☼ ☼ ☼ Cosy Sheridan & Sloan Wainwright w/Charlie Koch & Glen Roethel | Nelson Town Hall | September 18, 2026

 

Cosy Sheridan & Sloan Wainwright will appear in concert at the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, September 18 at 7:30 PM. ‘Pay what you can’, suggested Admission is $20 and children under 16 are admitted free with a paying adult.

 

Join two master performers, singers and songwriters Cosy Sheridan and Sloan Wainwright for the opening night concert for The Song Sessions workshops. Add in Charlie Koch on bass and Glen Roethel on lead guitar and you have a night of uplifting and joyous songs. They will each be performing separately and together as a quartet.

Sloan Wainwright has played the great concert halls, the most storied listening rooms and top music festivals while also teaching at the nation’s leading music retreats. As a member of an acclaimed family of artists (brother Loudon Wainwright, sister-in-law Kate McGarrigle, nephew Rufus Wainwright and nieces Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche), Wainwright has charted an artistic path all her own. A unique hybrid of pop, folk, jazz and blues, Sloan’s music is unified by her melodious tone and rich, powerful contralto. She will be backed up by Glen Roethel on guitar and harmonies.

Cosy Sheridan has been called “a buddhist monk in a twelve-step program trapped in the body of a singer-songwriter” and also one of the era’s finest and most thoughtful songwriters. She has performed at Carnegie Hall and The Cowgirl Hall of Fame, as well as coffeehouses, festivals and concerts throughout the country.* “*An unapologetically tuneful writer with sticky lyrics,*” *wrote* Sing Out Magazine. *Backed by the rhythms and harmonies of bass player Charlie Koch, she is a top shelf guitarist with
a distinctive percussive right hand technique* .“*You can’t make it into double digits, and continue touring for twenty or so years, unless you know what you’re doing, and do it well*,”* wrote *The Chicago Examiner. *Cosy is the founder and director of The Song Sessions, and also Moab Folk Camp in Moab, Utah.



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

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!

https://vimeo.com/865612346/6ac88d64cf?fl=pl&fe=vl



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

 
 
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!


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☼ ☼ ☼ Tim Eriksen w/Peter Irvine | Nelson Town Hall | Friday, September 11, 2026

The Monadnock Folklore Society is excited to welcome back Tim Eriksen & Peter Irvine for a concert at the Nelson Town Hall on Friday, September 11 at 7:30 PM.

Admission is $25/$20(in advance). Children under 16 are admitted free with paying adult.

Tim Eriksen is an acclaimed singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, fiddle, bajo sexto, kaval, bansuri) from Amherst, Massachusetts. He is known for transforming American tradition with his startling interpretations of old ballads, love songs, shape-note gospel and dance tunes from New England and Southern Appalachia. He combines hair-raising vocals with inventive accompaniment on banjo, fiddle, guitar and bajo sexto – a twelve string Mexican acoustic bass – creating a distinctive hardcore Americana sound.

Peter Irvine is a founding member of legendary band Cordelia’s Dad. When he’s not playing drums and percussion or teaching, Peter runs his his successful Entertainment Law practice in Northampton, MA.

On their new album ‘Absence and her sister’ Tim Eriksen and Peter Irvine return to their roots in folk minimalism and gothic Americana- new and ancient songs of their native New England informed by the wide palette of their other collaborations. The two are probably best known for their musical contributions to films including the Oscar-winning Cold Mountain and cult horror phenomenon The Outwaters, and as founding members of the anomalous folk-noise outfit Cordelia’s Dad, “the only band to have performed with both Doc Watson and Nirvana.” But while echoes of punk-folk and “shapenote” music abound on Absence and her sister, so does the dissonance and rhythmic complexity of their Bosnian band Žabe I Babe, the deep groove they picked up from collaborators like banjo master Dwight Diller and East African gospel singers the Naamaara sisters, and the love of experimentation and power of repetition celebrated in Terry Riley’s “In C,” the first piece the two ever played together as teenagers.

This promises to be a night you won’t easily forget. One listener describes one of their concerts as sounding “like it could have come from any time in the last five thousand years, or the next five thousand. My son, the Ursula Le Guin fan, thinks they sound like a pair of bards from one of the more remote islands in Earthsea. I leave their shows with my senses fully activated in a way that rarely happens at my age.” Dr. Ethan Hein – ‘Ethan teaches you music’

One of the best singers in music” 
-T Bone Burnett 

otherworldly” 
-Barbara Kingsolver 

 

☼ ☼ ☼ Peterborough First Saturday Contra Dance | Saturday, September 5, 2026

Saturday, September 5, 2026

Hannah Chamberlain calling with Thistlebird.

Hannah Chamberlain from Maine is a rising contra dance caller celebrated for her vibrant energy, clear instruction, and ability to build instant rapport with dancers. Her calling style blends confidence and charm, making each dance set feel both accessible and exhilarating for all participants.

Thistlebird is a contradance duo based in New England featuring Emma Sloan on fiddle and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Raine on rhythm. Together, the two draw on their shared background in New England, Irish, Old-Time, Québécoise, and Scandinavian dance music to create an energetic and uplifting sound – much like the bright little bird they’re named after!

The dancing from 8:00 PM until 11 PM. 
Workshop for dance basics at 7:30 PM.
Admission is sliding scale $12-20. $30 family, or pay what you can.
Gender-free roles will be used for this evening: Larks and Robins.

Contra dance is a fun, easy style of folk dance that has flourished in New England since the 1700s. Partners form lines and dance a short sequence of steps with their neighbors. Over the course of the dance, each couple travels the length of the line and dances with every other couple. Dancers are welcome to bring a partner or a group of friends but it’s not necessary – traditionally, dancers are encouraged to change partners throughout the evening.

The dance takes place in the historic Town House in Peterborough, NH at 1 Grove Street. For more information, call 603-547-5831 or visit www.facebook.com/peterboroughcontra.

The Monadnock Folklore Society has presented contra dances and concerts of traditional music since 1982.

☼ ☼ ☼ Song Sessions Songwriting Workshop | September 19 & 20, 2026

Come to The Song Sessions  – workshops in songwriting, voice and guitar. Join master teachers Sloan Wainwright and Cosy Sheridan for a weekend in beautiful Nelson, NH. The workshops are held at Nelson Town Hall on Saturday and Sunday, September 19 & 20.  The weekend will begin with a concert by the four teachers: Cosy Sheridan, Sloan Wainwright, Charlie Koch, and Glen Roethel.  Classes begin Saturday morning and run through 3 pm on Sunday afternoon.  There is a family-style dinner on Saturday night followed by a student coffeehouse performance where each student plays a song on the stage at Nelson Town Hall.  If you are looking for a boost for your creativity, in community with other songwriters and singers, come to The Song Sessions.  Tuition $325.  

Local host housing available for $60/night.

To register, or for more information, email Cosy Sheridan:  cosy sheridan (at) gmail.com

☼ ☼ ☼ Peterborough Fall Ball 2026 | Saturday, October 17, 2026

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Noon to Midnite

Peterborough Town House

The Annual Peterborough Fall Ball is on October 17th, 2026 in the beautiful and spacious Peterborough Town House. Dancing runs from 12:00 noon until 12:00 midnight.
 
The day features four awesome bands and four great callers as follows (in order of appearance):
Northwoods with Quena Crain
Spintuition with Julian Blechner
Nobody’s Business with Alex Deis-Lauby
Ice Cream Truckers with Steve Zakon-Anderson
 
This will be an epic day!
 
Details:
Peterborough Fall Ball
Saturday October 17th, 2026
Dancing from Noon to Midnight
1 Grove Street, Peterborough, NH 03458

Admission $35 (under 25 years old, pay your age)
Role terms: Larks and Robins
Please respect that this event is substance and fragrance-free
 
Masks are optional, but welcome. If you do not feel well, or have recently be exposed to someone who is ill, please do not attend this time. Thank you.
 
Note: There is no beginner workshop for this dance event. New dancers are welcome, and are encouraged to come early in the day to get more caller instruction
 
For more information: zakon-anderson@comcast.net

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