LOH’s Nexus Music Festival Returns August 12-14

Free and family-friendly

Nexus, Lebanon Opera House’s three-day music and arts festival, returns this weekend, August 12 through 14, to the streets, stages and parks of Lebanon, New Hampshire.

It seems like only yesterday that I was in Colburn Park dodging water balloons (well, watching others doing the dodging) last year at one of the Nexus performances. This year’s schedule is filled with new acts. You will need to scroll through to get a sense of the breadth of the talent (click here); there will be live music on three stages—bluegrass, soul, jazz, rock, classical, and folk—from national touring companies and local musicians.

As but a example of the range of offerings, Ladama (photo, top) is a Latin alternative band of four women musicians and activists. Fast Times is a tribute to the music of the 1980s. You are invited to show up in “your best Reagan-era attire and sing along to big hits from the decade of big personalities and even bigger hair.” They’re advertising some Def Leppard and Duran Duran. Let’s hope for a little Blondie (“Call Me”), and those spying Bette Davis Eyes.

Don’t forget dance! Sewam American Indian Dance (photo, above) “brings the music, arts and culture of Native American dance to audiences around the world. Specializing in the dances of United States Plains Indians, Sewam Dance has performed across the country and internationally . . .,” including at the famed Coachella Festival. (Though listed, City Center Ballet will be unable to participate in Nexus this year due to staffing issues.) The popular late night Silent Disco returns. Saturday afternoon: Tango lessons. No experience necessary.

AVA Gallery will be at home at its Bank Street location with several exhibitions (including this one), and at times in Colburn Park with art-making projects.

This festival is family-friendly and free—though tossing $5 into one of the donation buckets would be appreciated. For more information and schedule of events, please click here.

(Photos courtesy of Lebanon Opera House)

—————————————————

Welcome! You’re reading Artful, a blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley, and I hope you’ll subscribe and then share this with your friends and on your social media. And in case you are wondering . . .

Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.