upcoming performances
Zafarán at the Burren (Boston)
Zafarán crosses time and boundaries, and incorporates musical traditions from around the Mediterranean, weaving together such diverse threads as Southern Italian chants, Sephardic love songs, Romani laments, and Turkish and Greek folk tunes. With driving rhythms, virtuosic improvisation, and the powerful voice of award-winning Italian singer Carmen Marsico, Zafarán bridges languages and cultures with their own eclectic blend of musical styles, combining deep traditions with original songs and ideas.
$20 in advance/$25 at the door
Step Into the Revolution: A Colonial Dance Night For Everyone (Boston)
Ever wondered what people did for fun in 1776? Come find out — on your feet! The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum welcomes you to a free, beginner-friendly evening of 18th-century country dancing with the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers, who will teach you everything you need to know from the very first step. Solo, paired, young, old — everyone is welcome, and no partner is required.
This special evening celebrates the JFK Library exhibit Declaring the Revolution: America's Printed Path to Independence, showcasing rare items from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection, and the exhibit itself will be open free of charge from 5:30–7:00 PM, so come early and soak in the history before you hit the dance floor! Feel free to dress the part — vintage and period attire are encouraged — but come however you like. Food and drinks will be on sale, and the Museum Store will be open throughout the night.
With music by Jean Monroe, Ishmael Stefanov, Dan Meyers, and others. Free to the public, registration required.
Wednesday Night English Country Dance (Newton, MA)
Join some of New England’s best dance callers for a welcoming and fun evening of dancing—all dancers, from beginner to experienced, are welcome! Music provided by Jacqueline Schwab (piano), Dan Meyers (winds), and Karen Burciaga (fiddle).
$5 - $15 sliding scale, depending on need
"From Plimoth to Yorktown" with Seven Times Salt (Peterborough, NH)
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard round the world." The historic events at Lexington and Concord on the morning of April 19, 1775 sparked the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the eventual creation of the United States. Our musical tour of early America traces a lineage from the first settlers at Plimoth to their descendants on the eve of the Revolution and eventual victory at Yorktown. You’ll hear English catches, early shape note hymns, songs of liberty and taxation, wartime laments, and even some of George Washington's favorite dance tunes! The program includes works by Ravenscroft, Arne, and Billings, selections from the Bay Psalm Book, and a variety of dance tunes collected in 18th-c. manuscripts.
Karen Burciaga, violin, guitar, alto
Dan Meyers, recorders, flute, percussion, baritone
Josh Schreiber, viola da gamba, cello, bass
Matthew Wright, lute, cittern, tenor
Julia Soojin Cavallaro, mezzo-soprano
$25 General, $22 Monadnock Center members
Irish Session at Coopershill Pub (Peterborough, NH)
Enjoy good food, a great pint of Guinness, and a rollicking traditional Irish session led by members of ISHNA, including Dan Meyers, David McGrory, Ciarán Nagle, Tara Novak, and Björn Wennås.
"From Plimoth to Yorktown" with Seven Times Salt (Kennebunkport, ME)
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard round the world." The historic events at Lexington and Concord on the morning of April 19, 1775 sparked the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the eventual creation of the United States. Our musical tour of early America traces a lineage from the first settlers at Plimoth to their descendants on the eve of the Revolution and eventual victory at Yorktown. You’ll hear English catches, early shape note hymns, songs of liberty and taxation, wartime laments, and even some of George Washington's favorite dance tunes! The program includes works by Ravenscroft, Arne, and Billings, selections from the Bay Psalm Book, and a variety of dance tunes collected in 18th-c. manuscripts.
Karen Burciaga, violin, guitar, alto
Dan Meyers, recorders, flute, percussion, baritone
Josh Schreiber, viola da gamba, cello, bass
Matthew Wright, lute, cittern, tenor
Julia Soojin Cavallaro, mezzo-soprano
$45
Early Music Week at Pinewoods (Plymouth, MA)
Early Music Week offers joyful opportunities and challenges to players, singers, dancers, and listeners at every level, from novice to highly experienced. As classes unfold through the week, we explore and discover the connections that lie behind some of the world’s most vibrant and compelling renaissance, baroque, and medieval music. And we dance together every day, connecting with dancers and musicians in a unique and spontaneous way, so different from a class or a concert hall — in the pavilions under the pine trees.
"Come From Away" at North Shore Music Theater (Boston)
COME FROM AWAY is a moving and uplifting musical based on the true story of what happened in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001. When 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 passengers were unexpectedly diverted there, the residents of this isolated community opened their hearts and homes to the stranded travelers. What began as a day of global tragedy transformed into a powerful tale of compassion, connection, and humanity. With a vibrant, folk-inspired score and a fast-paced, ensemble-driven narrative, COME FROM AWAY captures the tensions, culture clashes, and eventual camaraderie that unfolded over several unforgettable days. This Tony® Award-winning musical celebrates the best of the human spirit and the extraordinary capacity for good in the face of crisis.
Tickets $85 - $105
“Fantasies and Fugues, Modes and Moods” with Sempervirens (Boston)
Throughout history, countless listeners have been dazzled, uplifted, comforted, inspired to dance, or otherwise deeply moved by music’s cathartic power. Sempervirens unites a quartet of virtuoso recorder players in a diverse program of music ranging from the early Renaissance through the 20th century, all of which inspires intense feelings that link us with the people of past eras and other cultures. Be transported by the masterful works of Josquin, Dufay, Isaac, Simpson, Bach, Mozart, and others performed on recorders ranging from sopranino to contrabass.
The Brandywine Festival with ISHNA (Harrodsburg, KY)
The Brandywine Festival is a fully immersive multi-day experience set in the The Shire. From the moment you arrive, the modern world gently fades — replaced by lantern-lit lanes, woodsmoke, living music, and a community of people who all share the same warm Hobbit identity.
Everyone arrives as a Hobbit of their own creation. You bring your name, your backstory, your corner of The Shire. The world does the rest.
With live music provided by ISHNA and other musicians.
Tavern Night at the Old Colony History Museum (Taunton, MA)
Members of Seven Times Salt perform energetic dance tunes and rollicking drinking songs from the 17th and 18th centuries, as the Museum converts itself into a colonial-era tavern for the evening!
"From There To Here" with ISHNA (Albany, NY)
"From There to Here" features the music of the debut album of Ishna, "Slí Amach: Way Out". A group of 6 acoustic musicians and singers, Ishna explores the traditional repertoire of Ireland within the context of a global setting. Ishna is fronted by Irish Tenor Ciarán Nagle and fiddler/vocalist Tara Novak (both of Riverdance and the Three Irish Tenors). The husband-and-wife duo bring their humor and dynamic energy to the stage, and are accompanied by their stellar band of traditional musicians: Dan Meyers: uilleann pipes/whistles/flute; Bjorn Wennas – guitar; David McGrory – piano/accordion/banjo; Brian O’Neill – bodhrán/percussion.
Ishna’s performance is energetic and uplifting, infusing new rhythms and harmonies into their traditional repertoire. For Ishna, music is about finding common connections. They invite the audience into the fold of their community and to experience the beloved music of Ireland in a new way.
Commedia dell'Arte Workshops in Indiana with Pazzi Lazzi (Lafayette and Bloomington, IN)
Pazzi Lazzi presents workshops at Purdue University and Indiana University, teaching undergraduates studying Italian and Theater Arts about the movements, masks, and music of Italian Commedia dell’Arte. Commedia maestra Chiara Durazzini and musician Dan Meyers introduce students to the traditions of this hilarious, improvisatory style of theater that dates back to the 16th century.
"From There To Here" with ISHNA (Portland, ME)
"From There to Here" features the music of the debut album of Ishna, "Slí Amach: Way Out". A group of 6 acoustic musicians and singers, Ishna explores the traditional repertoire of Ireland within the context of a global setting. Ishna is fronted by Irish Tenor Ciarán Nagle and fiddler/vocalist Tara Novak (both of Riverdance and the Three Irish Tenors). The husband-and-wife duo bring their humor and dynamic energy to the stage, and are accompanied by their stellar band of traditional musicians: Dan Meyers: uilleann pipes/whistles/flute; Bjorn Wennas – guitar; David McGrory – piano/accordion/banjo; Brian O’Neill – bodhrán/percussion.
Ishna’s performance is energetic and uplifting, infusing new rhythms and harmonies into their traditional repertoire. For Ishna, music is about finding common connections. They invite the audience into the fold of their community and to experience the beloved music of Ireland in a new way.