UPCOMING EVENTS
TYPE OF EVENT
All Hallows' Eve: Spooky tunes, songs and tales from Scotland
All Hallows' Eve: Spooky tunes, songs and tales from Scotland
Finding Voice in Food and Memoir Writing Workshop
Join James Beard award-winning food journalist and NPR’s Here and Now Resident Chef Kathy Gunst for a full day of writing, prompts, sharing work, and more.
Voice is at the heart of what distinguishes good writing from great writing. How do you find your voice (and not mimic others)? This will be the focus of our workshop.
Reed Foehl w/Jake McKelvie
Join us as Grammy Award Nominated musician and songwriter Reed Foehl returns to The Word Barn with special guest Jake McKelvie.
Vance Gilbert
Can something be wry, aching, hysterical, evocative, provocative, fun, beautifully sung and consummately played all at once? That would be Vance Gilbert. While he has released 13 albums thus far, Vance truly happens live.
Old-Time Jam
Come be part of The Word Barn's monthly jam session that is welcome and open to all levels and all instruments. Fiddler Betsy Green will led the session through a variety of folk and traditional tunes, and give you the chance to share some of your own (if you want).
Joshua Burnside
Hailing from County Down, Northern Ireland, Joshua Burnside is an award-winning singer/songwriter whose music incorporates elements of Irish folk, Scottish folk rock, Americana, world music, sound collage and electronia.
Session Americana with Eleanor Buckland
Come catch the return of this freewheelin’ modern hootenanny who are headed back to the Word Barn for a super fun night - special guest Eleanor Buckland sits in with them!
Cheryl Wheeler - CANCELED
Don’t miss the return of Cheryl Wheeler to the stage - all in the special, intimate setting of The Word Barn for two shows!
Cheryl Wheeler - CANCELED
Don’t miss the return of Cheryl Wheeler to the stage - all in the special, intimate setting of The Word Barn for two shows!
Matt Shore Does Songs at You: A Musical Comedy Show
oin Portsmouth native Matt Shore for an evening of hilarious, high-energy pop tunes crafted from the mundane things in life.
Owls of New England
Come join for the return of our Environmental Education series and meet some amazing owl and raptor species up close while learning all about them thanks to the wonderful Tailwinds educators.
David Lowery
David Lowery (Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven) heads to The Word Barn for a special evening in celebration of his recent released series of loosely autobiographical albums.
David Francey
Four-time JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) Award winner, David Francey is a Scottish-born Canadian carpenter-turned-songwriter, who has become known as “one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers” (Toronto Star).
David Francey - SOLD OUT
Four-time JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) Award winner, David Francey is a Scottish-born Canadian carpenter-turned-songwriter, who has become known as “one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers” (Toronto Star).
David Wilcox
More than three decades into his career, singer/songwriter David Wilcox continues to push himself, just as he always has. Wilcox, by so many measures, is a quintessential folk singer, telling stories full of heart, humor, and hope, substance, searching, and style.
Todd Hearon and Liz Frame & The Kickers
Join us for this phenomenal double bill featuring the two incredible singer/songwriters Todd Hearon and Liz Frame & The Kickers
Dave Hause - SOLD OUT
Coming from a place where punk and classic rock collide, Dave Hause takes a break to head to The Word barn for a special and one-of-a-kind songbook-esque show.
Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas
Get ready for the virtuosic playing of Alasdair Fraser (Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame inductee), and one of the most sought after cellist in traditional music, Natalie Haas - and enjoy their near-telepathic understanding and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physcal presence of their music.
The Wolff Sisters
The Wolff Sisters - the gritty and raw folk-rock outfit and two-time Boston Music Award winners (Americana Artist of the Year) - bring their electrifying live performance and unique sound to The Word Barn Meadow.
Hayley Jane Band
Get ready for the explosive energy and movement of Hayley Jane’s full band show - a Word Barn favorite!
Block Printing: DYI Wrapping Paper & Gift Tags
Because it's a lovely time to get in the holiday spirit...
learn how to create your own sustainable wrapping paper and gift tags, just in time for the holiday season!
Block Printing is one of the oldest styles of printmaking, used for thousands of years on paper and fabric alike.
During this workshop you will design & carve your very own "block" for printing on Kraft paper and gift tags.
You'll learn how to transfer images, design your own, and gain an introduction to the different kinds of supplies and tools that can be used in this exciting process.
Participants can expect to create & carve at least one unique block and leave with original prints on various paper sheets & gift tags and take their stamp home to use over and over!
Halley Neal and Sam Robbins
Halley Neal and Sam Robbins are each solo singer-songwriters in their own right. Together, the two have released a collaborative Christmas album called “You and Me on Christmas Eve” - recorded at Skinny Elephant Recording in Nashville, TN with producer Dylan Alldredge (Amy Speace, Mary Gauthier, Jesse Terry, Ordinary Elephant.)
Featuring 5 original Christmas songs and 10 classic Holiday covers, “You and Me on Christmas Eve” is a duet-filled Americana celebration of the holiday season.
Join Halley Neal and Sam Robbins as they perform the album live!
Mr Sun Plays Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker
Mr. Sun records and performs a new interpretation of Ellington’s legendary Nutcracker Suite. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite contains some of the most beloved and familiar melodies in the Western world.
Mr. Sun has seized upon the inspiration of Duke Ellington’s brilliant, sly, & urbane re-interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Suite as an opportunity to salute and re-invent this wildly multi-faceted work anew through the lens of the American String Band, a musical form which contains myriad styles and is presently engaged in a marathon upheaval of innovation and expansion.
An Irish Christmas with John Doyle and Cathie Ryan
Cathie Ryan joins John Doyle for a rare US tour this Christmas, and make a stop at the Orchard Chapel for our 12 Nights of Christmas series!
A Winter’s Evening with Ryanhood
Join us for a special holiday show with Ryanhood.
International Acoustic Music Awards winners for ‘Best Group/Duo’, Ryanhood’s tight vocal harmonies and big acoustic riffs have made them favorites on the touring circuit for over 20 years.
Hannah Juanita & The Hardliners
Held in the Orchard Chapel, Hampton Falls (immediately next to Applecrest Orchards), this quintessential New England holiday setting (complete with oil lanterns, candles, and old wooden pews with plush red velvet cushions) provides the perfect home for our 12 Nights of Christmas series that promises to fill you with the festive spirit and happiness!
Join us for some Country Outlaw Christmas music with Tennessee’s Hannah Juanita & The Hardliners!
Harrison Goodell (full band)
Hailing from the New Hampshire seacoast, singer/songwriter Harrison Goodell brings his full band to our 12 Nights of Christmas series for a special, not-to-be-missed Home for the Holidays show.
A Cape Breton Christmas with Còig
Held in the Orchard Chapel, Hampton Falls (immediately next to Applecrest Orchards), this quintessential New England holiday setting (complete with oil lanterns, candles, and old wooden pews with plush cushions) provides the perfect home for our 12 Nights of Christmas series that promises to fill you with the festive spirit and happiness!
Canadian Folk Music Award winners, East Coast Music Award winners, Music Nova Scotia winner, Juno nominees – the 4 members of Cóig bring the absolute best of Atlantic Canada music to our stage this winter.
Imagine Cape Breton classics, reels and jigs, world music, Irish themes all wrapped up in the spirit of the season for a joyful holiday program.
Scottish Fish Holiday Show
The Scottish Fish have been touring a seasonal version of their standard show for five years, which features creative arrangements of familiar carols woven in among traditional, contemporary, and original Celtic tunes.
Come and enjoy their debut 12 Nights of Christmas performance!
A Celtic Christmas with Lunasa
Held in the Orchard Chapel, Hampton Falls (immediately next to Applecrest Orchards), this quintessential New England holiday setting (complete with oil lanterns, candles, and old wooden pews with plush red velvet cushions) provides the perfect home for our 12 Nights of Christmas series that promises to fill you with the festive spirit and happiness!
Join us as the beloved Irish band, Lunasa, brings their joyous holiday show on December 15!
A Celtic Christmas with Lunasa
Held in the Orchard Chapel, Hampton Falls (immediately next to Applecrest Orchards), this quintessential New England holiday setting (complete with oil lanterns, candles, and old wooden pews with plush red velvet cushions) provides the perfect home for our 12 Nights of Christmas series that promises to fill you with the festive spirit and happiness!
Join us as the beloved Irish band, Lunasa, brings their joyous holiday show on December 15!
A Charlie Brown Christmas with Heather Pierson Trio
The 12 Nights of Christmas returns to the Orchard Chapel this holiday season with The Heather Pierson Jazz Trio (Heather Pierson, piano and vocals; Shawn Nadeau, bass; Craig Bryan, drums) and their take on Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Damn Tall Buildings
"...The Carter Family for the millennial generation..." - The Boston Globe.
Damn Tall Buildings radiate wild energy that is anchored in their instrumental chops, strong songwriting, and varied influences and blended elements of bluegrass, blues, roots-rock and vintage swing.
Richard Shindell
Whether you fell in love with his solo work, or as part of Cry, Cry, Cry with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky, or both - Richard Shindell is one of a kind and heads to The Word Barn for a very special evening.
European Water Marbling
Whether you’ve tried suminigashi or not, you’ll want to dive into these very different vats of floating inks!
This ancient mono-printing process involves floating acrylic pigment on the surface of thickened (“sized”) water to create patterns which can then be transferred onto paper or fabric. We’ll cover the materials and tools and the basics of your set up. We’ll even be making some tools of our own to use in this workshop!
Rasa String Quartet: Soundtrack to a Nightmare
This special Halloween-inspired performance follows the arc of a classic horror movie – from eerie atmospheres and unsettling beauty to blood-chilling terror and otherworldly transformation. Featuring Schubert’s feverish Death and the Maiden, Mozart’s ominous Dissonance Quartet, haunting tracks from Radiohead, and iconic Halloween hits, this spine-tingling journey blends classical drama, cinematic suspense, and supernatural flair!
Jake Davis & The Whiskey Stones with The Mountain
A special release show for the much anticipated new album from Jake Davis & The Whiskey Stones. Old-time and folk outfit The Mountain joins as special guest.
Richard Shindell
Whether you fell in love with his solo work, or as part of Cry, Cry, Cry with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky, or both - Richard Shindell is one of a kind and heads to The Word Barn for a very special evening.
Weaving Workshop
Weaving, one of humans’ oldest crafts, is still “transversing a set of parallel threads at right angles.” Learning the concepts of the warp and the weft are a particular craft elevated to an art. As with any media, weaving demands an understanding of the interaction between medium and process which then develops into form.
Learning to cultivate a color sense and design discipline, as well as exploring different shapes and patterns will be covered in this workshop. Participants will learn the basic concepts while using paper and then will build their own mini-loom to continue weaving with yarn, fabric and objects from nature. A wonderful goal in getting the most out of weaving is accessing a ‘weavers mind’.
Orchard Concert Series: Apple Hill String Quartet
The Chapel Concert Series continues with a special October concert with the award-winning Apple Hill String Quartet.
Called “dashing and extraordinary” by The Strad Magazine, the Apple Hill StringQuartet are the Artistic Directors and resident musicians at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, winner of the CMAcclaim award from Chamber Music America.
Adam Ezra Group - SOLD OUT
One of the most requested groups at The Word Barn, Adam Ezra and his bandmates have built a community of fans around their fusion of folk intimacy and rock energy with soul power and pop charm. Don’t miss this night.
Adam Ezra Group - Early Show
One of the most requested groups at The Word Barn, Adam Ezra and his bandmates have built a community of fans around their fusion of folk intimacy and rock energy with soul power and pop charm. Don’t miss this night.
The Tannahill Weavers
Traditional Celtic music at its best! With fire-driven instrumentals and songs, haunting ballads and a good dose of humor, the Tannahill Weavers have transformed traditional Scottish material and brought it into the modern world, vitally alive and kicking.
Courtney Hartman
Former member of Grammy-nominated Della Mae, Courtney Hartman heads to The Word Barn with songs from her upcoming new album.
Old-Time Jam
Come be part of The Word Barn's monthly jam session that is welcome and open to all levels and all instruments. Fiddler Betsy Green will led the session through a variety of folk and traditional tunes, and give you the chance to share some of your own (if you want).
The Nervous System Toolkit: Somatic and Nature Learning
Join Kaitlin M.Ed., E-RYT from Taking Root Education for a down to earth, hands-on workshop designed for caregivers, healers, and anyone living with intention.
Take time to reconnect yourself to others, and the natural world through mindful movement, breathing practices, and reflection practices.
Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars w/Doctor Gasp
Sally Baby is a local gem of the New Orleans Music Scene, and, quite simply should not be missed.
Seamlessly blending the sounds of the early Creole Jazz Bands with New Orleans RnB, Second Line music, Calypso, and their ethereal, mystical, magical original music.
A September Creative Writing Workshop
Tiny Tales, Prose Poems, and Micro Memoirs
This class will wade into those estuaries where the waters of genre blend and mingle and birth something new.
Robert Ellis - CANCELLED
Robert Ellis somehow finds wide-eyed wonder in heartbreak. His downbeat themes come up against sonically ambitious and lushly arranged sounds on his self-titled, fourth album, which plays with country and Americana music tradition, not to mention the legacy of '70s singer-songwriters.
The Wildwoods
In the heart of Lincoln, Nebraska, The Wildwoods, a folk/Americana trio who deliver a musical journey through the soul of American roots. With accolades ranging from international songwriting competitions to standing ovations at festivals like Summerfest and FreshGrass, their latest release, "Foxfield Saint John", solidifies them as a force in the folk scene.
A September Creative Writing Workshop
Tiny Tales, Prose Poems, and Micro Memoirs
This class will wade into those estuaries where the waters of genre blend and mingle and birth something new.
Owls of New England
Come join for the return of our Environmental Education series and meet some amazing owl and raptor species up close while learning all about them thanks to the wonderful Tailwinds educators.
Matt Heckler
Matt Heckler is a solo multi-instrumentalist that barely fits into any ordinary musical category. He tends to keep to the darker side of Appalachian mountain music and early bluegrass but listen long enough and you’ll soon be transported to the mountains of EasternEurope or a dimly lit bar in Ireland where they honor those who have passed with a gently swaying a cappella ballad.
A September Creative Writing Workshop
Tiny Tales, Prose Poems, and Micro Memoirs
This class will wade into those estuaries where the waters of genre blend and mingle and birth something new.
Heartland Masala Book Launch & Talk
Join us for a special and inspiring evening that celebrates the launch of the playful, informative, and utterly original cookbook by Auyon Mukharji (Darlingside) and Jyoti Mukharji (Auyon’s mother).
Heartland Masala pairs 99 recipes from Indian cooking instructor, Jyoti Mukharji with cultural and historical essays by Auyon Mukharji for an effervescent celebration of Indian cuisine and the American immigrant experience.
Each attendee will leave with one of four specially curated spice jars that are talked about during the evening.
The discussion will be moderated by Chef Keith Sarasin who holds a special passion and knowledge of Indian history, culture, and cuisine that drives his own take on dishes.
Mark Erelli & Dinty Child
Join us for this phenomenal double bill featuring the two singer/songwriters and co-songwriters, Mark Erelli & Dinty Child, as they share The Word Barn stage together.
A September Creative Writing Workshop
Tiny Tales, Prose Poems, and Micro Memoirs
This class will wade into those estuaries where the waters of genre blend and mingle and birth something new.
An evening of storytelling around the fire with Jake Lewis AND Aly Foy
Join journeyman storytellers Jake Lewis and Aly Foy for an evening of storytelling in the old way that is forever new. With improvisational style, Jake and Aly will each take your imagination on a walkabout, where the Otherworld keeps poking up through the gauze of what we think we know. Come and be captivated stories that speak to perennial human themes, and with a short reflection after each.
Bring a chair or blanket, and your appetite for marvels.
Appropriate for all ages, though there are some adult themes or violent images in these old stories. Please contact Jake or Aly directly if you would like to bring young children.
All About My Life: Structuring Memoir and Personal Essay Through a Single Category
Don’t know where to start telling your life story? Join experienced writing teacher Carol Spindel and write a micro- memoir focused on a single category of objects or experiences. All about my life according to the houses I lived in or the cars I drove. My life told through my most memorable conversations or the photographs never taken. My life through hats, sports events, gardens, video games, people I will never see again. You know what has mattered to you, but you can only pick one!
Paint Your Peace
We are excited to introduce a painting workshop for your creative wellness!
This workshop is for those of you who are ready to connect to your inner peace, while discovering your inner artist. Yes! You have an inner artist and this workshop will help you connect to them.
Cousin Curtiss
Experience rapid fire acoustic guitar, incendiary harmonica, fiercely energized solos, all driven by a thunderous kick drum as Cousin Curtiss makes his debut in The Word Barn Meadow.
Old-Time Jam
Come be part of The Word Barn's monthly jam session that is welcome and open to all levels and all instruments. Fiddler Betsy Green will led the session through a variety of folk and traditional tunes, and give you the chance to share some of your own (if you want).
Lizzie No
Chosen by Rolling Stone as one of 25 artists who are the Future of Music, Lizzie No has established herself as one of the most exciting new voices in indie folk music.
The Last Revel
One of those do-not-miss concerts of the summer.
Drawing influence from their salt of the earth Midwest ethos The Last Revel’s songs so naturally blend the genres of Folk, Old Time String-Band and Indie Rock to create a sound that echoes the current heartbeat of America.