Live music, comedy shows, plays and more: Here's November arts picks for Vermont
November is just such a gloomy month, isn’t it? The skies are often gray and Daylight Saving Time disappears, seemingly taking all the daylight with it. The fun of Halloween is over and the merriment of the holiday season has yet to arrive.
How are we supposed to fight the feeling? Look for the light, whether literally (a tropical vacation doesn’t sound half-bad, does it?) or figuratively, by chasing the brightness that arts-and-entertainment events give us.
This list should give you a few good ideas on where to go in Vermont over the next month to bring some of that joy into your life. This list doesn’t even include holiday arts events that start this month; look for that rundown in a future article.
Abenaki exhibit on display
Through Jan. 6, the exhibition “Beyond the Curve: American Abenaki COVID Experience,” which opened Oct. 21, continues its run, Mad River Valley Arts, Waitsfield. Free; donations accepted. www.madrivervalleyarts.org
Burlington City Arts exhibitions continue
Through Jan. 27, the latest Burlington City Arts exhibitions, “Terry Ekasala: Layers of Time” and “Texture & Response,” remain on display after opening Oct. 20, BCA Center, Burlington. (Ekasala, who lives in East Burke, gives an artist talk from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2.) Free. www.burlingtoncityarts.org
Irish musician in Charlotte
7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, Irish musician Anna Mieke joins Time Wharp for an evening of music, DJs, tarot-card readings and more at the inn and event space Bauschaus, Charlotte. Donations accepted. www.bauschausvt.com
‘Cinderella’ comes to Colchester
7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, through Saturday, Nov. 4, the St. Michael’s College Department of Fine Arts: Theatre presents the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical “Cinderella,” McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael’s College, Colchester. Free. www.smcvt.edu/event/cinderella
Stowe welcomes Shemekia Copeland
7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, blues/soul singer Shemekia Copeland brings her big voice to the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe. $35-$45. www.sprucepeakarts.org
Tig Notaro talks in Burlington
7 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, comic Tig Notaro returns to the Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington. Sold out. www.vermontcomedyclub.com
A night at the Cabot Folk Club: Bob & Sarah Amos
7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, the Cabot Folk Club presents the Vermont father-daughter duo Bob & Sarah Amos, Willey Building Auditorium, Cabot. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. www.cabotarts.org
‘Dad Rock’ in Middlebury
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, through Saturday, Nov. 4 and 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, the Middlebury College Theatre Department offers up Beck Barsanti’s senior thesis work in acting, “Dad Rock,” Hepburn Hall, Middlebury College. Free. www.middlebury.edu
DIIV on stage in South Burlington
8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, indie-rock vets DIIV headline a show with Hello Mary and High, Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $25 in advance, $30 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com
Scottish music meets Vermont's Four Quarters Brewing
7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, the Scottish music group Cantrip joined with Four Quarters Brewing for a new beer – a porter called Cantrip – and will celebrate the brew’s release with a performance, Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski. Free. www.4qbc.com
Guitarists share UVM bill
7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, guitar virtuoso Kaki King and guitarist/pianist/violist Treya Lam play the University of Vermont Lane Series, UVM Recital Hall, Burlington. $6.50-$39.50. www.uvm.edu/laneseries
Kat Wright’s nights with the VSO
8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, Burlington vocalist Kat Wright returns to perform with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $20 in advance, $25 day of show. The two also unite for concerts at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe ($10-$35); and 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, Bellows Falls Opera House ($18.50-$45). www.vso.org
LaMP lights up Nectar’s
9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, through Saturday, Nov. 4, the trio LaMP features Vermont musicians Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski of Soule Monde and the Trey Anastasio Band uniting with guitarist Scott Metzger of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead for two nights, Nectar’s, Burlington. $20. www.liveatnectars.com
Radio Bean turns 23
10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, the Burlington music spot Radio Bean presents its 23rd birthday bash until the wee hours of Sunday morning with more than 100 bands, free coffee all day and free pancakes from 10 a.m. to noon. Free. www.radiobean.com
‘Last Call’ at Northern Daughters
10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, the final exhibit at the Vergennes gallery Northern Daughters, the aptly named multi-artist display “Last Call,” opens before drawing to a close at the end of December. The gallery which has been open for seven years will hold a closing party from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. Free. www.northerndaughters.com
Green Mountain Mahler Festival with Wagner
7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, though it’s called the Green Mountain Mahler Festival, the event features the first act of Wagner’s opera “Die Walkure,” Elley-Long Music Center, Colchester. $20-$30, with proceeds benefiting the Opera Company of Middlebury’s youth-opera scholarship program. www.vtmahler.org
Lakecia Benjamin back in Vermont
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, saxophone player Lakecia Benjamin – the vibrant musician who curated this year’s Burlington Discover Jazz Festival – performs with her group Phoenix, Vermont Jazz Center, Brattleboro. $26-$61. www.vtjazz.org
Lincoln serves up The Ladles
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, harmonizing string trio The Ladles leads the latest Burnham Presents concert, Burnham Hall, Lincoln. $15-$25 or “pay what you can.” www.burnhampresents.org
8084 on 11-4
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, long-standing Vermont rock group 8084 once again hits the stage at the Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $22-$50. www.highergroundmusic.com
Green Mountain Cabaret at Off Center
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, Green Mountain Cabaret presents “Shake It ‘til You Make It,” a showcase for newcomers to burlesque, Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, Burlington. $20. www.offcentervt.com
Lady Lamb backed with strings
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, indie-rock singer-guitarist Aly Spaltro, better known as Lady Lamb, presents a show backed by strings and opened by Hannah Mohan, The Stone Church, Brattleboro. $25. www.stonechurchvt.com
Cowboy Junkies ride to Barre
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, known for their brand of slow-building rock, the veteran Canadian group Cowboy Junkies plays the Barre Opera House. $29-$54. www.barreoperahouse.org
Canadian, Burlington ensembles join
3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, the Canadian vocal and instrumental ensemble L’harmonie des saisons joins for a concert with the Choir of College Street Congregational Church, Burlington. $25-$40; free for students and children. www.collegestreetchurch.org
Higher Ground goes country
8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, country musician Alexandra Kay plays the Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $25 in advance, $29 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com
UVM Theatre does Shakespeare-themed play
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, to Saturday, Nov. 11, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, the University of Vermont Department of Theatre offers “Imogen Says Nothing,” a play by Aditi Brennan Kapil that looks at a character who appears only in the first folio of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and speaks no lines, Royall Tyler Theatre, UVM, Burlington. $10-$22. www.uvm.edu/cas/theatreanddance
Lettuce gets funky in South Burlington
8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, Boston-born funk band Lettuce, following opening act Carrtoons, hits the Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $35 in advance, $40 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com
Art show at The Current in Stowe
5-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, the 2023 Members’ Art Show & Sale kicks off with a reception and remains on display through Dec. 16, The Current, Stowe. Free; donations accepted. www.thecurrentnow.org
Dance performance at Middlebury College
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, to Friday, Nov. 10, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, Christal Brown, associate professor of dance at Middlebury College, and her company INSPIRIT present the premiere of their latest work, “What We Ask of Flesh,” Mahaney Arts Center Dance Theatre, Middlebury College. $5-$25. www.middlebury.edu/arts
Lyric Theatre goes to ‘The Prom’
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, to Saturday, Nov. 11; 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, Lyric Theatre opens its 50th anniversary season with the Vermont premiere of the Broadway musical “The Prom,” the Flynn, Burlington. $20-$49. www.flynnvt.org or www.lyrictheatrevt.org
Go out to Girls Nite Out
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, the Girls Nite Out Productions presentation of the Michael McKeever comedy “Suite Surrender” begins its run through Nov. 19, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington. $23-$25. www.girlsniteoutvt.com
Squirrel Nut Zippers zip to Higher Ground
8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, retro music-makers Squirrel Nut Zippers visit the Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $40 in advance, $45 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com
Weakened Friends, just before the weekend
8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, Portland, Maine rockers Weakened Friends return, with Cinema Stare and Rangus, to the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington. $15 in advance, $18 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com
Assembly of Dust settles in Burlington
8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, University of Vermont alum Reid Genauer and his band Assembly of Dust join opening act Kind Hearted Strangers, Nectar’s, Burlington. $25-$30. www.liveatnectars.com
Middlebury art exhibition opens
5-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, “Learning Together,” an exhibition of Middlebury Studio School student and teacher work, begins its run through Dec. 22 with an opening reception, Jackson Gallery, Town Hall Theater, Middlebury. Free. www.townhalltheater.org
Where to find Shirley, Vermont
7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, the Shelburne Players present Annie Baker’s “Circle Mirror Transformation,” a play about an acting class that’s set in the fictional Vermont town of Shirley, through Nov. 18, Shelburne Town Hall. $15-$25. www.shelburneplayers.com
Pilobolus dances in the Kingdom
7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, the innovative dance troupe Pilobolus visits the Northeast Kingdom for a performance at the Lyndon Institute Auditorium, Lyndon Center. $16-$58. www.catamountarts.org
‘Clue’ can be had in Jericho at Mount Mansfield Union High School
7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, to Saturday, Nov. 11, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, the Theatre Department at Mount Mansfield Union High School presents a stage version of the board game (and movie) “Clue,” MMU High School, Jericho. $6-$9. https://mmu.mmuusd.org/
Holly Bowling in Essex
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10, pianist Holly Bowling, known for her work in the jam-rock realm, plays a show at The Double E Performance Center, Essex Experience, Essex. $25-$40. www.essexexperience.com
A Baroque weekend by the Eleva Chamber Players
3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, the Eleva Chamber Players present a program of Baroque music, United Church of Christ/Waterbury Congregational Church, with a second performance at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, The Inn at Round Barn Farm, Waitsfield. $20-$25. www.elevachamberplayers.com
Anne Frank’s story on stage
6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, Vermont Stage presents the multimedia reading performance “And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank,” Temple Sinai, South Burlington. $24-$64. www.vermontstage.org
French sounds at le Flynn
7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, the musical act Deja-Nous, led by JJ Psaute, performs a night of French music titled “Cabaret Sauvignon,” FlynnSpace, Burlington. $23. www.flynnvt.org
Mendelssohn and Brahms in Burlington
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, the Burlington Civic Symphony presents its fall concert featuring works by Mendelssohn and Brahms, Winooski School District Performing Arts Center. $10-$20. www.bcsovt.org
Vermont’s Ruth Garbus performing at Radio Bean
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, singer-songwriter and Brattleboro resident Ruth Garbus plays a home-state show, Radio Bean, Burlington. $12 in advance, $15 day of show. www.radiobean.com
Middlebury College gets Danish String Quartet
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, the Danish String Quartet pays another visit to the Robison Concert Hall, Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College. $5-$25. www.middlebury.edu/arts
North Carolina group Mipso plays at Higher Ground Ballroom
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, the Americana band Mipso hails from North Carolina, and plays following opening act Kate Rhody, Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $20 in advance, $25 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com
Chad Hollister gets intimate at Shelburne Vineyard
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, Vermont musician Chad Hollister plays the intimate loft at Shelburne Vineyard. $20. www.shelburnevineyard.com
Reggae rocker at Nectar’s
9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, reggae-rocker Joe Samba, who mixes soul, funk and pop into his sound, plays following Joshua West, Nectar’s, Burlington. $15. www.liveatnectars.com
PossumHaw becomes Marsh Lights
4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, the folk-bluegrass group Marsh Lights, featuring Colby Crehan and other former band members of the Vermont act PossumHaw, play the Westford Music Series, Westford Common Hall. Free; donations accepted. www.facebook.com/Westfordmusicseries
Indie rock, folk at The Monkey House in Winooski
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, indie-rock act The Pinkerton Raid joins Vermont performers Erin Cassels-Brown and Cricket Blue for a night of indie rock and folk, The Monkey House, Winooski. $12 in advance, $15 day of show. www.monkeyhousevt.com
Molly Tuttle takes Highway to Higher Ground
8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, bluegrass star Molly Tuttle and her group Golden Highway play with Jobi Riccio, Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $30 in advance, $35 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com
‘Vermont Week’ in Johnson
8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, ‘Vermont Week’ featuring 30 Vermont-based artists and writers includes an artist talk by muralist Will Kasso Condry, Red Mill Building, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson. Free. www.vermontstudiocenter.org
Flynn takes ‘Wheel of Fortune’ for a spin
8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, a traveling version of the TV game show “Wheel of Fortune” stops at the Flynn, Burlington. $41-$171. www.flynnvt.org
Jazz at the Lantern continues at Brass Lantern Inn
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, the Jazz at the Lantern series presented by Firefly Productions keeps going with a performance by Arthur Sadowsky & the Troubadours, Brass Lantern Inn, Stowe. $35-$45. www.facebook.com/fireflyproductionsvt
Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival screens Negro Leagues film
7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival’s “MNFF Selects” monthly film screenings continue with “The League,” a documentary detailing the history of baseball’s Negro Leagues, Town Hall Theater, Middlebury. $14 in advance, $16 at the door. www.middfilmfest.org
Triple bill in Bellows Falls
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, a triple bill featuring singer-songwriters Crys Matthews, Peter Mulvey and BettySoo hits the Bellows Falls Opera House. $18.50-$42. www.bellowsfallsoperahouse.com
‘America’s Got Talent’ contestants in Burlington
7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, featured on “America’s Got Talent,” the Ndlovu Youth Choir performs at the Flynn, Burlington. $25-$40. www.flynnvt.org
Music mini-festival at UVM
7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, the first of two concerts in a mini-festival presented by the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival and the University of Vermont Lane Series features pianist Zitong Wang, followed at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19 with a concert by violinist (and the festival’s artistic director) Soovin Kim, UVM Recital Hall, Burlington. $6.50-$45 per concert. www.uvm.edu/laneseries
Burlington library hosts comics festival
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, the second-annual Non-Fiction Comics Festival occupies Fletcher Free Library, Burlington. Free. www.nonfictioncomicsfest.org
Acoustic Nomads live up to name
2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, the folk-bluegrass group Acoustic Nomads plays a “pay what you can” show, Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph (www.chandler-arts.org), who then (naturally) travel cross-state for a “P.M. Sundays” gig presented by Valley Stage, Richmond Congregational Church. $25 in advance, $27.50 day of show. www.valleystage.net
Hinesburg Artist Series gives concert
4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, the Hinesburg Artist Series fall concert features the South County Chorus and Hinesburg Community Band, Champlain Valley Union High School, Hinesburg. Free; donations accepted. www.hinesburgartistseries.org
Dionne Warwick pairs with VSO
7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, pop-music legend Dionne Warwick performs with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra String Ensemble in a post-Thanksgiving Day concert, Paramount Theatre, Rutland. $79-$99. www.paramountvt.org
Lukas Nelson rocks Higher Ground
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, Americana rockers Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real headline the Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. Sold out. www.highergroundmusic.com
Burlington greets comic Dan Soder
7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, to Saturday, Dec. 2, and 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, to Saturday, Dec. 2, comedian Dan Soder spends two months (kinda) at the Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington. $35. www.vermontcomedyclub.com
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Arts events in Vermont in November include Lukas Nelson, Tig Notaro
