Traditional Music Returns to Colburn Park in Lebanon

Colburn Park has seen and heard its share of music, including dance festivals, performances, and untold gatherings going back through the decades. Now, in 2025, Upper Valley Music Center will bring traditional music back to town with the Colburn Park Trad Music Festival on July 26 and 27.

The Colburn Park Trad Music Festival (CPTMF) is a weekend festival full of jamming, tunes, workshops and performances with UVMC faculty and special guests. CPTMF will focus on music from the British Isles, New England, and French-Canadian traditions, all of which have had a significant impact over the years in New Hampshire’s musical culture and continue to thrive in communities around the state. The goal: to support a strong traditional music community in the Upper Valley and pass on traditions to the next generation of musicians.

“UVMC currently has an enthusiastic group of adults in our Traditional Music programs and a robust Suzuki and lesson program for youth with more than 200 students under 18 enrolled in lessons and ensembles,” said Erin Smith, Education Director at UVMC. “We hope this program can build intergenerational connections between the two groups and inspire young music students to engage with the traditional music of New England.”

The festival offers an immersion into traditional music for youth and adults on a variety of instruments and with a range of experience levels, including none at all. The weekend will include group instruction on individual instruments and multi-instrument groups, jam sessions, and small group instruction on ensemble playing. Faculty includes Jeremiah McLane, Rachel Clemente, Liz Faiella, Dan Faiella, Amy Cann, and Carol Compton.

On Saturday evening, the festival includes a faculty performance and community dance, both of which will be open to the public.

“The Upper Valley has a strong history of traditional music going back at least to the 1970s, when Dartmouth College was a center of contra dance and fiddling, and Muskeg Music hosted large festivals in Colburn Park,” said Benjamin Van Vliet, Executive Director of UVMC. “With the enthusiasm of our faculty for teaching and the growing organizational resources of UVMC, we hope to build on this local legacy of traditional music with the Colburn Park Traditional Music Festival.”

The festival will take place in downtown Lebanon, NH, primarily at Upper Valley Music Center, the First Congregational Church of Lebanon, and Colburn Park.

Learn more at https://uvmusic.org/news/classes/colburn-park-trad-music-festival