this December for their 10th annual Vermont holiday tour. The show, a true Christmas gift featuring Tyler Bolles (Swale, Rough Francis) on upright bass and multi-instrumentalist Will Seeders (Carling & Will, Caitlin Canty), offers songs of holiday heartbreak and holiday cheer. It is bejeweled with storytelling, originals, and beloved classics alike. It’s guaranteed to warm your heart, pique your nostalgia, and create a loving container for those good ol’ holiday blues that we all know so well.


The Clements Brothers and Geneviève Racette at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary folk music with The Clements Brothers and Geneviève Racette at Next Stage on Friday, November 3 at 7:30 pm.

Québécois folk-pop singer/songwriter Geneviève Racette captivates listeners with her gentle, yet compelling, emotional resonance. Through her vulnerable lyricism and ethereal vocals, Geneviève has emerged as a rising star in both French and English-speaking Canadian music scenes. She is currently on her fifth US tour, collaborating with artists such as The Bros. Landreth, Abbie Thomas, and Halley Neal.

Since the release of her first EP in 2014, Genevieve has steadily gained recognition across Canada and the US, winning a Canadian Folk Music Award and earning glowing reviews from major outlets including Rolling Stone, Exclaim!, CBC, Women of Americana, Americana Music Association, and Sirius XM. Her latest CD “Satellite” is a collection of honest stories of self-discovery and reflection through the cycle of love which evoke moments of love, heartbreak, healing, forgiveness, and ultimately falling in love again.


Next Stage Arts Presents Double Bill Featuring Walter Parks & The Unlawful Assembly and Big Lazy

Next Stage Arts presents a double bill featuring the reimagined historic spirituals and hymns of Walter Parks & The Unlawful Assembly, and the “guitar noir”/”crime jazz” of Big Lazy, on Friday, October 27 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, in Putney.

The Unlawful Assembly reimagines and tributes historic spirituals and hymns which universally inspire, empower and unite. Leader/guitarist/singer Walter Parks, longtime sideman to Woodstock legend Richie Havens, is joined by featured artists drummer/producer Steven Williams, and Ada Dyer, who’s currently touring worldwide with Bruce Springsteen, on vocals.

In one live-concert experience The Unlawful Assembly entertains and informs while successfully melding roots music of divergent origins. The soundtrack to American black history – old-school spirituals, gospel, blues, and prison work chants intertwine with swamp hollers, shaped-note hymns and Appalachian reels of white homesteader origin.


Antje Duvekot and Pete Bernhard at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an evening of contemporary folk music with Antje Duvekot and Pete Bernhard at Next Stage on Sunday, October 22 at 7:00 pm.

Antje Duvekot is a German-born, American-raised singer/songwriter whose songs have been critically praised for their hard-won wisdom, dark-eyed realism, and street-smart romanticism. Her bicultural upbringing and relative newness to English have helped shape her unique way with a song, giving her a startlingly original poetic palette. They are the keys to the powerful, even revolutionary, empathy that informs everything she writes. She has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award, and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act.

Since the release of her debut studio CD “Big Dream Boulevard,” which was voted #1 Folk Release of 2006 by the Boston Globe and was named to the Top 10 Releases of the Year by National Public Radio’s Folk Alley, Antje has been touring extensively, criss-crossing the US and Europe. She is a compelling live performer and has played at major festivals, including Newport, Mountain Stage, Philadelphia, Falcon Ridge, Great Waters, and Kerrville. This fall, Antje celebrates the September 15th release of her fifth album “New Wild West.”


Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series – Burlington Taiko

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents a concert of traditional Japanese taiko drumming with Burlington Taiko, on Saturday, October 21 at 3:00 pm at Cooper Field, 41 Sand Hill Rd, in Putney.

For more than thirty years, Burlington Taiko has educated New England communities about Japanese culture and entertained them with traditional Taiko drumming.

Honored three times by the International Taiko community, the group has been invited to perform in Japan. With hundreds of performances under their belt, they’ve performed for an estimated half a million people.


Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir Return To Putney

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents “dirty gospel” band Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir, on Saturday, October 14th at 3:00 pm at the Putney Inn, 57 Putney Landing Rd., in Putney.

“Reverend Vince utilizes his mixture of gospel, funk, and dance music as a platform to preach peace, tolerance, and love of humanity,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “We hosted the Rev and his Love Choir last year inside the theater, and after that evening of religious intoxication through music, we knew we had to bring him back as part of our Bandwagon Series.”

After coming to New York in the 90’s to enter the seminary, studying to be a Methodist minister, Reverend Vince Anderson dropped out to follow his second calling – music. His band, The Love Choir, defines its style as “dirty gospel,” busting out trumpets, guitars and a keyboard. Together, they have played a now-legendary weekly show in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for over twenty years. Reconnecting with his faith and using his intense soulful music, he began to preach a type of spirituality that meets people where they are, is open to all, and moves everyone that sees him play. Reverend Vince is also deeply involved in social activism, working with other progressive faith leaders at home and around the country to build inclusive communities.


Next Stage Arts Presents Double Bill featuring Priya Darshini and the Argentinian Chamamé of the Alejandro Brittes Quartet

Next Stage Arts presents a double bill featuring the Hindustani and Carnatic-influenced New Age music of Priya Darshini, and the Argentinian Chamamé of the Alejandro Brittes Quartet, on Friday, October 6 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, in Putney, Vermont.

Born in Chennai, raised in Mumbai, India, and based in New York, Priya Darshini’s distinct style takes inspiration from her diverse cultural and life experiences. Rooted in Hindustani and Carnatic Indian Classical music, her improvisational mastery, and vast knowledge of music from around the world, Priya’s music is elegant, tranquil, virtuosic, intricately layered, and pushes compositional boundaries while effortlessly weaving her distinct multicultural experience into a unique and timeless musical tapestry. As John Schafer of WNYC remarks “[Priya Darshini’s] music incorporates a world of influences and lives on the periphery, much like herself.”


Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series Presents Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents genre-bending ensemble Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp on Saturday, September 16 at 5:00 pm at the Putney Inn, 57 Putney Landing Rd, Putney. Mixing free jazz, post-punk, highlife, brass band, symphonic mixtures and kraut rock, OTPMD’s sound only goes beyond the limits of genre. 

Founded in 2006 by Vincent Bertholet (Hyperculte), the Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp is a large-scale project. Designed as a real orchestra, the size of the ensemble has varied over time. Now with 12 members, 14 in the past or 6 at the beginning, the ensemble has scoured the stages of Europe to demonstrate that the formula “the more the merrier” has never been more true than on stage.


Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series Presents The Slambovian Circus of Dreams

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series and Twilight Music present acoustic/electric, folk-pop/Americana sextet The Slambovian Circus of Dreams on Sunday, September 3 at 5:00 pm at the SVG Multipurpose Field in Bellows Falls, VT. For over 25 years, the Sleepy Hollow, NY-based Slambovians have expanded the borders of Americana music with a rootsy rockin’ psychedelica, fantastic stories, and electrifying live performances – a mix of Washington Irving, Woodstock, and British Invasion that’s “mightily impressive and hugely original rock from the cool end of Americana” (Maverick Magazine).

The music of The Slambovian Circus of Dreams has been described as “hillbilly-Floyd,” “alt-country, roots-rock,” and “surreal Americana” – a clear indicator of its singularly indescribable uniqueness. The sextet’s melodic avant-folk conjures with an exotic instrumental arsenal (accordion, cello, mandolin, theremin) in addition to standard rock regalia, and a palette of styles ranging from dusty Americana ballads to huge Pink Floydesque cinematic anthems. Dancing freely between all existing religious and philosophical mythologies, the music is uplifting, empowering, and a lot of fun.