Category: Dance Music

☼ ☼ ☼ Mari Black Trio Workshops | Nelson Town Hall | October 4, 2026

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events, Songs, Workshops

 
 
Join a pre-concert Workshop with Mari Black and her trio on Sunday, October 4 from 11:00AM -12:30 PM at the Nelson Town Hall
 
 
Tuition is $35 and includes concert admission. Children under 16 FREE w/paying adult.
 
 
 
“Get Jammin’!” Workshops, with Mari Black & her trio
No matter what instrument you play, come join Mari and her band to learn some snazzy fiddle tunes AND how to put them together in a full ensemble!  To begin, all melody players (fiddle, flute, accordion, etc) will join Mari to learn some fun tunes, while all backing instrument players (guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, piano, ‘cello, bass, etc) will work with Adam and Noah to learn how to accompany the same tunes … then we’ll all join up in the second half of the workshop to put the whole ensemble together!  Melody players, you’ll explore how to learn melodies more quickly and comfortably by ear, and discover how to inject your tunes with stylistic flair and authenticity (phrasing and groove, bowings, ornaments, etc).  Backers, you’ll improve your fluency with picking up chords for tune melodies, and expand into ideas for different rhythmic and harmonic options to add variety and zest into your playing.  When we all come together at the end of the workshop, you’ll get a chance to put your new tunes and skills into practice as a part of one big, awesome band.  Come join in the fun!
 
Pack a picnic lunch or visit a local eatery and come back for the concert!

For Advance. Reservations, Click Here.

☼ ☼ ☼ Mari Black Trio Concert | Nelson Town Hall | October 4, 2026

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events, Songs

We are excited to welcome back the Mari Black Trio for a weekend of events in the first weekend of October. On Saturday night, October 3, the trio will play for the Peterborough Contradance in the Peterborough, NH Townhouse. Then on Sunday morning the trio will be offering workshops in musicianship, splitting into two groups, one for melody and one for accompaniment. On Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM the trio will present a concert program titled ‘Fiddling Around the World’. The workshops and the concert will take place at the Nelson Town Hall.

 

Concert admission is ‘pay what you can’ $20 suggested/under 16 FREE with paying adult. Workshop is $35 and includes concert admission.

 

World champion fiddler MARI BLACK presents a joyous extravaganza of dance-inspired music from around the globe! With her virtuosic playing, sparkling stage presence, and fun-filled stories tying the whole journey together, Mari will have you tapping your toes and dancing along to fiddle music from around the world: Celtic, Canadian, and American fiddling, swing, tango, klezmer, and more. Family-friendly and full of fun, fiddling, and musical surprises! 

Called “one of the brightest fiddlers around today” (Brian O’Donovan, WGBH radio), multistyle violinist and champion fiddler MARI BLACK delights audiences around the world with her energetic playing, sparkling stage presence, and dazzlingly virtuosic fiddling. Raised on a rich blend of traditional musical styles, Mari burst onto the international stage when she became Scotland’s Glenfiddich Fiddle Champion, 2-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, and 2-time Canadian Maritime Fiddle Champion, all within a three-year period. Ever since then, she has been spreading her love for dance-based music, performing as a featured artist at performing arts centers, Celtic festivals, Scottish Highland Games, celebrated folk venues, world music concert series, and acclaimed classical venues including Carnegie Hall. She can even be heard (and seen!) in the award-winning video game BioShock: Burial at Sea. Mari has appeared with such diverse artists as Irish fiddle master Liz Carroll, Americana master Mark O’Connor, and jazzman Willie Ruff, and been featured on the BBC Radio Scotland, Fox and CBS morning news, and NPR’s “Here and Now.” She has played concerts in Brazil, Scotland, Canada, China, Korea, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and France…and she can’t wait for the next stop! Currently touring nationally with her trio, Mari’s favorite thing to do is sweep audiences away on a spirited musical adventure featuring dance music from around the globe: Celtic, American, and Canadian fiddling, jazz, tango, klezmer, folk, original works, and more!

For Advance Reservations, Click Here.

☼ ☼ ☼ Ishna “Slí Amach”: from There to Here | Nelson Town Hall | May 29, 2026

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events, Songs

 

Ishna “Slí Amach”: from There to Here

A joyous exploration of the music & stories of Ireland

Friday, May 29 at 7:30 PM in the Nelson Town Hall.

Admission $30 ($25 in advance, under 16 free w/paying adult)

Ishna is a Boston-based contemporary Irish folk band, exploring the traditional repertoire of Ireland within the context of a global setting. It is fronted by husband-wife duo Ciaran Nagle and Tara Novak, and has been together as this lineup of 6 musicians for more than a decade. Over that time, the group has evolved, honing in specifically on the acoustic traditional music of Ireland, while finding ways to allow each band member to bring their unique musical vocabulary to the overall sound.
 
Their show, “From There to Here”, features the music from their debut album, “Slí Amach: Way Out”.  The album was recorded over a week in 2025, in a barn in Peterborough NH. It was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Oscar-and-Grammy-winning Robert L. Smith at Defy Recordings, and the artwork was designed by the legendary Steve Averill (creator of all the logos and artwork for U2).
 
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; 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.
 

☼ ☼ ☼ Scottish Fish | Nelson Town Hall | March 15, 2026

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events

Join us for an exciting afternoon of traditional and original music at the Nelson Town Hall on Sunday, March 15 at 3:00 PM. Admission is $25/$20 (in advance).

Scottish Fish present a fiddle-forward infusion of original and traditional Scottish and Cape Breton music. After growing up steeped in the Boston Celtic music scene, these five young women began touring at an early age, quickly enchanting domestic and international audiences with their youthful enthusiasm, creative arrangements, and sensitive performances. As described by a concertgoer, “this powerhouse quintet wows listeners with a luscious and exciting sound, at times five instruments sharing one voice, and others a dynamic orchestra of harmony. Their years of friendship cultivate a truly unique musical bond. Their love for each other and the music they create is a gift they offer to anyone willing to listen.”

In their decade of bandhood, the Fish have performed at a wide variety of venues and festivals across the U.S. and Europe, including Celtic Connections (Scotland), Festival Interceltique de Lorient (France), and Festival de Ortigueira (Spain). Their music and performances have earned them features on WGBH, KALW, and in American Girl and Folkworld Magazines; attracted the attention of programs such as America’s Got Talent; and secured an international audience of over four hundred thousand followers across social media platforms. In 2017, the group released their debut album, “Splash,” and followed it with “Tidings,” a 5-track holiday EP, in 2019. “Upscale,” produced by pianist and composer Neil Pearlman, was released in October, 2022, marking the band’s ten year anniversary. Scottish Fish’s newest record “Currently” was released in July, 2025.

Scottish Fiddler Hanneke Cassel has described the Scottish Fish sound as “both incredibly musical, and just a little unusual.”

“Individually they are all creative and talented,” writes Cassel, “and together they spark each other, pushing each other even further to make amazing music.”

“One of the most energetic and creative acts to take root in the local Celtic music scene this century… the Scottish Fish ensemble has made the transition from carrying the mantel of the ‘future of Celtic music’ to thoroughly occupying the present”

– Sean Smith, the Boston Irish Reporter (2023)

☼ ☼ ☼ Lissa Schneckenburger Trio | Nelson Town Hall | February 27, 2026 – 7:30 PM

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events, Songs

On Friday, February 27 join Lissa (fiddle and vocals), Rachel Aucoin (piano), and Samuel Foucher (accordion) for a night of traditional fiddling, folk songs, and more! The concert begins at 7:30 PM. Admission is $25/$20 (in advance).

Over the last several decades Schneckenburger has made music that showcased everything from traditional New England dance tunes, to original songs inspired by her experience as a foster and adoptive parent. Her new album, Falling Forward, has blended her love of traditional music with her love of writing, in her first fiddle forward album in over a decade. Raised in a small town in Maine, Schneckenburger grew up with music. She began playing fiddle at the age of six, inspired by her parent’s interest in folk music. In 2001 she graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in Contemporary Improvisation. She has been writing, performing, and teaching music around the world ever since.

“To me, music creates community,” Schneckenburger says. “Music is what people sing along to, dance to, fall in love to… music brings people together. These songs are part of all of us, and it’s an honor to have had the chance to record them.”

Rachel Aucoin – “I have been playing and writing music since I was a child growing up in Southern Maine and wrote my first song about my dog, Red, at the age of seven . Recently I have been compelled to share my music and hopefully others will enjoy listening as much as I enjoy writing. My style is alternative rock, pop, instrumental rock, and singer/songwriter to folk.”  

Samuel Foucher – “I grew up in the Monadnock region of southern New Hampshire. My love for the accordion began at a new years’ eve concert at a young, impressionable age. Bob McQuillen, Jimmy Keane and Jeremiah McLane were some of my mentors and sources of inspiration on this versatile instrument. Contra dancing was a frequent and beloved part of my childhood, and I have a deep appreciation for music and dance traditions of all sorts. I also love song, especially songs about the land and local history. While not playing my instrument, I enjoy woodworking and carpentry, riding bicycles, growing food, making useful and beautiful items, and anything that can serve as a catalyst for building community.”

For Advance Reservations, Click Here.

☼ ☼ ☼ Los Sugar Kings | Nelson Town Hall | January 30, 2026 7:30 PM

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events

You’re invited to leave the comfort of your wood stove and get out on the town for an energizing evening of music from the Afro-Cuban band, Los Sugar Kings. Admission $25/$20 (in advance).

Sugar Kings (named after a Cuban baseball team) is a Boston-based quartet known for their dynamic live performances, rich harmonies, intense musicianship and ability to transcend genres with an authenticity rarely heard. In their world, respect is paid to the forefathers of Afro-Cuban Son, Salsa, and Rumba-Flamenca. But that’s only part of their story. Sugar Kings also actively draw on influences from nearly every continent in their unique Roots-Rock-Reggae repertoire. All are highly accomplished on their instruments, however the true magic of Sugar Kings is how these four individuals come together to put on a performance worthy of any festival, party, club or concert hall. Every show is an intimate, spontaneous and joyous dialogue between the band members on stage and their audience.

“You gotta see this band… Patino Vazquez is a dynamic performer and singer who is at once approachable, intimate and completely mesmerizing. Mik Mersha brings in the Funk, Reggae and harmonic and rhythmic influences from Ethiopia. Then Dan Abreu hits you with soaring, take-you-for-a-ride solos and harmonic accompaniment. Underneath all of that is the hidden gem in the band, the soulful voice and rhytmic talents of Tony Curtis Hall. Put these guys together on a stage and it’s impossible for a party to stop from breaking out, wherever Sugar Kings perform.”  

☼ ☼ ☼ Pine Tree Flyers | Nelson Town Hall | May 9, 2025

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events, Songs

We managed to snag the Pine Tree Flyers en route to a festival in Burlington, VT for a concert at The Nelson Town Hall on Friday, May 9 at 7:30 PM. Admission is $20/$25 (day of show).

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 the great state of Maine, Katie McNally (fiddle), Emily Troll (accordion), Benjamin 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)
“Striking” (Boston Irish Reporter)

☼ ☼ ☼ Garrett Cameron & Natalie Backes | Nelson Town Hall | February 23, 2025

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events

Natalie Backes and Garrett Cameron will present an afternoon concert on Sunday, February 23 at 3:00PM. Admission is $10 in advance/$12 day of the show.

We’re excited to see these talented musicians from our Monday night contradances show us what they’ve got outside the structure of dance music!

Natalie and Garrett together create a sound, rooted in the Celtic traditions, that branches out in unexpected directions. Garrett’s mandolin can sparkle in the upper octaves above Natalie’s guitar, or blend in rich harmonies or percussive force with Natalie’s fiddle- a stripped down sound from the contra dances which are their common ground.

☼ ☼ ☼ SOLD OUT | Nelson Solstice Party | Nelson Town Hall | Saturday, December 21, 2024

About, Concerts, Contra Dance, Dance Music, Events, Songs

EVENT IS SOLD OUT, no tickets will be available at the door!! On Saturday, December 21, we’ll hold our Annual Solstice Party starting at 7:00 PM

The Monadnock Folklore Society brings this community event to the Nelson Town Hall each year, admission is $10, and treats are appreciated for the dessert potluck. This year the evening will begin with a holiday concert featuring a selection of traditional and original seasonal music performed by The Solstice Sisters (Alouette Iselin, Kim Wallach, Heather Bower, Margaret Iselin, & Patricia Blanchard) and friends. The Folklore Society invites you to bring along your favorite holiday dessert and we’ll supply the beverages for the intermission. After the concert the chairs and benches are cleared to make way for a traditional New England Contradance. Unfortunately, or not, the dance is often interrupted by various groups of unsavory characters presenting their idea of seasonal entertainment. These diversions, sometimes involving costumed individuals making complete fools of themselves or performing ancient ritual dances to help us through this dark time of the year, are generally tolerated as once they are applauded and fed we can return to dancing the night away.

There will NOT be any tickets available at the door!!

☼ ☼ ☼ Tigh Na Coille – Elvie Miller & Denis Liddy with family & friends | Tuesday, October 29, 2024

About, Concerts, Dance Music, Events, Songs

 

Elvie Miller and her husband Denis Liddy will be visiting the Monadnock region the last week of October with their twin daughters and a group of twenty of their music students from Ireland. The Monadnock Folklore Society in conjunction with the Dublin School will be presenting the group, Tigh Na Coille, for a concert of traditional Irish music, dance, & song from County Clare, Ireland. The event will take place in the Louise Shonk Kelly Recital Hall on the campus of the Dublin School on October 29 at 7:00 PM.

Admission is $15 ($10 in advance).

Tigh na Coille, a super-group of teen and young adult musicians from County Clare, has toured widely, including recently at the National School for Performing Arts in Kotel, Bulgaria, and at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Co. Wexford. Tigh na Coille (named for the specific place the group comes from and translating from Irish Gaelic to ‘house in the woods’), play traditional Irish instruments including fiddle, concertina, bodhran, wooden flute, whistle, harp, banjo and Uilleann pipes. They are taught by Denis Liddy, well-known Clare fiddler, and Elvie Miller, pianist/accordionist originally from New Hampshire, who studied traditional music in Ireland as a Watson scholar and now lives and teaches music in Co. Clare. 

The multi-talented group also includes several step dancers and sean-nós, or ‘old style’ step dancers, and several prize-winning traditional singers and lilters. The evening will feature solo and group performances along with some dancing. Families are welcome and the evening will be an inspiring cultural exchange and fun for all.