Event Type : Music & Dancing

American multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, producer, and singer-songwriter Jolie Holland has been on the road since the early 2000s, releasing seven of her own albums and collaborating on countless others. Her work has been described as a synchronization of American roots, with rock and experimental elements. Jon Braught has been playing music in New England for twenty years. He started playing guitar, after struggling to put a voice to emotion, finding it an important expressive outlet. Music was a natural conduit for creation. Sofi performs whispered protest songs that combine voice, guitar, synthesizer and urban field recordings, while Alice's operatic refrains weave together chamber and psych folk with her own modern experimentations. Door will open at 7pm and music will begin at 7:30pm. Seating is limited and first come first served!

The phrase “hidden gem” would seem appropriate here, but it’s a misnomer when talking about Dean Johnson. He shines bright, in plain sight, and it was only a matter of time before people stopped to take a look. Dean’s gentle and passionate approach to songwriting has inspired many, and his work provides the listener the opportunity to believe once more that a song can be more than the sum of its parts. If you catch even a phrase of his melodies or the sobering tone of his voice, it waltzes its way into your heart like a letter written, signed, sealed, and delivered just for you. Silvie's Okay is the ache-y country project of Vince Thompson. Silvie’s Okay is a return to his roots of blasting pop country through the AM radio of a tractor. Thompson manages to highlight his personal experiences in queer identity, grief, love and lust with hard-hitting lyricism and enticing hooks, inviting a wider audience to dive in and find their own reflections in his work.   Tickets are $20 in advance and will be $23 the day of the show. Doors are at 7:00pm and music will start around 7:30pm. Seating is limited and first come first served. This show is all ages.

Concert Band is an ensemble environment designed for the highest level of music making. Students from all majors and backgrounds have the opportunity to rehearse, study, and perform a variety of wind band literature, from original concert band literature, to transcriptions, to concert marches and more. The Concert Band serves the community through scheduled performances, which may include campus ceremonies and other public events. It also serves music major students as a laboratory ensemble to synthesize material that is learned in other music courses, such as conducting, music education, and composition. Concert Band is designed to examine and perform music repertoire accomplishments from the middle ages to the present. Location: Main Theatre Price: General Public $15/ Non-KSC Student & Senior Citizens (65+) $10/ KSC Students, Faculty & Staff FREE

Keene State is unique among New England schools for its Guitar Orchestra. The KSC Guitar Orchestra has been a curricular offering since the 1970s. Since 1991, and under the direction of Dr. Jose Lezcano, the KSC Guitar Orchestra has performed on a tour of Northern Ecuadorean Universities, and for Quito’s prestigious “Casa de la Musica” concert hall (2010). The group has performed frequently at the annual concerts (Festival 21 and New England Ensembles) sponsored by the Boston Guitar Society; has performed in Staten Island, NYC, with the Curtis High School Guitar Orchestra; and was a featured showcase ensemble for the New Hampshire Music Educators’ Association All-State Festival. In addition to its spring and fall performances at Redfern Arts Center, it has performed frequently in the region for civic groups, churches, and schools, and is open by audition to students, staff, and community members. We encourage guitar aficionados to join us! The Keene State Latin American Ensemble is open to students and members of the campus community. No previous musical experience or reading ability is required. Although all styles of Latin music are programmed, the ensemble specializes in the folkloric and ritual music of the Andes. The music of the Andes (Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and other South American nations) has travelled around the globe, due to touring professional ensembles such as Inti Illiamni and Quillapayun, who also performed it as a vehicle for social commentary and protest. The exotic timbres of panpipes, charangos (Andean guitar), bombo (Andean drum), and mostly pentatonic melodies, have captivated audiences from stage to subway platforms. Much of this music has its origins in ritual observances such as Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun), celebrated in its hybrid, syncretic form, as San Juan (Saint John). These rituals and musical traditions have endured centuries of European colonization and are a testament to the strength of Indigenous and Mestizo peoples and cultures. Students and community members learn to play the panpipes of Southern Peru and Ecuador in dialogue style, a traditional communal practice. Also included in the ensemble’s concerts are autochthonous string instruments from the Music Department’s inventory which can be checked out for individual study. The ensemble was founded by Dr. Jose Lezcano in 1992, and is a component of the academic courses IAMU 112 (Latin American Music Survey) and IAMU 312 (Latin American Music, Society, and Culture). Location: Alumni Recital Hall Price: General Public $15/ Non-KSC Student & Senior Citizens (65+) $10/ KSC Students, Faculty & Staff FREE

Vocal Consort: Keene Vocal Consort is a small, auditioned vocal ensemble dedicated to medieval, renaissance, and baroque repertoire. Emphasis is placed on individual preparation, leadership, and historical performance practice. KVC has enjoyed several exciting projects recently, including a collaboration with the Ewing Arts Award-winning Chamber Singers of Keene, mounting a staged production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen with KSC Opera and Boston-based ensemble Seven Times Salt, and presenting a service of Lessons and Carols with Saint Bernard Church on Main Street. Contemporary Ensemble: All music was once new. As a promoter of new music, our music faculty enables students to learn, understand, and embrace contemporary chamber music. Students work in small groups of duos and trios and focus on diverse contemporary repertoire, particularly the work of living composers. Location: Alumni Recital Hall Price: General Public $15/ Non-KSC Student & Senior Citizens (65+) $10/ KSC Students, Faculty & Staff FREE