Upper Valley Connections

Issue No. 29 · Thursday, November 5, 2026

This week at a glance

Tonight · Sakha film and song at Loew

Fri · Artisan Soup fundraiser in Enfield

Fri · Britney musical at Lebanon Opera House

Sat · Free folk instrument petting zoo

Mon · Les Arts Florissants plays Monteverdi

Next Thu · Briston Maroney, stripped down

Thu Nov 5 · 7 PM · Free, ticket required

Loew Auditorium, Hanover, NH

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Evgenia Arbugaeva screens two short documentaries about her Sakha homeland, then Sakha singer Snow Raven performs live with khomus, drum and "Arctic beatbox." It's the first time the two have shared a stage. Free, but a ticket is required.

Sat Nov 7 · 11 AM · Free

Top of the Hop, Hanover, NH

Sugar and the Pan, a group that includes students and alumni of Vermont Folklife's touring ensemble, plays first. Then kids get hands-on with a roomful of folk instruments: fiddles, sarangis, autoharps, banjos, mandolins, thumb pianos, tin whistles, kazoos and more. Registration is encouraged but not required; recommended for ages 6 and up.

Mon Nov 9 · 7:30 PM

Spaulding Auditorium, Hanover, NH

William Christie and Paul Agnew lead a program of Monteverdi's finest madrigals for mixed voices, including the iconic Il Combattimento (The Combat of Tancred and Clorinda). Christie's journey began at Dartmouth as a professor of music, and this marks his first reunion with Agnew since Les Arts Florissants' 40th anniversary in 2019. Christie leads from the harpsichord; Agnew sings alongside rising stars from the next generation.

A Little Lunch Music: Ben Kulp and Ludovic Sardain Free

Upper Valley Music Center, Lebanon, NH

Cellist Ben Kulp and pianist Ludovic Sardain play a free set of classical and contemporary favorites. Bring your lunch.

Conversations | Artist Talk: Linda Bryan Free

AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH

Bryan talks about Falling Leaves, an exhibition that began with a rediscovered childhood note to her mother and grew into an archive of family photographs, documents and ephemera, some faded, some missing context entirely.

Pavel Lion (Psoy Korolenko) concert — "Temporary Dwellings" Free

Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

The fifth edition of Lion's annual Hanover concert: he accompanies himself on piano through songs and translations in seven languages, from Yiddish and Ukrainian to French and Portuguese.

Classicopia: 'WIND POWER' chamber concerts $18 ($20 at the door)

First Congregational Church of Lebanon, Lebanon, NH

Oboe, bassoon and piano works by Mozart, Bruch, Glinka, Bonis and Corticelli. Advance tickets are $18 ($13.50 for church members), and kids 18 and under are free. The trio also plays house concerts Friday at 7 in Norwich and Saturday at 2 in White River Junction: $40, $20 for children, registration required and seats limited.

Flannel Fest $50 (all a donation)

Whaleback Mountain, Enfield, NH

Whaleback's 6th annual Flannel Fest: wear your best flannel for live music, a silent auction, giveaways, and complimentary food and drinks. Doors open at 5. The whole $50 ticket is a donation toward affordable, accessible skiing and snowboarding at Whaleback.

2nd Annual Artisan Soup Event $40.00 – $45.00

Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, NH

Your ticket includes a handcrafted soup bowl or mug of your choosing, made by a local potter, plus unlimited soups, salads, breads and desserts in the Great Stone Dwelling's historic dining room, with a cocktail reception upstairs. Proceeds benefit Enfield Shaker Museum and Jezzie's Place, a Canaan dog rescue.

Montshire After Dark: Radioactive $20

Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, VT

The year's first After Dark celebrates Marie Curie's birthday with investigations into radioactivity. Adults 21+ only and pre-registration is required; dinner and drinks from Brownsville Butcher & Pantry are available for purchase.

Lebanon Opera House, Lebanon, NH

Trumbull Hall Troupe stages the Britney Spears jukebox musical in which a rogue fairy godmother hands classic heroines copies of The Feminine Mystique. Also Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 3; select youth and senior pricing at checkout.

Reading Greenhouse Artist Festival Free

Reading Greenhouse & Market, Reading, VT

Regional makers fill the greenhouses and yard with pottery, textiles, photography and woodworking, plus spinning and basket-making demonstrations, live music with an open mic, food trucks and baked goods. Free and family-friendly.

Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, NH

Jigs, reels, slow airs and waltzes from the award-winning fiddler, whose repertoire spans Irish, Scottish and New Hampshire tunes, Shaker melodies included. Museum members pay less.

Anonymous Coffeehouse: Carolyn Shapiro / The Arthur Terembula Trio / The Hot Skillet Club Free (donations welcome)

First Congregational Church of Lebanon, Lebanon, NH

Three acts in one night: old-time banjo from Carolyn Shapiro at 7:30, country blues from the Arthur Terembula Trio at 8, and three-part harmonies from New Hampshire trio The Hot Skillet Club at 9.

Hats for the Haven Kick-Off Stitch-In Free

rePlay Arts, White River Junction, VT

Bring your needles, hooks or sewing skills and help make hats at this free kick-off stitch-in. Open to all ages.

First Congregational Church of Lebanon, Lebanon, NH

Afternoon music and dance workshops (bourrée, scottish, mazurka and more), then a 5:45 pm dance with Jeremiah McLane, Tim Cummings and McKinley James, called by Mary Wesley. No partner or experience needed; dance-only admission is a suggested $15, and students get $15 off the workshop package.

Pre-Show Talk Free

Top of the Hop, Hanover, NH

William Christie and Paul Agnew talk about their work with moderator Filippo Ciabatti before that night's Les Arts Florissants concert. Free.

Emily Franklin | Love & Other Monsters Free

Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock, VT

Franklin discusses her new novel about Claire Clairmont, Mary Shelley's stepsister, and the summer of 1816 that gave us Frankenstein. Yankee Bookshop will have copies.

Choral Concert featuring Sol y Canto $17 adults, under 18 free

Lebanon Opera House, Lebanon, NH

UVMC's Children's Chorus and Community Chorus, plus Lebanon-based Harmony Night, each sing a set that includes an original song by pan-Latin ensemble Sol y Canto, who perform as well. Under 18 free.

Twin States, Different Paths: The Politics of New Hampshire and Vermont Free

Howe Library, Hanover, NH

Author Brian L. Porto traces two political cultures back to geology and early settlement, and looks at how they shape today's debates over affordable housing and school funding. Q&A follows.

Gus Speth -- Jericho River Free

Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT

Speth reads from Jericho River, stories of a small Vermont village in the 1960s and '70s seen through the eyes of a solitary observer.

VALLEY IMPROV $10

Sawtooth Kitchen, Hanover, NH

Spontaneous comedy, suitable for all ages. Ten dollars. Need we say more.

Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, VT

An after-hours charcuterie workshop for ages 21+: $80/person or $140/couple for members, $85/$150 for non-members.

Spaulding Auditorium, Hanover, NH

The indie rocker behind the platinum-certified "Freakin' Out On The Interstate" plays an intimate stripped-down set, programmed with the Dartmouth Student Programming Board.

Norwich Winter Farmers Market Free

Norwich Winter Farmers Market, Norwich, VT

The first indoor market of the winter season, with about 30 vendors.