First Night Burlington 2015 Program Guide

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2014 • NOON–MIDNIGHT • ALL AGES

A Celebration You’ll Remember!

N O RT H C O U N T RY F E D E R A L CREDIT UNION PRESENTS:

FESTIVAL

GUIDE

BURLINGTON 2015 Our 32nd Annual New Year’s Eve Festival Of The Arts COMMUNITY | ENTERTAINMENT | PERFORMING ARTS | MUSIC | FIREWORKS | FRIENDS | FAMILY

NEW, LOWER BUTTON PRICES

25~50% OFF!

BIG SAVINGS OVER LAST YEAR! SEE PAGE 6 FOR DETAILS

O R D E R YO U R BU T TO N S & T I C K E T S

FIRSTNIGHTBURLINGTON.COM • (802) 863-6005

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Welcome to the First Night Burlington 2015 Festival of the Arts

First Night Burlington is marking its 32nd year of bringing our community together for an accessible, healthy, and responsible New Year’s Eve celebration centered on the arts.

Table of Contents

Welcome...................................................................... 3 Sponsors & Benefactors..........................................4-5 Buttons & Tickets......................................................... 6 What’s New................................................................... 9 Especially for Kids....................................................... 9 First Night at BCA...................................................... 10 Performances by Genre............................................ 11 Shuttle Service & Site Map....................................... 12 My First Night Schedule............................................ 13 Artists & Performances (A-B)................................... 14 Artists & Performances (B-G)..............................16-18 Event Schedule.....................................................20-21 Artists & Performances (G-M).............................22-24 Artists & Performances (M-Q).................................. 26 Artists & Performances (R-T)..............................29-30 Artists & Performances (V-W).................................. 33 Where to Stay............................................................ 34 Donated Sites & Food Sales...................................... 36 Thank You Friends!.................................................... 37

A Message from Miro Weinberger, Mayor, City of Burlington

Season’s Greetings for 2015!

I am happy to announce the 32nd anniversary of First Night Burlington in our wonderful city. First Night is an opportunity for our entire community to come together and take part in one of the best celebrations in Burlington – welcoming the New Year! What a wonderful New Year’s Eve event for our community, year after year: the city is proud to support First Night.

Please join me in thanking all of our talented performers, generous sponsors, and dedicated staff and volunteers who always make First Night a special night to remember. I look forward to seeing you and your loved ones at this year’s celebration.

Warm wishes for a Happy New Year.

First Night Board of Directors Julia Austin, Chair David Mount, Vice Chair Angela Guinness, Treasurer Skip Farrell, Secretary Paul Asbell Andrew Beerworth Becky Cassidy Kevin Cheney Cyndy Gerns Sarah O’Neil Kathy Soulia Tyler Wood Tom Ayres, Executive Director Muffie Milens, Office Manager Pam Stewart, Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Stickle, Production & Artist Relations Manager Anna Kochien, Intern

A Message from Julia Austin

Chair, Board of Directors, First Night Burlington

Welcome to the 32nd annual First Night Burlington celebration of the arts and community. We are pleased to offer you a choice of more than 100 performances, events, and activities in 18 venues throughout downtown Burlington. You’ll be captivated by an afternoon and evening of magical circus acts, hilarious comedy, high-energy dance, delightful theater, and great music to suit all tastes and temperaments – jazz, classical, international, folk, bluegrass, rock-and-roll, soul, and sounds especially for kids.

There will also be films and cartoons in two different venues to delight young and old throughout the day. It’s a responsible, healthy, and family-friendly way to ring in the New Year with thousands of your loved ones, friends, and neighbors from throughout Vermont and beyond.

We’re especially thankful that we’ve been able to make First Night Burlington 2015 more accessible and affordable for everyone in our community. We’ve reduced our button price by 25% for an adult button and introduced a new student button at 50% off the previous adult price. First Night has also made more complimentary buttons and tickets available to a wider range of youth and family services organizations in the Burlington area. We are able to do this in large part due to the extraordinary commitments our many sponsors make to supporting our community and encouraging access to the performing arts. We are immensely grateful to our Presenting Sponsor, NorthCountry Federal Credit Union, whose phenomenal and increased support is making First Night Burlington possible for the seventh consecutive year – and at a reduced cost to you, our loyal and new festival-goers.

Special thanks also go out to our Sustaining Sponsors, Farrell Vending Services and Pepsi Bottling Group, both of whom have made a remarkable commitment to First Night for so many years. More affordable button prices this year were also made possible with the support of our newest Sustaining Sponsors, Anheuser-Busch and Farrell Distributing, whose commitment to the arts, cultural tourism, and responsible celebration is commendable. We salute them and all of the more than 100 other businesses, organizations, and individuals who have made this event possible with their generosity of time, money, and spirit, year after year. You can learn more about our generous First Night sponsors on pages 4-5.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and the City of Burlington also deserve our heartfelt thanks for the generous and continuing support that has sustained First Night for the past 32 years. Our media partners, the Burlington Free Press, WCAX-TV, and Hall Communications have also once again shared their creative talent and communications expertise in helping to inform you about the path to a perfect First Night for you and your family.

Welcome to First Night Burlington 2015! I’ll see you downtown as we all enjoy Vermont’s largest one-day celebration of the arts and community.

A Message from Bob Morgan

Chief Executive Officer, NorthCountry Federal Credit Union, Presenting Sponsor

Welcome to First Night Burlington 2015!

NorthCountry, your community credit union, is excited and proud to be the Presenting Sponsor of First Night Burlington. This amazing community celebration is the perfect reason to gather your friends and family and head downtown to ring in the New Year with camaraderie, festivities, and world-class performances.

For more than 30 years, First Night has been the premiere destination for appreciating the arts and celebrating the New Year responsibly. While you enjoy the amazing acts you will see this year, please join me in giving thanks to everyone who works so hard to make this event possible: Tom Ayres, Muffie Milens, Pam Stewart, Sarah Stickle, the First Night Board of Directors, and the hundreds of First Night volunteers who do such an outstanding job putting everything together.

Thank you for attending First Night Burlington 2015. Please enjoy the evening and performances as we celebrate the start of a New Year.

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OUR 32ND ANNUAL NEW YEAR’S EVE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS Presenting Sponsor

Presenting Sponsor of First Night Burlington since 2009

Sustaining Sponsors Operated by First Night Burlington’s Founding Sponsor Skip Farrell & his family Venue Sponsorship: Flynn Center MainStage

Home and supporter of First Night Burlington for 32 years

Working to improve the wellbeing of their employees, stakeholders, customers, & community Venue Sponsorship: Memorial Auditorium

Committed to the arts, cultural tourism, and responsible celebration

Media Sponsors

A local custom, covering First Night Burlington for 32 years

The stations of Hall Communications, doing what’s right for their listeners, families, and communities to make a positive difference in their lives

Vermont’s trusted news source for 60 years

Lead Sponsors: Venues, Programs & Activities

Venue Sponsorship: FlynnSpace Program Sponsorship: Global Traditions performances of international music & dance

Lawyers with a blend of local know-how & broad experience for business, employment, & litigation needs Venue Sponsorship: First United Methodist Church

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Venue Sponsorship: First Congregational Church (All Venues)

Local, affordable, and on your side Venue Sponsorship: Face Painting at Edmunds Cafeteria

Burlington’s Premier Waterfront Hotel Event Sponsorship: Midnight Fireworks

Supporting First Night fun for kids of all ages Program Sponsorship: Especially for Kids

Venue Sponsorship: Edmunds School Gymnasium (Dance Performances)

Program Sponsorship: First Night 2015 Jazz Performances

Venue Sponsorship: Fletcher Free Library

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide Supporting Sponsors: Venues, Programs & Activities Venue Sponsorship: Edmunds School Gymnasium (Dance Performances)

Burlington’s community-owned grocery store, helping to support this community event Event Sponsorship: Dancing Dragons Parade & Family Fireworks

Venue Sponsorship: Unitarian Universalist Church

Supporting First Night Burlington and a healthy community Venue Sponsorship: Memorial Auditorium

Your safety professionals, helping to keep First Night safe Venue Sponsorship: Contois Auditorium

Program Sponsorship: Connecting the King Street Center, Sara Holbrook Center, and Boys & Girls Club of Greater Burlington with the Arts

Program Sponsorship: Supporting accessibility at First Night with ASL interpretation

Venue Sponsorship: Contois Auditorium

Program Sponsorship: The French Connection (French and Franco-American Music Performances)

Clean Energy • Clean Air Venue Sponsorship: College Street Congregational Church

Program Sponsorship: Face Painting at Edmunds Cafeteria

Venue Sponsorship: FlynnSpace

Venue Sponsorship: College Street Congregational Church

Venue Sponsorship: Unitarian Universalist Church

Funding Organizations Burlington Livable Community Project/Community Action Sponsorship: Connecting Burlington Seniors with the Arts

Alcohol and substance abuse education and prevention activities at First Night Burlington are supported by ParentUp, a program of the Vermont Department of Health

Concert Artists Fund grant in support of “Traditional Voices” performances by Tenores de Aterúe & Counterpoint

Technology Sponsors

Providing First Night with creative website design and development services

Providing First Night with network, internet, and telephone services and consultation

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Button & Ticket Sales We’ve heard you loud and clear.

We’ve rolled back our Adult button price to the turn of the decade!

Plus...

Save up to

50%

introducing a new Student button*** for only $10!

on Adult buttons!

Just $15!

This past spring, First Night Burlington conducted an email and online survey of our many friends and longtime festival goers. One of the things we learned is that many of you believe the cost of attending First Night has climbed too high in recent years, making a New Year’s Eve “night on the town” a financial challenge for many families and those on fixed incomes. We’ve responded by dropping the cost of a First Night Adult button to just $15, a full 25% off last year’s price and a rollback to the cost at the turn of the decade in 2010. And our new Student button – for anyone over 12 years of age with a valid student I.D. – is just $10, or 50% off the former price of an Adult button.

A First Night Burlington button grants entrance to all non-ticketed, official events on a first-come, first-served basis. Some performances at the Flynn Center MainStage, FlynnSpace, and Memorial Auditorium require a ticket in addition to your First Night button. Buttons and tickets are not refundable. See below for more details.

Buy buttons and tickets online at firstnightburlington.com by Tuesday, December 16**, and we’ll deliver them to your mailbox! ** Orders shipped to Canada must be ordered by Tuesday, December 9.

Adults

Students*** (with valid student I.D.)

(Ages 3-12)

$15*

$10*

$5*

(Ages 13+)

($20* on December 31)

Kids

Thanks to the support of Free Press Media.

Ticketed Performances Tickets available while supplies last. Seating guaranteed until start of performance.

Tickets include a $1 preservation fee for the Flynn Center and Memorial Auditorium.

Flynn Center MainStage $5* Vermont Youth Orchestra, 1 pm Burlington Taiko, 6 pm Bluegrass Gospel Project, 9 pm

FlynnSpace $5* Ray Vega & Tales From The Boogie Down, 10 pm

Memorial Auditorium $5* Circus Smirkus, 2 pm & 4 pm

* Vermont Sales and Local Tax included. ***Student buttons are only available in person at the First Night Burlington office, 230 College Street, Burlington.

First Night Burlington Box Office | 230 College Street Burlington, VT 05401 | (802) 863-6005 | firstnightburlington.com 6

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

What’s New at First Night

Check out these wonderful artists, making their first appearances on a First Night Burlington stage this New Year’s Eve. Appalachian Gap String Band Blackbird Cricket Blue Deja-Nous The DuPont Brothers Duo ‘50s Sock Hop with Joel Najman The FÖHR Sessions

Francesca Blanchard Jake Whitesell/Andrew Moroz Sextet Jeremy Gilchrist Greenbush Grup Anwar Kat Wright & Brett Hughes Linda Bassick

Migmar Tsering Myra Flynn Pete’s Posse Shady Rill Tenores de Aterúe

Traditional Voices First Night Burlington is delighted to present a special selection of performances entitled Traditional Voices, highlighting the connections between the classical and traditional vocal repertoire. Performances by Tenores de Aterúe and longtime First Night favorites Counterpoint will spotlight music deeply rooted in global folk cultures, including those of Sardinia, Corsica, Latin America, the British Isles, the Balkans, and the African diaspora.

Especially for Kids & Families

When First Night surveyed longtime and recent festival-goers this past spring, we learned a lot about your programming preferences. In particular, we learned that parents of young children would prefer that we cluster performances especially for kids in several venues within a block or so of one another in the heart of downtown. This minimizes the amount of running around that creates challenges for parents and children attending First Night. We’ve also scheduled these activities and performances at kid-friendly times between 12 noon and 6 pm.

Here’s a listing of all things “Especially for Kids” at First Night Burlington 2015: Church Street Marketplace Dancing Dragons Parade & Family Fireworks, 5 pm College Street Congregational Church Mister Chris & Friends, 2 pm Singalong with Megan, Emer & Robert, 3 pm Gary Dulabaum, 4 pm Edmunds School Cafeteria Face Painting, 12 Noon to 6 pm

Edmunds School Gym Electric Youth Dance Company, 1 pm Inyange (Burundian Women’s Dance Company), 2 pm Very Merry Theatre, 3 pm and 5 pm McFadden Academy of Irish Dance, 4 pm and 6 pm

Fletcher Free Library (Main Reading Room) Gary Dulabaum, 2 pm Linda Bassick, 3 pm Jon Gailmor, 4 pm Mister Chris & Friends, 5 pm

Memorial Auditorium Circus Smirkus, 2 pm and 4 pm*

Flynn Center MainStage Vermont Youth Orchestra, 1 pm *

* Ticketed performances, requiring a ticket in addition to a First Night button.

Face Painting Now at the Edmunds School Cafeteria Face Painting – a New Year’s Eve tradition that has delighted kids of all ages for many years – returns to First Night 2015 in the same location as last year – the cafeteria at the Edmunds School on Main Street. Stop by Edmunds between the hours of 12 noon and 6 pm and have faces bedecked with bold, vibrant colors just perfect to ring in the New Year!

“Stay and Play” at the Greater Burlington YMCA Spend some time with your neighbors at the Y, where weary parents can take a break and active kids can work off some energy from 2 to 5 pm. The Pomerleau Family Y on College Street is

hosting kid- and family-friendly activities from top to bottom.

Big kids with energy to burn can find their way to the gym, where running, jumping, and active group play takes center stage.

Little ones looking for pint-sized fun will find a special play area set aside just for them. Classrooms on the lobby floor offer makeand-take crafts, refreshments, and even a make-your-own healthy snack, presented by Eat Well, Play More Vermont, a Y-led initiative.

Plus, bring your swimsuit for a free swim offered in the pool from 2 to 4:30 pm.

Restrooms for Families

City Hall, Church Street near Main Street, Second Floor •

Memorial Auditorium, Main and South Union Street

Burlington Town Center, Church Street

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First Night at Burlington City Arts 135 Church Street, 1-5 pm Join the festivities as our collaborators at Burlington City Arts team up with First Night to celebrate the New Year. BCA will host a variety of films and fun-filled, interactive arts events. No registration is required.

First Floor:

The first-floor gallery features work by Vermont artist Peter Heller, largely unseen abstract paintings spanning a 50-year career.

Second Floor: The Vermont International Film Foundation presents

A Program of Award-Winning Animated Shorts Especially for First Night Burlington 2015 1-5 pm, BCA, 2nd Floor

Films are family-friendly and suitable for all ages. Duration approximately 60 minutes, running four times consecutively.

Join us for a screening of wondrous, international award-winning animated shorts thanks to a special collaboration between VTIFF, BCA, and First Night Burlington. The featured films include: WISHFUL THINKING

NEW SPECIES

An imaginative 3-year old changes the menu of her traditional birthday party when she makes a wish and blows out the candles on her cake.

Stumbling across a mysterious bone sparks the imaginations of three kids, who decide to seek scholarly wisdom from a paleontologist and see what clues they can dig up.

By Jane Sablow

MY STUFFED GRANNY

A TIN CAN

Little Sofía loves her grumpy granny, even though she is always hungry and eats what little food they can buy.

Granny’s pension is the only thing keeping her and her father alive.

To what extremes will they go once granny is no more?

Imaginative musical film relating that in life there is always a place for a small miracle and a sudden joy. This joy can be caused by as simple a thing as an empty tin can of condensed milk, forgotten by Soviet cosmonauts in orbit and accidentally fallen to Earth.

By Effie Pappa

CRAVINGS

By Tatiana Kiseleva

By Jan Sablow

THE LAST RESORT

CHINTI

A comedic love letter to horror using paper cutouts. Twin sisters Jo and Alex have been left to run their isolated family hotel in the Canadian Rockies, but they’re too busy bickering to pay attention to their sole guest.

A determined young girl satisfies her rather surprising desire.

By Natalia Mirzoyen

A little ant lives on a narrow slip of ground filled with trash. Little ant tries to fit in with the daily routine of the ant family but finds it difficult. Its world changes when it finds a ticket with a picture of the Taj Mahal. Animation made entirely with tea leaves!

SAUSAGE

By Robert Grieves

The idyllic world of two artisan stallholders is invaded by a devious fast-food vendor. The ferocious turf war that follows provokes life-changing events, resulting in one delicious discovery!

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By Kateřina Karhánková

By Stephanie Blakey

PINEAPPLE CALAMARI

By Kasia Nelewjka

Hilarious and brilliantly executed stop-motion story featuring a horse, Pineapple Calamari, who dreams of becoming a racing champion.

Third Floor:

Join us in the BCA studio arts classroom to makeand-take a special New Year’s craft. Fun for the whole family!

Clay & Print Studio at Memorial Auditorium

Check out the clay arts and printmaking facilities at 250 Main St. in Memorial Auditorium.

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Performances by Genre First Night Burlington is Vermont’s largest one-day celebration of the arts. No matter what your preferences are, you’ll find a wealth of performances in music, theater, comedy, and dance to choose from. The following is a list of all First Night Burlington 2015 performances and activities, broken out by genre: ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS & FAMILIES Cartoon Fest at Merrill’s Roxy Cinema Circus Smirkus * Electric Youth Dance Company Face Painting Drama, Dance & Music Activities for Kids Gary Dulabaum Inyange (Burundian Women’s Dance Company) Jon Gailmor Linda Bassick “Make & Take” Interactive Arts at BCA McFadden Academy of Irish Dance Singalong with Megan, Emer & Robert Mister Chris & Friends “Stay & Play” plus Nutritious Snacks for Kids at the YMCA Vermont Youth Orchestra * Very Merry Theatre VTIFF Short Film Festival at BCA AMERICANA, BLUEGRASS & COUNTRY Appalachian Gap String Band Blackbird Bluegrass Gospel Project * Contra Dance with Pete’s Posse and Caller Mary Wesley The DuPont Brothers Band Gary Dulabaum Jane & Charlie Kittredge Kat Wright & Brett Hughes The Leatherbound Books Singalong with Megan, Emer & Robert The Modern Grass Quintet Michael Chorney & Hollar General Mister Chris & Friends Paul Asbell PossumHaw Rick Norcross Shady Rill The Starline Rhythm Boys Toni Caitlin & Brett Hughes

CHORAL & VOCAL ENSEMBLES Counterpoint FlynnArts Show Choirs Maple Jam Tenores de Aterúe CLASSICAL Annemieke Spoelstra McLane Constitution Brass Quintet Counterpoint 8 Cuerdas Jane Boxall Marimba Tenores de Aterúe Me2/orchestra Vermont Youth Orchestra * COMEDY Comedy Showcase with Tim Kavanagh Kamikaze Comedy DANCE Contra Dance with Pete’s Posse and Caller Mary Wesley Electric Youth Dance Company Inyange (Burundian Women’s Dance Company) McFadden Academy of Irish Dance VPR’s “Rock Around the Clock” Sock Hop with Joel Najman

SINGER-SONGWRITER, FOLK & CELTIC Cricket Blue The DuPont Brothers Duo Francesca Blanchard Gregory Douglass Handsome Molly Jeremy Gilchrist Jon Gailmor Linda Bassick Myra Flynn Rik Palieri: A Tribute to Pete Seeger Steve Hartmann STORYTELLING & SPOKEN WORD Jernigan Pontiac Tim Jennings & Leanne Ponder THEATER, MAGIC, & CABARET Christopher McBride Deja-Nous Lyric Theatre Very Merry Theatre FILM Cartoon Fest at Merrill’s Roxy Cinema VTIFF Short Film Festival at BCA

WORLD TRADITIONS Afinque Burlington Taiko * JAZZ, BLUES, GOSPEL & HIP HOP Counterpoint Andric Severance Xtet 8 Cuerdas A2VT Francesca Blanchard Eight 02 Grup Anwar The FÖHR Sessions Michèle Choinière Greenbush Migmar Tsering Jake Whitesell/Andrew Moroz Sextet Prydein Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band Red Hot Juba Queen City Hot Club Steady Betty Ray Vega & Tales From The Boogie Down * Tenores de Aterúe Va-et-Vient ROCK & POP Will Patton Ensemble The DuPont Brothers Band Prydein VPR’s “Rock Around the Clock” Sock Hop with Joel Najman

*Ticketed performances, requiring a ticket in addition to a First Night button.

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Shuttle Services & Event Site Map Part of the First Night Burlington experience is taking the First Night Shuttle, and CCTA makes it easy! First Night Shuttles are FREE thanks to the generosity of CCTA!

Here’s How It Works • Park your car in the Gutterson Parking Garage at UVM for FREE. • FREE shuttles will run every 15 minutes, picking you up at the Patrick Gym Loop starting at 11:30am.

• You can hop off the bus on Main Street at Memorial Auditorium, Church Street, or Union Station on your way downtown.

• Catch the shuttle back to Gutterson at Union Station, the Flynn Center, or Edmunds School.

PLEASE NOTE: No First Night Shuttles stop at the Living and Learning shelters!

Regular CCTA Bus Service • CCTA buses will run their regular schedules on December 31, and will provide service for these routes at normal rates.

• One-way bus fares for CCTA are $1.25 for adults; 60 cents for kids under 18, seniors 60+, Medicare cardholders, and people with disabilities.

• Call (802) 864-CCTA for route and schedule information, or visit cctaride.org for details and a map of CCTA’s normal bus service routes.

1. First Night Burlington 2. BCA Center for the Visual Arts 3. BCA Center Print & Clay Studio 4. Burlington Waterfront Park 5. Church Street Marketplace 6. College Street Congregational Church 7. Contois Auditorium, City Hall 8. Edmunds Middle School Gym/Cafeteria 9. First Baptist Church 10. First Congregational Church 11. First United Methodist Church 12. Fletcher Free Library 13. Flynn Center/FlynnSpace/FlynnArts 14. Greater Burlington YMCA 15. Memorial Auditorium 16. Merrill Roxy Cinemas 17. Phoenix Books 18. Unitarian Universalist Church

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My Events Schedule

Use this grid to assist you in celebrating a New Year’s Eve to remember.

TIME

ARTIST / PERFORMANCE

VENUE / LOCATION

12 Noon-1pm 1-2 pm 2-3 pm 3-4 pm 4-5 pm 5-6 pm 6-7 pm 7-8 pm 8-9 pm 9-10 pm 10-11 pm 11-12 Midnight

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Artists & Performances 1

The star Icon indicates the location of a performance or activity. Please refer to the event site map on page 12.

First Night Burlington supports equal access to a wide variety of performances for people with deafness and hearing impairment.*

A2VT Contois Auditorium • 4-4:40 pm • 6-6:40 pm The hip-hop trio A2VT describe themselves as “three young guys from Africa.” When war broke out in their home countries, they were forced to leave. Eventually they arrived in Vermont, where they now live. A2VT recorded its debut album– Africa, Vermont–two years ago with grant funding from the Vermont Community Foundation, Indiegogo, and the Fools Gold Artist Fund. The dynamic trio’s YouTube hit, “Winooski, My Town,” celebrates the diversity of this small but vibrant community.

Afinque Contois Auditorium • 8-8:40 pm Afinque is an 11-piece, classic salsa y salsa dura band from Burlington. Featuring many of the finest musicians in Vermont, Afinque pays tribute to the sounds of New York’s famed Palladium club and the great Fania record label. This energetic outfit plays fiery and intense salsa, weaving the sultry sounds of vocalist Miriam Bernardo over a funky, percussive Latin beat.

Andric Severance Xtet FlynnSpace • 3-3:40 pm From New York City to Rio, then on to Havana and back home to Vermont, the Andric Severance Xtet takes listeners on a salsa-centric jazz journey, playing original music as well as classic salsa tunes arranged for a quartet. Fired up with rhythmic intensity, the band features Caleb Bronz on drums, Scott Dean on percussion, Giovanni Rovetto on bass, and Andric Severance on piano. This isn’t your grandmother’s Latin jazz.

Annemieke Spoelstra McLane First Baptist Church • 3-3:40 pm Pianist Annemieke Spoelstra McLane returns for the fifth time to a First Night Burlington stage. “To talk about music is like trying to explain colors or a specific taste,” Annemieke says. “It

These performances require both a button and a ticket.

Please refer to page 6 for more information.

can be bright, shady, sweet, savory, bold, complex, or just simple down-to-earth. This special New Year’s Eve program will feature solo piano music by Chopin and a hint of some other flavors.

Appalachian Gap String Band First Congregational Church Chapel • 3-3:40 pm The Appalachian Gap String Band brings a contemporary polish to the old-time string band style. Their high-energy twin fiddling and tight vocal harmonies will have you tapping your feet and singing along with old-time country songs and mountain blues. Featuring internationally renowned fiddler and singer Pete Sutherland, this Vermont group of traditional music veterans also includes Tom MacKenzie (Shady Rill, Woods Tea Company) on banjo, Tim Stickle (Virginia Creepers) on fiddle, Ed Sutton (Hardscrabble) on bass, Greg White (Grup Anwar) on guitar, and Doug Campbell (Knee Replacements) on mandolin. Go ahead - try to stay in your seat when they kick into high gear on southern dance tunes.

Blackbird Fletcher Free Library, Main Reading Room • 9-9:40 pm A Green Mountain State duo featuring Rachel Clark and Bob DeMarco, Blackbird performs traditional Celtic and Scandinavian music as well as tunes of their own creation. Their albums Whistle and Sing and Good Morning, Good Night have both received critical acclaim. Whistle and Sing was awarded the 2013 Barre Times Argus/Rutland Herald “Traditional Album of the Year” award. Fiddle, Irish flute, whistles, accordion, cittern, piano, guitar, and voices combine to create a lively mix of traditional music for all ears. Learn more at blackbirdvt.com.

Bluegrass Gospel Project Flynn Center MainStage • 9-10:30 pm Unparalleled vocal harmonies, an eclectic repertoire, and roots planted in the bluegrass tradition yield complex, inspiring music from this group of incredible musicians. This is The Bluegrass Gospel Project, a group that’s been doing something

Continued on page 16

*Our interpreters work in collaboration with selected artists to provide an interpretation that reflects both the content and the spirit of a given performance. For more information (TTY/TDD assisted) call the Flynn Center at (802) 863-5966 or the state of Vermont Relay Service at (800) 253-0195. They will assist you in calling the First Night office at (802) 863-6005.

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide distinctive for well over a decade: exploring and expanding the tradition of bluegrass gospel–from U2 to the Stanley Brothers, Sam Cooke to Steve Earle. The six members bring decades of experience to the group. Taylor Armerding—the group’s front man, mandolin player and singer—was a founder and lead singer for Northern Lights, the progressive bluegrass group that took the bluegrass world by storm in the 1980s. Debuting as a band to a packed house at the Flynn for First Night Burlington in 2001, the group has performed hundreds of concerts together over the ensuing years, captivating audiences with a breathtaking stylistic range that showcases their stunning vocal and instrumental capabilities.

Burlington Taiko Flynn Center MainStage • 6-7 pm Outstanding performers of Japanese drumming, Burlington Taiko has been mesmerizing audiences since 1987 with the spellbinding sounds and pageantry of Taiko. Thunderous, Vermont-made drums merge traditional culture with contemporary expression, and rhythms of Old Japan with our own community creations. Come and see if you want Vermont’s own Taiko tradition to be your new exercise and creative community outlet for 2015!

Cartoon Fest Merrill’s Roxy Cinema • 2 pm-Midnight One of First Night’s most popular features is a multi-feature for kids and nostalgia buffs alike. Take a break and take a seat with a cold beverage and some popcorn. Enjoy 10 continuous hours of your classic Looney Tunes favorites, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Tweety Bird, Sylvester, and Pepe LePeu, too! It’s tons of fun, a great place to relax and warm up – and free with your First Night button.

Christopher McBride Phoenix Books • 7-7:40 pm • 9-9:40 pm Christopher has been performing card magic for more than 30 years—and general magic even longer. During his past engagements at First Night, he showcased his best and latest work. This year will be no different.

By using traditional sleight-of-hand, misdirection, and balderdash, Christopher creates illusions far beyond the scope of most card tricks. When needed, a large projection screen will allow the fine details of card handling to be seen. Join Christopher for a fantasydriven journey into the specialized field of card magic.

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Circus Smirkus Memorial Auditorium • 2-3 pm • 4-5 pm Circus Smirkus, a perennial First Night favorite, brings the big top back to Burlington! The Vermontbased, internationally acclaimed youth organization is dedicated to promoting the circus arts and the traditions of the traveling circus. These young performers awe and inspire audiences of all ages with wire walking, aerial arts, clowning, juggling, and acrobatics. Reconnect with Circus Smirkus or witness the troupe’s extraordinary artistry for the first time and you’ll understand why Family Fun Magazine calls this circus “one of America’s best!”

Comedy Showcase with Tim Kavanagh Flynn Center MainStage • 3-4:30 pm The First Night Comedy Showcase, hosted

by Tim Kavanagh, marks its fifth year with a hilarious 90 minutes of standup, improv, and musical comedy featuring Spark Arts, a cappella outfit Maple Jam, Lyric Theatre’s young musical standout Amelia Mason (Les Miserables), parody with Game Shows Vermont, and Musical Mad Libs, featuring a very special guest. Get ready for lots of fun-filled audience interaction. Lineup subject to change.

The Constitution Brass Quintet First Baptist Church • 7-7:40 pm The Constitution Brass Quintet will present a program of audience favorites from more than 30 years of popular concerts in parks, opera houses, and gazebos, featuring music from Broadway shows, ragtime, Dixieland, Sousa marches and beautiful music from the Brass Band Era, interspersed with humorous historical commentary. Audience members from children to senior citizens will imagine they are on the town green while listening to “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess.

Contra Dance with Pete’s Posse & Mary Wesley Edmunds School Gym • 9-10:30 pm Put on your dancing shoes and join us for the annual First Night Contra Dance, following right on the heels of VPR’s “Rock Around the Clock” Sock Hop with Joel Najman. The stellar musicians of Pete’s Posse will accompany caller Mary Wesley for a lively evening of dance.

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide Counterpoint Unitarian Universalist • Vocal Music from Global Traditions • 2-2:40 pm First Baptist Church • Seasonal Carols and Songs • 4-4:40 pm Founded by legendary choral director and arranger Robert De Cormier in 2000, and based in Montpelier, Counterpoint is dedicated to performing choral chamber music and engaging with audiences and musicians to enhance the cultural life of communities in Vermont and beyond. Praised for their clarity and sophisticated musical expressiveness, the ensemble presents concerts throughout New England and the surrounding region, and has toured the Midwest. The group has recorded seven CDs with Albany Records and has released three further CDs independently. For a special treat at First Night 2015, Counterpoint will perform twice, presenting traditional holiday fare plus a selection of folkloric sounds deeply rooted in global cultures, including those of Latin America, the British Isles, the Balkans, the African diaspora, and more.

Cricket Blue First Congregational Church Chapel • 7-7:40 pm Born in Vermont and Georgia, respectively, Laura Heaberlin and Taylor Smith of Burlington-based folk duo Cricket Blue blend the sounds of ice cracking, branches creaking, and toads croaking with those of cicadas, rusty car engines, and sizzling pans. Their songs are spacious, spooky, botanical, and deeply resonant. The lyrics deal with myths, love, wishes, disappointment, friendship, potential futures, and the ends of things. The harmonies ebb and flow, together and apart, twin moons falling around a planet asleep. Chirp chirp.

Deja-Nous First United Methodist Church • 4-4:40 pm • 8-8:40 pm

includes Rob Guerrina on piano, Peter Williams on double bass, Dave Whittle on drums, and Jean-Jacques Psaute on vocals and guitar. All songs are engagingly introduced in English and crowd participation is encouraged. Learn more about Deja-Nous at www. theromanceofparis.com.

The DuPont Brothers Duo, Fletcher Free Library Main Reading Room • 7-7:40 pm Full Band, College Street Congregational Church • 9-9:40 pm Two brothers are reunited after years of geographical separation by a fortified collaboration in music.

Blending the contemplative winters of the Northeast with the solitary beauty of the Southwestern desert, Sam and Zack DuPont are now co-conspirators in a shared passion that runs deep in their family. This Burlington-made folk/Americana duo has hit the ground running since the formation of their group in March of 2013. The brothers have released a debut EP and DVD of live in-studio performances and more recently a full-length record of acoustic duets. They have shared the stage with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Sturgill Simpson, Ben Sollee, Chris Thomas King, Langhorne Slim, and Howie Day to name a few. Lush finger-style guitar work is complimented by elegant prose and a vocal blend that could only be matched by blood relations.

8 Cuerdas First Baptist Church • 8-8:40 pm Ibero-American song duo 8 Cuerdas returns to First Night Burlington with a magical program of Argentinean melodies.

Burlington-native soprano Sarah Cullins and Colombian guitarist Daniel Gaviria will transport listeners to warmer, sultrier climes, mixing classical technique with South American sabor. Come find out why the duo has been delighting audiences all over Vermont, from the Grafton Inn to the Salisbury Summer Concert Series to the Stowe Performing Arts Series. For more information and sound-clips, visit www.8cuerdas.com.

Deja-Nous has been entertaining Vermont and New York audiences since 2001 with a repertoire of French, Quebecois, and American songs. Deja-Nous performs in a variety of different vocal styles and genres, including jazz, cabaret, and the sounds of the French “music hall.” The band

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide Eight 02 FlynnSpace • 4-4:40 pm Eight 02 is a contemporary post-Bop fusion outfit that brings together two members of legendary Vermont jazz outfit Kilimanjaro, Lucas Adler and Chris Peterman, with founding members of Picture This, Peter Ingisch and Jerome Monachino. The result? Some of the freshest contemporary jazz you’re likely to hear anywhere. If you count yourself among the fans of such robust jazz luminaries as Pat Metheny, Jeff Lorber, and Chick Corea and Return to Forever, you won’t want to miss this band!

Electric Youth Dance Company Edmunds School Gym • 1-1:40 pm Electric Youth Dance Company celebrates a quarter century of contemporary dance creations with this special New Year’s Eve performance. Enjoy these marvelous young dancers as they showcase their newest collection of jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, and hip-hop dance creations, all 25 years in the making.

FlynnArts Show Choirs FlynnSpace • 1-1:40 pm

day of celebration!

Vermont’s first community-based show choirs, composed of talented young artists from around the state, perform favorite pop music and Broadway showstoppers. It’s a high-energy way to start your

The FÖHR Sessions FlynnSpace • 7-7:40 pm The FÖHR Sessions play original, soulful groove jazz in French and English.

Composer/vocalist Cynthia Braren heads up this three-piece ensemble, injecting European styling with her melodica. Peter Krag interprets Cynthia’s music with his unbridled jazz playing skills on the piano, while Afro-Cuban and New Orleans swing rhythms by Tim Sharbaugh lay the foundation for danceable, heeltapping, soulful jazz. The trio was featured on the Top Block Stage at the 2014 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival and can be heard on local radio shows. Learn more at cynthiabraren.com.

Francesca Blanchard Unitarian Universalist Church • 9-9:40 pm Francesca Blanchard is a young, FrenchAmerican singer-songwriter whose lyrics and melodies reflect her travels, both physical and emotional. Music has always been a part of Francesca’s upbringing: her mother is also a singer18

songwriter and her family’s work with multinational humanitarian agencies saw Francesca travel to and absorb the cultural influences of such far-flung countries as South Korea, Mauritania, Kenya, Egypt, Thailand, Guatemala, and India over the course of her youth. Writing and performing in both English and French, Blanchard delivers songs that are “quietly and profoundly stunning,” says Dan Bolles in Seven Days. These scintillating songs are humble odes to love, heartbreak, and home from a young woman who long ago learned to “travel light and invite surprises.”

Gary Dulabaum Fletcher Free Library Main Reading Room • Special Performance for Kids & Families • 2-2:40 pm • College Street Congregational Church • Special Performance for Kids & Families • 4-4:40 pm First Night Burlington veteran Gary Dulabaum will present two performances especially for kids and their families on New Year’s Eve. As a celebrated children’s and family entertainer, Gary has shared the stage with Ella Jenkins (“The First Lady of Children’s Music”), and has played throughout the United States and beyond at such storied venues as the Grand Canyon, the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann traveling festivals of traditional Irish music. Gary has the rare gift of captivating audiences of all ages with his music, high energy, and quick wit. He definitely brings a contemporary vibe to kids’ music, featuring HipHop Mother Goose, songs every kid should know, lots of movement, and Gary’s own originals. It’s high-spirited fun for the whole family!

Greenbush FlynnSpace • 8-8:40 pm Greenbush fuses blues and funky jazz to create an infectious brand of music.

Greenbush is a musical collaboration between John Creech and Cobey Gatos, named after the street they both live on.

John and Cobey are long-time friends and neighbors who get together weekly in Cobey’s backyard studio to play music. They will be joined by drummer-extraordinaire Caleb Bronz. Mixing Caleb’s searing rhythms with John’s vibrant soulfulness and Cobey’s sympathetic funkiness creates an original and dynamically appealing sonic treat.

Gregory Douglass FlynnSpace • 6-6:40 pm First Congregational Church Sanctuary • 8-8:40 pm This longtime First Night favorite returns for two shows this evening. Gregory is a pop master who “channels everyone from Stevie Wonder to Fiona Apple” (Instinct Magazine). Gregory’s evocative, alternative pop conjures Rufus Wainwright’s prolific musicality and Adele’s palatable soulfulness, with a voice that conspires to seduce you with beauty.

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide Grup Anwar Unitarian Universalist Church • 4-4:40 pm Grup Anwar was formed in 2012 to bring the classical and popular music of the Middle East to a wider audience in northern New England and New York.

The group’s leader – violinist, oudist, and composer Anwar Diab Agha - played for many years with the Syrian National Radio and Television Orchestra in Damascus. He has toured internationally with many of the finest musicians in the Arab world. In addition to Agha on violin, oud, and vocals, Grup Anwar – proud recipient of the Flynn Center’s 2014 Artists’ Space Grant – includes Jeffrey Davis (oud, nay), Colin Henkel (doumbek), Alia Scheirman (volin), and Gregory White (oud).

Handsome Molly First Congregational Church Sanctuary • 2-2:40 pm • 6-6:40 pm Handsome Molly is a husband and wife duo deeply grounded in the traditional music and song of Ireland, Scotland, and England. Harpist and singer Dominique Dodge holds a B.A. in Scottish Music and earned her M.A. in Irish Music as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Limerick. Robert Ryan grew up in an Irish family in England, playing the fiddle and whistle from an early age. Robert and Dominique bring a lively, passionate approach to the music they love, whether they are lifting the house with a set of raucous dance tunes or joining their voices in harmony for traditional songs and ballads.

Inyange (The Burundian Women’s Dance Group) Edmunds School Gym • 2-2:40 pm The Burundian Women’s Dance Group, informally named Inyange, is composed of up to 14 women, all of Burundian origin, living in the greater Burlington area. The dance troupe was founded in 2011 by Aline Niyonzima to help preserve Burundian cultural practices in America, both for the current and upcoming generations. Other dance leaders for Inyange (loosely translated as “community”) include Stella Mizero and Justine Nyanzira. Maintaining a culture that is distinctively Burundian is extremely important for all the troupe members, and the group dances to songs that are deeply engrained in these values. The words of the songs often depict traditional stories passed down from their ancestors, while containing morals that are still relevant today. Connecting the act of dancing with the meaning of culture is at the crux of the group’s mission.

Jake Whitesell / Andrew Moroz Sextet FlynnSpace • 2-2:40 pm The Jake Whitesell/Andrew Moroz Sextet is a vibrant instrumental jazz ensemble, presenting lush three-horn arrangements and inspired solos from some of Vermont’s finest musicians. The group performs original music as well as material by composers such as Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, and Art Blakey. Members include Jake Whitesell (saxophone), Ray Vega (trumpet), Nate Reit (trombone), Andrew Moroz (piano), Rob Morse (bass), and Geza Carr (drums).

Jane & Charlie Kittredge First Congregational Church Sanctuary • 4-4:40 pm For more than fifteen years, Jane and Charlie Kittredge have performed for friends, family, and small events across Vermont. The duo made their public performance debut last year at First Night 2014.

Classically-trained violinist Jane Kittredge lived in New York City for more than a decade, studying at the city’s best conservatories.

She now plays in orchestras, operas, chamber ensembles, and solo showcases across the Northeast. A lifelong singer and guitarist, Charlie’s deep tone and warm bass blend seamlessly in any musical fabric. In this exciting return to the First Night stage, Jane and Charlie are joined by John Dunlop and Laura Markowitz (cello, violin) to perform a fresh collection of songs from their classicallyinspired folk repertoire.

Jane Boxall Marimba First Baptist Church • 2-2:40 pm “Killer technique and inspired musicality.”

– Drum! Magazine

Marimba artist Jane Boxall is “a genre of one,” according to Seven Days. The awardwinning percussionist plays a contemporary classical marimba repertory with zero to eight mallets, performing in concert halls, art galleries, cafés, kindergartens, high schools, universities, and festivals from London to Chicago and Manhattan to Seattle. Jane holds a doctorate in percussion performance from the University of Illinois, where she studied under William Moersch.

Jeremy Gilchrist Fletcher Free Library, Main Reading Room • 6-6:40 pm Jeremy Gilchrist is a thought-provoking singer-songwriter grew up in New York and who grew a soul in North Carolina. His music is rich with emotion, threaded with meaning, and often woven into numerous layers. Now he brings his unique and, at times, anachronistic brand of music to Vermont.

2014 marks Jeremy’s first complete year as a Burlington area

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide resident, and with that comes his breakthrough album Causality, which he hopes will carry him to new heights in 2015, beginning with his First Night debut.

Jernigan Pontiac Phoenix Books • 3-3:40 pm • 5-5:40 pm When someone described “Hackie” – Jernigan Pontiac’s Seven Days column – as “a love letter to Burlington,” Jernigan thought about it and said, “Well, that’s about right.”

For 18 years and counting, Jernigan has chronicled his adventures as a local cab driver, spinning endless stories and spawning two book collections in the process. When he received his New England Press Association first-place award, the judges wrote, “Brilliant!

What an amazing writer. He offers a first-person perspective into things we can only wonder about.” Join Jernigan, the elusive cabbie himself, as he tells a few of his stories and answers all your questions about cab driving and life.

Jon Gailmor Especially For Kids: Fletcher Free Library Main Reading Room • 4-4:40 pm For So-Called Grown Ups: First Congregational Church Sanctuary • 7-7:40 pm Jon Gailmor’s performances are poignant and topical, frivolous and childish, profoundly meaningful and criminally absurd. The songs are fraught with audience involvement, rampant hopefulness, and questionable humor. The songs are mostly originals, with a smattering of traditional ballads, blues, and other tunes Jon failed to grow up on. Jon often abandons any semblance of a set list to custom-design his show for the listeners at hand. Jon is deeply grateful to them, figuring that the least he can do is to leave them totally uplifted, optimistic, and emotionally spent. Jon’s 4 pm performance at First Night Burlington 2015 is kids-and-familyoriented, while at 7 pm, he’ll be focusing on so-called grownups.

Kamikaze Comedy Phoenix Books • 6-6:40 pm • 8-8:40 pm Kamikaze kicks off its 20th year of inspired madness in Vermont with two performances at First Night 2015. The madcap comedy troupe presents sketches or “games” built on audience suggestions. It’s your show, it’s our show, it’s everybody’s show! Ever seen Whose Line Is It Anyway? Yeah, well they steal Kamikaze’s stuff all the time. We ask for topics, names, jobs, lines of dialog, you name it. We bring people into certain scenes (if you dare!), then get you playing along. Be ready to give suggestions to guide our scenes. It’s a night of voices and characters, all spontaneously drawn up on the spot.Past First Night shows have featured invisible people and celebrity sightings, superheroes and infomercials, contests and operettas. Anything can happen and quite a bit does!

Kat Wright & Brett Hughes First Congregational Church Sanctuary • 3-3:40 pm Kat Wright and Brett Hughes love to dig down to find the roots of songs – to take the spare and unadorned structure of melodies and build a world around each one, to let them breathe. To breathe new life into each one— with alternately lonesome and mournful, joyful and soaring harmonies. They share an easy rapport, and bring to Brett’s originals and their inspired choice of cover songs an equally reverent and heartfelt enthusiasm.

Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band Flynn Center MainStage • 7:30-8:30 pm Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band are on a mission to fill you with music that aims right for the heart and moves your soul without ever overlooking your booty. It all starts with Kat’s voice, which shares a timeless quality with some of history’s greatest singers. (Think young Bonnie Raitt meets Amy Winehouse.) Couple Kat’s sultry, dynamic, delicate yet highly emotive vocals with the instrumental funk and grit of the Indomitable Soul Band and you are exploring a new soundscape, blending Memphis soul and new-school R-&-B in a singular musical stew. This is music that heals, uplifts, and leaves you smiling and feeling fine.

The Leatherbound Books First Congregational Church Chapel • 6-6:40 pm The Leatherbound Books forge a uniquely inspired, poppy blend of danceable folk music that radiates a sense of universality. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Eric Daniels sits at the core of the Burlington-based band.

Daniels’ brilliantly catchy and inherently honest songwriting is seamlessly augmented by the angelic vocal contributions of fellow singer-songwriter and bassist Jackie Buttolph. Together, they create a refreshingly transparent snapshot into the soul of the band’s expressive foundation and fun-loving nature. Daniels and Buttolph are in good company: Tuck Hanson’s fiery, innovative fiddle soars over the driving, stomp-worthy work of drummer Charlie Smyrk.

Linda Bassick Fletcher Free Library, Main Reading Room • 3-3:40 pm Linda Bassick has been playing kids’ music on Friday mornings at Burlington’s Radio Bean for the past two years. But her kids’ music roots go much deeper than that. An early childhood educator for many years, Linda has developed a free-flowing musical experience for kids of all ages. Rhythm

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide instruments and streamers make the rounds as everyone moves and grooves to the tunes. Linda can also been seen with the Vermont bands Steady Betty and Mellow Yellow.

Lyric Theatre Company First United Methodist Church • 3-3:40 pm • 5-5:40 pm • 7-7:40 pm Lyric Theatre Company sings the best of Broadway! Lyric’s cabaret singers always entertain. These First Night performances will feature songs from our 41st season of shows, including The Producers and Legally Blonde: The Musical, as well as your classic favorites. Come along for the ride!

Maple Jam First United Methodist Church • 6-6:40 pm • 9-9:40 pm Maple Jam is a Burlington-based a cappella vocal jazz octet specializing in performing magnificent, close-harmony arrangements of jazz and popular tunes a la groups such as the Swingle Singers, Manhattan Transfer, and the Singers Unlimited. Maple Jam’s show includes fun vocal interpretations of instrumental jazz classics as well as breathtaking renditions of favorite tunes from the American Songbook. Sit back, relax and let Maple Jam’s rich, smooth sound launch you into 2015 with a big smile on your face and a song in your heart.

McFadden Academy of Irish Dance Edmunds School Gym • 4-4:40 pm • 6-6:40 pm The McFadden Academy of Irish Dance was established in 2008 by Beth Anne McFadden. It is the only certified and accredited Irish dance school in Vermont. The McFadden Academy offers classes for people ages four through adult. The McFadden Academy dancers have performed at numerous events around the region, including dancing with world-class musicians The Chieftans at the Paramount Theater in Rutland, Eileen Ivers and Dervish at the Flynn Center, and Beoga at the Barre Opera House, The troupe’s dancers have competed at the local, regional, and national levels with great success. Their performances are sure-fire crowd pleasers.

Me2/orchestra First Baptist Church • 6-6:40 pm Inspired by the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Day concert, Me2/orchestra and conductor Ronald Braunstein will present a program featuring Strauss waltzes, polkas, and marches. There will be time for a brief Q&A with the musicians, and this year the audience is invited to participate in a sing-a-long selection, as well! Me2/orchestra consists of people with and without mental illnesses who give exhilarating performances designed to erase stigma. Ring in 2015 by enjoying this program of upbeat orchestral favorites performed in a stigma-free zone.

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Michael Chorney & Hollar General College Street Congregational Church • 8-8:40 pm Comprised of four of the finest players from Vermont’s small but vital music community, Hollar General concerts are displays of remarkable musical chemistry, deep listening, and virtuosic interplay. Bandmates Michael Chorney, Geza Carr, and Rob Morse have worked together for many years. Just prior to forming Hollar General they were the backbone of Hadestown, Anais Mitchell’s acclaimed folkopera project. Fronting Hollar General, Michael Chorney steps to the microphone with a distinctive voice and insightful songwriting, capturing listeners with a whole new take on Americana. Folk, blues, ragtime, jazz, and chamber music all blend in a heady mix of music from the roots of the American experience.

Michèle Choinière Unitarian Universalist Church • 6-6:40 pm Michèle Choinière is an award-winning, Smithsonian Folkways recording artist with a radiant and compelling voice. Her concerts transport listeners to a time of wistful café-cabaret culture, featuring rhythmic melodies and passion-filled laments that linger long after the music ends. Born into a musical family in northern Vermont, Michèle began performing traditional Franco-American music at an early age, joined by her father Fabio, an accomplished harmonica player. In 1995, she began writing and composing her own songs and has performed to audiences throughout New England, Québec, and France ever since. Michèle has recorded an archival family collection of Franco-American music with her father and is featured on the Smithsonian Folkways recording Mademoiselle Voulez-Vous Danser: Franco-American Music from the New England Borderlands. Michèle’s performances blend traditional Franco-American and Québecois folk songs, original compositions, jazz standards, and the occasional French cabaret classic.

Migmar Tsering Unitarian Universalist Church • 7-7:40 pm Migmar Tsering is a Tibetan native who grew up in India due to the social and political unrest that still characterizes Tibet today. During high school he became involved with the traditional song and dance that are central to his country’s heritage. He has continued to practice these traditional arts into adulthood. He has performed in various locales in Chittenden County, including the Integrated Arts Academy, and helps to organize the Tibetan Festival that takes place in Burlington each fall. His performances of the Tibetan guitar, flute, and traditional dances pay tribute to an important part of Tibetan cultural history, preserving it for future generations. Migmar lives in South Burlington with his wife and family, and is a very active member of Vermont’s Tibetan community. He currently serves as president of the Tibetan Association of Vermont.

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide Mister Chris & Friends College Street Congregational Church • 2-2:40 pm Fletcher Free Library Main Reading Room • 5-5:40 pm Singer-songwriter Chris Dorman is passionate about creating music for children and families. “Kiddos deserve their own music,” Chris says. “And we are working every day to write and record songs that respect their emotional intelligence and sense of wonder.” Family Archive, the first full-length album from Mister Chris & Friends, has already reached hundreds of families throughout Vermont and now with their enthusiastic support the band’s national debut, Always There, is set to be released and distributed far beyond the borders of the Green Mountain State.

The Modern Grass Quintet First Congregational Church Sanctuary • 5-5:40 pm The Modern Grass Quintet is one of Vermont’s premier contemporary bluegrass ensembles. Band members Adam Buchwald, Stephen Waud, Kirk Lord, Todd Sagar, and Andy Greene perform their trademark blend of compelling, high-energy acoustic music throughout the region, including appearances at First Night Burlington, the Ripton Community Coffeehouse, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Rattling Brook Bluegrass Festival, and the Valley Stage Music Festival. The MGQ’s 2012 debut recording met with rave reviews from Robert Resnik of Vermont Public Radio, Art Edelstein of the Barre TimesArgus, and Barb Heller of North Country Public Radio. Their latest acclaimed CD, Bellwether, was released in 2014.

Myra Flynn First Congregational Church Sanctuary • 10-11:30 pm Singer/songwriter Myra Flynn spends her career embracing dichotomy. Half Irish and half African-American, her original indie soul songs blend deeply affecting vocals with a lyrical delivery that never lets listeners get too comfortable.

As New England Deli Magazine puts it, “(Myra’s) vocal influences have as much in common with Ani Difranco and Shawn Colvin as they do with Rihanna and Jill Scott.”

Paul Asbell First Congregational Church Chapel • 4-4:40pm • 5-5:40 pm In his 45-year professional career, Paul Asbell has played and recorded with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Paul Butterfield, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, David Bromberg, Paul Siebel, Mary McCaslin, Sonny Stitt, Jon Hendricks, Bobby McFerrin, and many others.

His jazz-fusion group Kilimanjaro has released several award26

winning recordings, and performed at jazz festivals worldwide, including Montreux, Montreal, Atlanta, Jakarta, and Roskilde in Copenhagen. Paul’s three solo CDs, Steel-String Americana, Roots and Branches, and From Adamant To Atchafalaya, have received rave reviews from Guitar Player, DownBeat, Vintage Guitar, and Acoustic Guitar for their fresh takes on blues and jazz standards, old-timey country tunes, and original pieces from the “American roots” tradition. Paul has taught guitar for more than 40 years, and presently teaches at Middlebury College and the University of Vermont.

PossumHaw College Street Congregational Church • 6-6:40 pm “[Colby Crehan is]the best female vocalist in country music this state has produced in many years.” – Barre Times-Argus

Formed in 2004, the bluegrass and countryfolk group PossumHaw has evolved into a well-oiled machine with stunning vocal harmonies and stellar acoustic instrumentation. Jazz and blues influences weave through a repertoire of original music, fueled by Colby Crehan’s skilled songwriting and powerful vocals.

These components come to life on the band’s fourth release, Waiting and Watching, and onstage, where these deft musicians take turns shining.

Prydein Contois Auditorium • 7-7:40 pm • 9-9:40 pm Prydein is a Celtic rock band born in the Green Mountains by a couple of University of Vermont students seeking a new and exciting sound. That sound was bagpipes mixed with electric guitar. The music, the energy, and the humor coming from the group quickly propelled them to the national stage. Thanks to the impeccable bagpiping of Iain MacHarg and the vocal/guitar work of Aron Garceau, the band has become a staple on the Highland Games circuit as well as headliners at Celtic music festivals across the nation. Featuring traditional Highland piping mixed with modern rock flavor, Prydein is an invigorating experience to see live.

Queen City Hot Club FlynnSpace • 5-5:40 pm Queen City Hot Club plays American and European standards in the Gypsy jazz style created by Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, and their legendary Quintet Hot Club de France. Rooted in 1930s’ swing, QCHC also incorporates contemporary Gypsy sounds popular in Europe today. This fiery acoustic music has started to make inroads in North America - and now in Vermont. Melodic and improvisational with a driving rhythm, it appeals to listeners of all ages and musical tastes. QCHC features Jim Stout on guitar.

Jim is a transplant from New York City, where he worked with musicians ranging from Johnny Thunders to Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five. Also featured are Tyler Bolles (Brett Hughes, Swale, Jamie Masefield, Doug Perkins) on upright bass and Greg Ryan (They Might Be Gypsies, Rani Arbo) on guitar.

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide Ray Vega & Tales From The Boogie Down

Rik Palieri: A Tribute to Pete Seeger

FlynnSpace • 10-11:30 pm

Fletcher Free Library, Main Reading Room • 8-8:40 pm

First Night Burlington presents the debut of a new jazz-funk band: Ray Vega and Tales From The Boogie Down. Trumpeter/composer Ray Vega has assembled an all-star ensemble that features some of the region’s most prominent musicians. The band members are saxophonist Brian McCarthy (The Grippo Funk Band), keyboardist Andy Moroz (Barika, Trey Anastasio), bassist Rob Morse (Barika and a long list of other credits), drummer Caleb Bronz (Barika, Patricia Julien Project, Prydein, The Gordon Stone Band) and percussionist Scott Dean (leader of Afinque). Originally from the borough of the Bronx in New York, Ray borrows the nickname of Bronx County, which is “The Boogie Down,” to give his new group a name. The band will serve up a mix of urban sounds combining jazz, funk, R&B, neo-soul, and salsa to create a wholly unique sonic experience. This is the music that accompanied Ray while he was growing up in a housing project in the South Bronx. Ray Vega’s musical story is quite simple: from the South Bronx to South Burlington, with a lot of beautiful places in between.

Red Hot Juba Contois Auditorium • 10-11:30 pm Red Hot Juba has become a fixture of First Night Burlington’s late evening sets for a reason: They are a swingin’, stompin’, caterwaulin’, guitar pickin’, bass thumpin’, horn blowin’, sweet singin’ good time.

They appeal to the dance crowd for their irresistible swing, the musicophiles for their eclectic set lists, and the guitar worshipers for D. Davis’s guitar-shredding style. They also appeal to the goodtime pirates for what they are: irrepressible musical explorers who inevitably look to chart new improvisational waters. They have capped the night off for many First Night revelers for years now, and look forward to doing it for you. Get your dose of Juba before the clock turns to 2015!

Rick Norcross College Street Congregational Church • 10-10:40 pm Fresh from a triumphant “Riding My Guitar” tour, CD and biography release celebrating 50 years in music, Rick Norcross responded to the call of his fans asking for a recording of the best of his Vermont story songs. Rick’s First Night Burlington performance will be drawn from Welcome To OUR Vermont, a 12-song CD compilation of slightly off-center tunes that paint a musical picture of a Vermont that may no longer exist.

The tunes are all based on historical incidents and experiences, painted with a dose of familiar Vermont sayings, sometimes wacky, often hilarious, and always infused with Rick’s heartfelt love of the Green Mountain State shining brightly through. Learn more at rickandtheramblers.com.

First Night veteran Rik Palieri has put together a special tribute to his old friend Pete Seeger, featuring many of Pete’s classic songs and stories, accompanied by banjo and 12-string guitar. A singer, producer, musician, and author, Rik Palieri has been using his art to promote peace and understanding in concerts throughout the world for four decades. He carries the flame of old traditions while inspiring a younger generation with his stories and songs of the human condition. Rik has toured around the world from Australia to Argentina, and throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada. He has performed at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and Nashville’s Country Music Hall Of Fame, sharing the stage with his friend and mentor, Pete Seeger, as well as such legends as Bruce Springsteen, Harry Chapin, Utah Phillips, and Peter Yarrow.

Shady Rill College Street Congregational Church • 7-7:40 pm First Congregational Church Sanctuary • 9-9:40 pm Patti Casey and Tom MacKenzie are two of central Vermont’s musical gems. Together as Shady Rill, they explore everything from French-Canadian dance tunes to Tin Pan Alley, old-time country, and a healthy dose of originals. Patti is an award-winning songwriter whose voice will melt your heart. Tom’s banjo and voice are a perfect complement as the duo weaves their way through the many styles of tradition-based songs and tunes.

Singalong with Megan, Emer & Robert College Street Congregational Church • 3-3:40 pm Robert Resnik, Megan Estey Butterfield, and Emer Pond Feeney returning to First Night to provide sing-along fun for kids of all ages.They all work at the Fletcher Free Library, and all have been performing music for children and their grownups for years.

They come fully armed with designer kazoos, a ukulele, and a big collection of songs, many of which you already know and some which you will love to learn. Please come prepared to sing, quack, and dance along!

The Starline Rhythm Boys Contois Auditorium • 3-3:40 pm Formed in 1998 and now celebrating 16 years together, The Starline Rhythm Boys

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide are a drummer-less “Tennessee Trio”, consisting of Danny Coane (“Little Danny C”) on acoustic rhythm guitar, “Big Al” Lemery on electric lead guitar, and Billy (“Slappin’ Billy B”) Bratcher on acoustic upright “slap” bass. The trio performs in the style of the early bands of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins, performing vintage country, honky-tonk, and rockabilly along with tight, powerful country harmony and duet vocals. Their repertoire consists of many superb originals, mainly written by Billy, as well as great covers of both classic and obscure numbers. The Starline Rhythm Boys are a unique original band with outstanding, realdeal sound, style, energy, stage presence, and appearance. They have released seven recordings, three of which won “#1 Album of the Year” (2002, 2007, and 2009) on the Freeform American Roots (FAR) chart based in Austin, Texas.

Steady Betty Contois Auditorium • 5-5:40 pm Steady Betty is a seven-piece “all-star rocksteady band” (Seven Days). Formed in 2012, the band pays homage to the classic late-1960s sounds of Jamaica. Rocksteady is at the roots of the reggae genre – a danceable, soulful successor to ska. Steady Betty showcases Vermont-based women musicians – vocalists Linda Bassick (Mellow Yellow), Kat Wright (Indomitable Soul Band), and Miriam Bernardo (Afinque), as well as Emily Ryan (alto sax, Mango Jam), Allison Frazier (baritone sax, Shakedown), Jennifer Giammanco (bass), and drummer Jane Boxall. Steady Betty’s Vermont shows have drawn dance-happy capacity crowds and enthusiasm from local press.

Steve Hartmann First Congregational Church Chapel • 8-8:40 pm Having been described as in the grey area between Dave Matthews and Damien Rice, Steve Hartmann brings the vocal power and musical grace of a seasoned pro to the First Night stage. Drawing on personal and second-hand tales, Steve touches on love, loss, strength, and anguish to pull you to the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more. With evocative vocals reflecting his roots in the music of Peter Gabriel and Sarah McLachlan, Hartmann fuses past influences with current experiences, creating a timeless mesh of music. He’s shared the stage with Dashboard Confessional, Joe Perry, Jeffrey Gaines, and Livingston Taylor at places such as The House of Blues and Charles Playhouse in Boston, as well as Higher Ground and Battery Park in Burlington. Steve is accompanied at First Night by Jane Kittredge on violin.

Tenores de Aterúe First Baptist Church • 5-5:40 pm Unitarian Universalist Church • 8-8:40 pm Founded in 2008, the Tenores de Aterúe have performed in the United States, Canada, and Sardinia, where they have received critical and popular acclaim for their prowess in the art of cantu a tenore, a 30

traditional Sardinian song form that involves harmonic throat singing in parts. With complex, interlocking dance rhythms magnified by ringing overtones, the sound is at once otherworldly and infectiously down-home. Tenores de Aterúe are Avery Book (bassu), Gideon Crevoshay (mesu oche), Carl Linich (contra), and Doug Paisley (oche). In a special treat, the Tenores de Aterúe will perform twice at First Night 2015 as part of the “Traditional Voices” program, funded by the Concert Artists Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation. Catch the Tenores at our classical music venue, the First Baptist Church, and at the international music venue, the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Tim Jennings & Leanne Ponder Phoenix Books • 4-4:40 pm This highly entertaining duo performs interwoven, interlocking narrative - a British storytelling journal called it “verbal jazz” - with occasional music on Celtic harp, ukulele, and English concertina. All of their material is traditional folk – “the real stuff,” they call it – full of branching roads, transformations, and characters you’ll never forget: rogues and villainesses, heroes and heroines, the obsessed, the fated, the foolish, the charmed. Tim and Leanne have told stories on four continents, headlined storytelling festivals throughout the United States, and won several important national awards. They remain very familiar to fellow Vermonters from 30 years of regular appearances at area resorts, festivals, schools, and colleges, as well as on public radio and television.

Toni Catlin & Brett Hughes First Congregational Church Chapel • 9-9:40 pm Equal parts rootsy folk-rock, Americana, and country, singer-songwriter Toni Catlin weaves tales of heartache, acceptance, and redemption, delivering them in a soulful, mellifluous voice that suggests she’s lived more than a few of her lyrics. Toni recorded two CDs in Nashville, Heartache on the Run, which won best song at the prestigious Merlefest, and Uncovered, which was produced by Grammy-winner Doug Lancio of Patty Griffin fame. Toni currently calls Burlington home, but is signed to a publishing deal with Matt Lindsey Music in Nashville. Toni has toured extensively overseas, been a featured artist on the BBC, and has opened shows and shared the stage with Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle, among others. She’s been a featured artist at the SXSW Festival in Austin, at Tin Pan South and Fan Fair in Nashville, and on National Public Radio. Brett Hughes is a virtuoso musician, in-demand session player, and producer based in Burlington. Toni’s and Brett’s voices complement each other beautifully, with their harmonies lending themselves wondrously to their original tunes and covers.

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide Va-et-Vient Unitarian Universalist Church • 3-3:40 pm A sizeable percentage of New Englanders are of French-Canadian heritage. Va-etVient celebrates the music of this wonderful culture and keeps its presence alive through performance and education for both young and old listeners alike.

Va-et-Vient have continuously expanded their repertoire through the discovery and study of available resources, ranging from archived recordings to attending singing sessions in the homes of some of Québec’s most respected keepers of songs. Together since 2003, they have performed at many of Vermont’s most respected venues, including the Flynn MainStage, the Middlebury Festival on the Green, the Vergennes French Heritage Festival, the Champlain Valley Folk Festival, and many more.

Vermont Youth Orchestra Flynn Center MainStage • 1-2 pm

be provided – so be prepared to shake, rattle, and roll!

Will Patton Ensemble Unitarian Universalist Church • 5-5:40 pm Combine a jazz/choro mandolinist with a symphony violinist who also plays bluegrass and hot swing. Add a string bass player who came of age working the Chicago blues clubs with the likes of Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy, a professor of music who also plays jazz fusion guitar, and a drummer whose career includes the ex-pat jazz world of Paris in the ‘50s and the folk scene of Greenwich Village in the early 60s. Stir in a little rock-&-roll attitude and season for 10 years in small clubs and large concert halls and you get some idea of the music of the Will Patton Ensemble. Led by renowned jazz mandolinist Will Patton, the Ensemble deftly blends these many musical genres into a seamless whole, focusing on high-energy improvisation and group interaction. Their repertoire - featuring fiery Brazilian sambas and folk waltzes, gentle choros and hot Gypsy jazz - takes you on a musical journey from a Parisian bistro to a plaza in the heart of Rio and back home again to your front porch.

The Vermont Youth Orchestra continues its First Night tradition with a festive program including Richard Strauss’ elegant Rosenkavalier Waltz, John Williams’ brilliant music for Star Wars, and one of the best party pieces, Saint-Saens’ Bacchanale, all performed by 90 young musicians from throughout the North Country.

Very Merry Theatre Edmunds School Gym • 3-3:40 pm • 5-5:40 pm Very Merry Theatre is a Vermontbased, non-profit theater company that produces shows, workshops, and classes serving more than a thousand children and teenagers annually. This dynamic company of talented youths ages 10 and up brings its original musical adaptation of Peter Pan to First Night Burlington.

VPR’s “Rock Around the Clock” Sock Hop with Joel Najman Edmunds School Gym • 7-8:30 pm Joel Najman, the legendary host of Vermont Public Radio’s My Place rock-&-roll history program, will spin tunes, share stories, and get everyone on their feet to the music of the 1950s. This evening of dance to oldies classics takes place in the perfect setting – a school gymnasium, decorated to evoke the era of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, and the rise of the doo wop sound. Fifties dress is encouraged but not required. . . here’s your chance to crack out that poodle skirt, dig up the hair pomade, and revive your duckbill ‘do! Joel Najman has been a vibrant part of Vermont’s radio scene for more than 50 years. Joining Joel for this fab Fifties sock hop will be another Vermont radio veteran, deejay Larry Brett. And here’s an added plus: dance instruction will 33

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Where to Stay Special First Night packages are available at these fine hotels. Personalized package information can be found at firstnightburlington.com.

Best Western Plus Windjammer Inn and Conference Center 1076 Williston Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 863-1125 | (800) 371-1125

Courtyard Burlington Harbor Hotel 25 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 864-4700

Fairfield Inn

Hotel Vermont

2844 Saint George Road Williston, VT 05495 (802) 879-8999

41 Cherry Street Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 651-0080 | (855) 650-0080

Hampton Inn Burlington

Smart Suites

42 Lower Mountain View Drive Colchester, VT 05446 (802) 655-6177 | (877) 230-5031

1700 Shelburne Road South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 860-9900 | (877) 862-6800

Hilton Burlington 60 Battery Street Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 658-6500 | (800) 445-8667

Proud Sponsors of First Night Burlington 2015 Committed to the Arts, Cultural Tourism, and Responsible Celebration

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Donated Sites & Food Sales

First Night Burlington would not be possible without the generous donation of venue space by these Burlington churches, schools, institutions, and businesses. Their dedication to First Night makes this event possible year after year.

Please support their fundraising efforts by enjoying some of the hearty food available at many of these locations.

College Street Congregational Church 265 College Street

Edmunds School

Phoenix Books 191 Bank Street

The Unitarian Universalist Church 152 Pearl Street

275 Main Street

Lasagna Supper, 5-7 pm

PTO Benefit, 12 Noon-7 pm

Italian food at family prices for hungry First Nighters. A hearty, tummy-warming spread to benefit the church, located downstairs in the dining room.

Get your hot dogs, chili, and corn bread here. They’ll also be serving home-baked goods, soft drinks, bottled water and, of course, coffee, cider, and hot chocolate to warm you up! All proceeds benefit the Edmunds Middle School PTO.

First Baptist Church 81 St. Paul Street Green Steeple Café, 2-10 pm Homemade vegetarian chili, corn chowder, hot and cold sandwiches, plus cookies and beverages – all at very reasonable prices to benefit the church.

First Congregational Church 38 South Winooski Avenue

Fletcher Free Library 235 College Street

First United Methodist Church 21 Buell Street Beef Stew Supper, 4-8 pm Come inside, warm up in the Fellowship Hall, and enjoy the church’s famous beef stew, fresh homemade baked goods, and an assortment of hot beverages. A children’s menu is also available. All proceeds support the church and its mission.

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You can’t be everywhere.

Talk to your teen about underage drinking.

By setting clear rules, limiting access to alcohol and refusing to host underage drinking parties, you can help protect your family from consequences that can affect you and your teen for the rest of your lives.

Want more information? We can help.

Visit www.parentupvt.org or dial 211 for tools and resources.

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Thank You Friends & Contributors!

This festival would not be possible without the support and assistance of many wonderful individuals and organizations in our community. Our deepest appreciation goes out to these Friends of First Night: First Night Burlington 2014* Anonymous (4) Jim and Donna Antell Marjorie Berger James and Carol Bouyea Mary Ellen Bridge Paul Bruhn John Carpenter Gerry and Ginny Couture Jennifer Crowell Lorei Dawson Martha and Ron DeCoigne Debbie and Ed DeMulder Frank and Ducky Donath John and Sandra Dooley Tom and Betsy Dunn Rolfe and Viraj Eastman Gary and Jane Farrell Ted and Joyce Flanagan Mary Ann Gentry Tom and Theresa Heinrich Peter and Anne Kreisel Marilyn Larkin Jackie Levine Carolyn E. Long Joan Martin Robert Phillips David Porteous and Vicky Smith Andrea Rogers and Avery Hall Kay and Richard Ryder Susan Saferstein Christina Scanlon Deborah Sharpe George and Gloria Singer Dana and Mary Ellen Spencer Suzanne Weiss Amy Wise Nancy Wright and Steven Lidle First Night Burlington 2015** Anonymous (2) Celia and Paul Asbell Bill Atkinson Michael and Camilla Bowater

Ted and Joan Braun Paul Bruhn Joseph and Claire Cafaro Christine Campanile Dunbar Becky and Richard Cassidy Richard and Rose Colletti Ann Curran Victor Eiser John and Jane Ewing Joseph and Cathy Frank Vicki Fraser John and Emily Gennari John and Mary Gersbach Carol and George Gibson Harry Grabenstein Kathy Granai, Montgomery & Merrill PC William Harwood and Elaine Hubert Stephany Hasse Michael Healy and Debra Blumberg Sandy and Susan Jacobs Larry and Rhonda Kost Connie Krosney Todd Lockwood Charles and Genevieve Lotz Bruce and Pam MacPherson Bill Mares and Chris Hadsel Philip and Ann Mead Marcia Merrill, Montgomery & Merrill PC Sandy and Muffie Milens Colleen Montgomery, Montgomery & Merrill PC William and Lisa Northup Maria Novas-Schmidt and Jose Schmidt Amy Otten Rose Pels Junius L. Powell, Jr. Pat Robins and Lisa Schamberg Andrea Rogers and Avery Hall Kay and Richard Ryder Beth and Jeff Schoellkopf Brent and Barbara Sclafani Susan and Craig Sim Dana and Mary Ellen Spencer Elinore Standard Barry and Carol Stone

Maida Townsend Lorre and Jay Tucker, Expressions Bruce and Lillian Venner Annie Voldman Burt and Pat Wilcke Kenneth Wolvington Thanks to Our Wonderful Volunteers First Night Burlington is fueled by our amazing volunteers. We are blessed by the abundance of people from our community who step forward each year in the spirit of giving back to Burlington and the surrounding region. Check out the volunteer section of the First Night website and join the dedicated volunteers who come back year after year.   First Night Burlington Sites & Venues BCA Center Church Street Marketplace Contois Auditorium at City Hall College Street Congregational Church Edmunds Middle School First Baptist Church First Congregational Church First United Methodist Church Fletcher Free Library Flynn Center for the Performing Arts Greater Burlington YMCA Merrill’s Roxy Cinema Memorial Auditorium Phoenix Books Unitarian Universalist Church Waterfront Park Special Friends & Community Contributors Andrew Champagne Burlington City Arts Burlington Department of Public Works Burlington Fire Department Burlington Parks and Recreation Burlington Police Department Chittenden County Transportation Authority Church Street Marketplace

* First Night Burlington wishes to recognize those donors not recognized in the 2014 Program Guide ** This listing reflects donations received and processed as of October 17, 2014.

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Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

Burlington 2015 Festival Guide

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