TURNmusic in March: Solo artists, Jazz Jam, & TURN Ensemble premieres new works around Vermont
February 23, 2026 | By Waterbury Roundabout
TURNmusic Ensemble has three performances around Vermont in March playing new music composed by (left to right) Matt LaRocca, Colin McCaffrey, Elizabeth Reid, and Tom Cate for the ‘Music of Place and Planet’ project. Photo courtesy of TURNmusic
TURNmusic’s March calendar has a variety of shows, including several performances by solo artists, the mid-month Jazz Jam, and TURN’s handpicked ensemble takes to the road for three concerts playing brand new works by Vermont composers.
The March 8 through March 21 shows below will be performed at The Phoenix Gallery & Music Hall, 5 Stowe Street, in downtown Waterbury. Near the end of the month, the TURN Ensemble will perform in Greensboro, Burlington and Montpelier (details below).
Dan Greenleaf’s ‘Live at Ford Hall’ record
Advance tickets on a sliding scale are available online at sevendaystickets.com. Admission for those under 21 is free. More details are available online at turnmusic.org.
A highlight performance in Waterbury will be the hometown stop on a tour by local jazz musician Dan Greenleaf on March 21.
Greenleaf will be traveling around the region in March on his first tour that will take him to his alma mater, Ithaca College on March 7, Clinton, Connecticut, on the 14th, and Hoboken, New Jersey, on the 15th.
Greenleaf and a quartet of bandmates will be playing tunes from his “Live at Ford Hall” record that came out last year. His Ithaca stop will also include a master class with music students there, where he says he’s eager to talk about music and identity, specifically how he relates his experience with disability to his music. “I’ll also give some perspective on how I launched my career out of college because that conversation is generally missing in collegiate music,” he said.
See more details about his Waterbury show below.
Cellist Ben Kulp performs in Waterbury on March 8. Courtesy photo
March 8: ‘Sound and Silence’ with cellist Ben Kulp
“Sound and Silence” grew from an exploration of the stark contrasts of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cellist Ben Kulp reflects on that time as society was inundated with news, noise, politics, and fear, while simultaneously experiencing long periods of time alone.
The program includes works by Andrea Casarrubios, Jacob Cooper, John Cage and John Luther Adams.
Showtime is 3 p.m., Sunday, March 8. Tickets: $15-30 sliding fee; under 21 free.
March 13: Jazz with Samara Lark
Fresh out of the Los Angeles Music Academy in 2004, jazz vocalist and songwriter Samara Lark migrated to the Green Mountains of Vermont where her initiation into the Burlington music scene was an invitation to sit in with Big Joe Burrell and the Unknown Blues Band. Playing with such talented and experienced musicians was just the beginning for Samara. She soon began writing her own songs and performing solo at local venues.
Jazz singer-songwriter Samara Lark performs March 13. Courtesy photo
Lark sings from the heart. Always tinged with a notion of jazz, her songs possess a feeling of nostalgia with a playful quirkiness and a sincere honesty. Her voice conveys a message of strength through open vulnerability with a sound as tough as it is tender and as spicy as it is sweet. Lark says it was the voice of Billie Holiday that first inspired her to sing outside of church when she was a teen. Soon to follow in her album collection were the voices of Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone. These powerhouse female vocalists ignited her passion for singing, leading her to school in Los Angeles, where she became trained in several styles of music including jazz, blues, bossa nova, rock, pop and soul.
Showtime: 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 13. Tickets: $15-30 sliding fee; under 21 are free.
March 18: Jazz Jam hosted by Nina Towne
The monthly Jazz Jam provides an opportunity for a community of all ages – from student musicians to elders – to gather, play and sing, with an audience eager to hear jazz and socialize in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
Players join in on the songs others bring, and/or bring copies of sheet music for tunes to call. Many selections are called from The Real Books. Singers, please bring copies of lead sheets or sheet music for your tunes in your key.
Audience members of all ages are invited to take in the scene and sounds.
Showtime: 6-9 p.m., Wednesday, March 18. Suggested donation, $10.
March 21: TURNmusic hosts Dan Greenleaf’s hometown tour stop
Local jazz musician Dan Greenleaf makes a hometown stop on a tour on March 21. Courtesy photo
TURNmusic Director Anne Decker says that Dan Greenleaf’s live show captures the raw emotion, energy, and deep musical connection between Greenleaf and his band, showcasing his evolving artistry and unfiltered approach to jazz guitar.
Featuring an ensemble of longtime collaborators – Nick Peloso on upright bass, Robert Irvin on keys, Drew Martin playing saxophones, and Theo Lobo on drums – the project embodies years of musical partnership and personal growth, evidenced in Greenleaf’s May 2025 release, “Live at Ford Hall.”
A guitarist and composer, Greenleaf embraces the unique challenges and strengths that shape his playing, including the influence of his cerebral palsy, on his approach to the instrument. His original tunes in the live recording represent an unfiltered self-portrait of an artist fully embracing his musical voice.
“This is as close as I could get to who I am right now,” Greenleaf explained. “It’s supposed to feel raw and unrefined because that’s what I can do.”
The concert setlist aims to highlight Greenleaf’s approach to composition that creates expansive musical landscapes with minimal yet impactful melodic material.
“My goal that night was to take the audience on a journey through dynamics – to make the quiet sections truly quiet so it feels like we went somewhere when it got loud,” Greenleaf reflected.
Ithaca College’s Director of Jazz Studies Mike Titlebaum knows Greenleaf’s work firsthand. “Dan brings a depth of character and a sense of purpose to his study of music that is truly exceptional,” Titlebaum said, recalling Greenleaf’s college recital as “one of the most effective, gorgeous student performances I’ve heard in my 16 years here.”
Showtime: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 21. Tickets: $15-30 sliding fee; under 21 free.
March 27-31: Three concerts for ‘Music of Place and Planet’
The TURNmusic Ensemble has a special assignment at the end of March that includes performances in Greensboro, Burlington and Montpelier.
Their concerts, presenting a host of new works by Vermont composers, are titled, “Music of Place and Planet: Reflections on a Swiftly Changing Climate.”
The music is a product of TURNmusic’s Watershed/Environmental Project that aims to blend artistic expression with community engagement to raise awareness about watershed health and environmental issues.
The events will combine music, workshops and collaborations to connect audiences with environmental themes, inspire appreciation for the natural world, while fostering creative responses to ecological challenges.
By uniting musicians, educators, and environmental advocates, TURNmusic is seeking to create meaningful experiences that celebrate both culture and conservation. To that end, the concert program will premiere new music by Vermont composers: “Trillium” by Elizabeth Reid, “The Kingsbury Suite” by Colin McCaffrey, “Flow” by Matt LaRocca, “Seven Parables on the Sixth Extinction and “Lamentations” by Tom Cate.
Ensemble musicians performing the new selections will include Mary Rowell, Jane Kittredge, Elizabeth Reid, John Dunlop, Stephen Browne, Brooke Carlton, Dan Liptak, Anne Decker, Jane Boxall, Colin McCaffrey and Tom Cate.
The performance dates and times are:
March 27, 7 p.m., at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro
March 29, 1 p.m., at Main Street Landing in Burlington
March 31, 6:30 p.m., at the North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier
Tickets: $30-50 sliding scale; youth tickets are free. Click each link for more details or visit turnmusic.org.