Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, Vermont

By Erin on September 25, 2014

Doesn’t it seem that the best presents are always the ones you would never buy for yourself? Listening to the Alt—a powerhouse trio of Irish and Scottish musicians—recently at the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury, Vermont, was one of those experiences.

When a family friend who hosts a Celtic radio show down in Atlanta offered to put us on the guest list, I had to consider the offer for a second. I’m nearing thirty and associate the Town Hall Theater (wrongly, now I know) with classical music and ~~blue hairs~~ retired folks, as well as day-time flea markets and farmers’ markets.

Having a name like Erin Kathleen McCormick (and a sister named Colleen), there has always been a debate about whether our family has Irish or Scottish roots… What I do know for certain is that jigs and reels always energize me, so we opted to see what the Alt were all about.

Their two-hour performance left me longing to be in a pub in Dublin, sipping a pint and hearing more of their lovely accents and even lovelier music. (And, there were plenty of folks under 40 at the show at the Town Hall Theater, in case you were wondering… I am happy to have been proven wrong!)

A photo of the Alt, courtesy of Nuala Kennedy

The Alt & The After Dark Music Series

The Alt’s performance in Middlebury marked the very end of their US tour and also the beginning of the After Dark Music Series, a Middlebury event celebrating it’s 20th year. For years, the After Dark Music series has been bringing nationally known folk, Celtic, blues, western and swing musicians to Vermont to play in an intimate setting.

The Alt is a relatively new trio of friends and performers, John Doyle, Nuala Kennedy and Eamon O’Leary, who specialize in old ballads, folk tunes, Irish jigs and Scottish reels. Doyle has played in Middlebury before, but this was the first time for the Alt. Between their stories of how the group and their songs came to be, you could see just how passionate they are about making music together.

Doyle and O’Leary largely played guitars and bouzouki, while Nuala played Irish whistles. The harmonies among the three were quiet impressive, and the Town Hall Theater was the perfect, intimate location for their performance. During their performance, they raved about the charm of the town and the theater.

You can listen to and purchase the Alt’s album here. And let me tell you, it’s worth the $10. This was the first CD I’ve purchased in probably 15 years, and we’ve listened to it quite a bit already during our road trips this fall. My favorites on the album are The Green Gowned Lass – Danger Mouse – Dan Breen’s, Willie Angler and The Letter Song.

About the Town Hall Theater

For years, the Town Hall Theater has been a gathering place for locals and out-of-towners alike, where music events, plays, and weddings are held. The current building overlooking the town green was built in the 1870s by one of Middlebury most influential architects, Clinton Smith, and opened in 1884 with a Masquerade Ball. Back then it was called the Middlebury Opera House and its purpose was widespread. The building held:

Town meetings, religious services, children’s operettas and plays, traveling and local theatricals, balls, dances, and proms, lectures and orations, concerts, readings, political rallies, a tuberculosis exhibit, meetings of the DAR, the WCTU, and Masons, dog and pony shows (literally), minstrels and Hibernian (Irish) shows, Middlebury College Junior Exhibition and Commencement exercises, benefits and charity balls, Middlebury High School graduations, tableaux vivants, local school tests and common teachers’ exams, fairs, dance recitals, music festivals, national holiday and memorial services, and novelty exhibitions.

Since then, the building has undergone many renovations and updates, the last completed in 2008. Read the complete history from Andrew Wentick here on the Town Hall Theater’s website.

Here is a video from the Alt’s performance at the Town Hall Theater on Sunday, September 21, 2014. (Pardon the poor video quality…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmfIsRwKj6g&list=UUZHFa7k4iy59o3k2Sxy6eUA