Port City explores tango music throughout the genre’s history, and features bandoneon visionary Heyni Solera as soloist and composer. Palaver will perform danceable classics alongside contemporary tango-inspired compositions. We will also welcome powerhouse dancers Luna Beller-Tadiar and Sheila Solis Arroyo to join us for a full tanda, or series of tango dances. This performance will celebrate tango’s ongoing evolution and the powerful interplay between music and dance, as well as how the genre is being reclaimed by marginalized identities, especially women and queer artists. Tickets here

Port City explores tango music throughout the genre’s history, and features bandoneon visionary Heyni Solera as soloist and composer. Palaver will perform danceable classics alongside contemporary tango-inspired compositions. We will also welcome powerhouse dancers Luna Beller-Tadiar and Sheila Solis Arroyo to join us for a full tanda, or series of tango dances. This performance will celebrate tango’s ongoing evolution and the powerful interplay between music and dance, as well as how the genre is being reclaimed by marginalized identities, especially women and queer artists. Free and open to the public!

Culomba is a Massachusetts-based vocal ensemble specializing in close harmony singing from around the world. Culomba (“dove” in the Corsican language) draws from a deep well of repertoire, including American folk traditions, music of Georgia, Corsica, the Balkans, Ukraine, early European polyphony, and original compositions. Culomba's singers have studied with masters of these traditions, and each brings their specialized knowledge to this unique ensemble. Back from a study trip to Corsica, they will present a variety of songs they learned with Corsican singers Jean-Etienne Langianni and Frederic Vesperini, as well as some favorites. For more information, visit www.culomba.com.

Tickets here

The Portland-based, GRAMMY-nominated chamber orchestra Palaver Strings has distinguished itself with its spirit of curiosity and eagerness to collaborate across musical genres and traditions. Dancing Home explores themes of heritage, belonging, displacement, and resilience anchored by the rhythms of dance. At the core of the program is ḥawwāsh by Kareem Roustom, a work that reimagines the traditional Middle Eastern dabke dance with a structure that allows any musician to lead. This choreography of trust speaks to the human need for connection and shared agency. From Sidney Boquiren’s poignant A Prayer for Immigrants to Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s Apologia at Umzimvuba, a piece rooted in reflection and justice, the music tells stories of the lives behind each rhythm. The program includes new commissioned works by composers Maya French and Jamie Oshima, alongside folk music from Syria and the Balkans. Dancing Home invites us to move, listen, and expand our definition of home.

In this acclaimed collaboration, South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and pianist/composer Chris Pattishall come together for an intimate and soulful evening of music. Mainstays of the New York music scene, Vuyo and Chris have each contributed to a wide range of projects spanning jazz, gospel, theater and film. Acclaimed as a tenor who springs with ease from sonorous depths to the top of an impressive range, Vuyo has performed on prestigious jazz stages across the globe. Chris uses jazz tradition as a jumping off point for experimentation. His debut album Zodiac was praised by The New York Times. The music featured in this very special concert is a quiet invocation of community in turbulent times. Ranging from American masterworks to South African Xhosa hymns, Vuyo, Chris and Palaver Strings bring the healing power of music to Screen Door Festival. 

Dancing Home explores themes of heritage, belonging, displacement, and resilience through the lens of dance. At the heart of this program is ḥawwāsh by Kareem Roustom commissioned by Palaver in 2024. Inspired by the ḥawwāsh, or lead dancer of a traditional dabke dance, this piece allows any musician to lead the ensemble at any given moment, sharing fluid leadership through physical and sonic cues. This program also features Palaver’s arrangement of Bartok’s Romanian Dances, original tunes by Maya French and Jamie Oshima, and Kinan Azmeh’s Syrian Dances, commissioned by Palaver in 2022. Dancing Home celebrates social dance as a meeting place for tradition and innovation, and a vehicle for building resilience, joy, and trust.

Dancing Home explores themes of heritage, belonging, displacement, and resilience through the lens of dance. At the heart of this program is ḥawwāsh by Kareem Roustom commissioned by Palaver in 2024. Inspired by the ḥawwāsh, or lead dancer of a traditional dabke dance, this piece allows any musician to lead the ensemble at any given moment, sharing fluid leadership through physical and sonic cues. This program also features Palaver’s arrangement of Bartok’s Romanian Dances, original tunes by Maya French and Jamie Oshima, and Kinan Azmeh’s Syrian Dances, commissioned by Palaver in 2022. Dancing Home celebrates social dance as a meeting place for tradition and innovation, and a vehicle for building resilience, joy, and trust.

Join us for solo and small-group performances of Greek traditional music, by members of the New England Greek Orchestra.

Culomba is a Massachusetts-based vocal ensemble specializing in close harmony singing from around the world. Culomba (“dove” in the Corsican language) draws from a deep well of repertoire, including American folk traditions, music of Georgia, Corsica, the Balkans, Ukraine, early European polyphony, and original compositions. Culomba's singers have studied with masters of these traditions, and each brings their specialized knowledge to this unique ensemble. Tickets here

Culomba is a Massachusetts-based vocal ensemble specializing in close harmony singing from around the world. Culomba (“dove” in the Corsican language) draws from a deep well of repertoire, including American folk traditions, music of Georgia, Corsica, the Balkans, Ukraine, early European polyphony, and original compositions. Culomba's singers have studied with masters of these traditions, and each brings their specialized knowledge to this unique ensemble.

Featuring acclaimed jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and Grammy-nominated pianist Chris Patishall, Songbook celebrates the rich musical heritage of Sotashe’s home country, South Africa. The program includes traditional folk songs in Zulu, Sepedi, and Xhosa, a string quartet by Bongani Ndodana-Breen, choral works by Michael Moreane and Bheki Mseleku, and originals by Vuyo Sotashe, all presented in fresh arrangements for voice, piano, and strings by Chris Patishall. Songbook explores connections between American jazz, South African traditional music, and European classical music, moving fluidly between traditions in a spirit of exploration and joy. Tickets here

Featuring acclaimed jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and Grammy-nominated pianist Chris Patishall, Songbook celebrates the rich musical heritage of Sotashe’s home country, South Africa. The program includes traditional folk songs in Zulu, Sepedi, and Xhosa, a string quartet by Bongani Ndodana-Breen, choral works by Michael Moreane and Bheki Mseleku, and originals by Vuyo Sotashe, all presented in fresh arrangements for voice, piano, and strings by Chris Patishall. Songbook explores connections between American jazz, South African traditional music, and European classical music, moving fluidly between traditions in a spirit of exploration and joy. Tickets here

Featuring acclaimed jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and Grammy-nominated pianist Chris Patishall, Songbook celebrates the rich musical heritage of Sotashe’s home country, South Africa. The program includes traditional folk songs in Zulu, Sepedi, and Xhosa, a string quartet by Bongani Ndodana-Breen, choral works by Michael Moreane and Bheki Mseleku, and originals by Vuyo Sotashe, all presented in fresh arrangements for voice, piano, and strings by Chris Patishall. Songbook explores connections between American jazz, South African traditional music, and European classical music, moving fluidly between traditions in a spirit of exploration and joy. Tickets here

Featuring acclaimed jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and Grammy-nominated pianist Chris Patishall, Songbook celebrates the rich musical heritage of Sotashe’s home country, South Africa. The program includes traditional folk songs in Zulu, Sepedi, and Xhosa, a string quartet by Bongani Ndodana-Breen, choral works by Michael Moreane and Bheki Mseleku, and originals by Vuyo Sotashe, all presented in fresh arrangements for voice, piano, and strings by Chris Patishall. Songbook explores connections between American jazz, South African traditional music, and European classical music, moving fluidly between traditions in a spirit of exploration and joy. Tickets here

Featuring acclaimed jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and Grammy-nominated pianist Chris Patishall, Songbook celebrates the rich musical heritage of Sotashe’s home country, South Africa. The program includes traditional folk songs in Zulu, Sepedi, and Xhosa, a string quartet by Bongani Ndodana-Breen, choral works by Michael Moreane and Bheki Mseleku, and originals by Vuyo Sotashe, all presented in fresh arrangements for voice, piano, and strings by Chris Patishall. Songbook explores connections between American jazz, South African traditional music, and European classical music, moving fluidly between traditions in a spirit of exploration and joy. Tickets here

Featuring acclaimed jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and Grammy-nominated pianist Chris Patishall, Songbook celebrates the rich musical heritage of Sotashe’s home country, South Africa. The program includes traditional folk songs in Zulu, Sepedi, and Xhosa, a string quartet by Bongani Ndodana-Breen, choral works by Michael Moreane and Bheki Mseleku, and originals by Vuyo Sotashe, all presented in fresh arrangements for voice, piano, and strings by Chris Patishall. Songbook explores connections between American jazz, South African traditional music, and European classical music, moving fluidly between traditions in a spirit of exploration and joy. Tickets here

Culomba will perform alongside Carl Linich, Rhythm & Roots Choir, and Polyphony Festival singers, in an unforgettable evening of polyphonic singing from Georgia, Corsica, the Balkans, the renaissance, and our own resident composers. Tickets here

Rise and Shine celebrates the versatility and power of the viola, the unsung heartbeat and sonic glue of much of the chamber music we love. This unusual program explores the sonic possibilities of the elusive middle voice, through twentieth-century viola quartets by Kenji Bunch and York Bowen, as well as a new folk arrangement by Palaver violist Lysander Jaffe. We will be joined by special guest violists Sam Kelder and Sergio Muñoz. Tickets here

Rise and Shine celebrates the versatility and power of the viola, the unsung heartbeat and sonic glue of much of the chamber music we love. This unusual program explores the sonic possibilities of the elusive middle voice, through twentieth-century viola quartets by Kenji Bunch and York Bowen, as well as a new folk arrangement by Palaver violist Lysander Jaffe. We will be joined by special guest violists Sam Kelder and Sergio Muñoz. Tickets here

Rise and Shine celebrates the versatility and power of the viola, the unsung heartbeat and sonic glue of much of the chamber music we love. This unusual program explores the sonic possibilities of the elusive middle voice, through twentieth-century viola quartets by Kenji Bunch and York Bowen, as well as a new folk arrangement by Palaver violist Lysander Jaffe. We will be joined by special guest violists Sam Kelder and Sergio Muñoz.

Culomba returns to Montpelier for a family concert at Capital City Concerts. This is an unticketed, pay-what-you-can concert.