Penelope, A Benefit Concert @ Barre Opera House

TURNmusic performs 'Penelope’ by Sarah Kirkland Snider,  featuring Mary Bonhag + String Quartets from Bridgerton/Queen Charlotte:
Nobody Gets Me by Sza
Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift
POV by Ariana Grande

With a silent auction of paintings from the art exhibit by Barre artist, Art Zorn, to benefit Brook Street High School and TURNmusic. Sunday, March 30, 2025 Barre Opera House Opens 1:00pm / Music 2:00pm.

Silent auction and FREE reception with artists following the performance. Guest speaker Sue Minter.

Youth tickets free (first 100) with purchase of an adult ticket, adult tickets are sliding scale $20-40. The content in this event is recommended for youth ages 14 and older.

This concert explores the emotional depth, strength, and transformation of women navigating the passage of time. Our program brings together works that tell stories of waiting and longing, but also of resilience and reinvention—of women who have put their lives on hold and those who have found ways to make them sustainable. First, we step into the shimmering worlds of Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte, where familiar modern melodies take on new life through the elegance of a string quartet. The selections—Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift, POV by Ariana Grande, and Nobody Gets Me by SZA—offer a different perspective on love, longing, and self-preservation. These songs, transformed into classical string quartet arrangements, remind us that while some women may find themselves waiting, others are carving out space for their own stories, reimagining what love and fulfillment look like on their own terms.

The feature of this program is Penelope by Sarah Kirkland Snider, a song cycle that reimagines Homer’s Odyssey through the perspective of a woman left behind. It is based on the play, Penelope, by Ellen McLaughlin, a Massachusetts-based, award-winning playwright, actor and lyricist. In this modern retelling, Penelope is not just waiting—she is remembering, questioning, and ultimately reclaiming her own identity. Through Snider’s richly textured music and poetic lyricism, we experience the weight of time and the ache of uncertainty, but also the quiet strength of a woman finding her voice. This piece features layered vocals, sound design, and cross-genre musical styles, as well as projections.

TURNmusic Ensemble is thrilled to perform Penelope again this March and feature the versatile voice of Vermont soprano, Mary Bonhag. Soprano, Mary Bonhag, Violins Mary Rowell & Brooke Quiggins, Viola, Elizabeth Reid, Cello, John Dunlop, Bass, Nicholas Browne, Guitar, Geoff Kim, Percussion, Jane Boxall, Laptop/Live Electronics, Katie Semro, and Conductor, Anne Decker.