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Flynn Theater, Burlington

Tickets: https://www.flynnvt.org/bdjf 

AARP Members & Guests get 10% off ticket prices. Use code JAZZFEST2026 to access the discount.

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival is back for it's 43rd year. This year’s festival takes place across Downtown Burlington from June 3-7. The Flynn is also thrilled to announce that Jason Moran, one of the most visionary and influential figures in contemporary jazz, will serve as the curator for the 2026 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. 

Opening: Savion Glover, Jason Moran, & Chris Dave

The Beat Beneath Us opens the 2026 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival with a celebration of rhythm, movement, and Black creative power — placing the body itself at the center of the music.

The evening begins with Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, performing dances made in tribute to Max Roach, the iconic drummer, composer, and activist whose music reshaped jazz and whose artistic voice was deeply engaged with the civil rights movement. Drawing on Roach’s rhythmic innovation and political urgency, Brown’s choreography translates sound into movement — honoring Roach’s legacy through ensemble motion that is grounded, propulsive, and alive with history.

The second half of the evening features Savion Glover, Jason Moran, and Chris “Daddy” Dave coming together as equal partners in rhythm — tap, piano, and drums — creating a live, improvisational exchange where movement and music are inseparable. Glover brings a fiercely musical approach to tap, using his feet as both instrument and voice. Moran, a MacArthur Fellow and defining artistic voice of contemporary jazz, and Dave, one of the most influential drummers of the last two decades, meet him in a shared language of rhythm that is urgent, inventive, and deeply rooted in jazz tradition.

The result is an explosive opening reminding us that jazz is not only something we hear — it is something we see, feel, and experience through the moving body.

Closing: Chris Potter & Julian Lage

The festival closes with A Nation Listens, an ambitious evening that confronts history, identity, and the unresolved tensions at the heart of the American story.

The night begins with Mark Turner, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz, presenting The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, inspired by James Weldon Johnson’s 1912 novel. Turner translates the novel into a thoughtful musical essay — rhythmically elusive, harmonically dense, and emotionally intense — where long, searching lines and ensemble interplay unfold like narrative rather than illustration.

Chris Potter and Julian Lage then take the stage to debut a world premiere inspired by the legacy of abolitionist John Brown - the radical abolitionist whose 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry helped propel the nation toward Civil War. The work reflects on Brown himself: the physical body as symbol, catalyst, and moral reckoning. Potter, one of the most significant saxophonists of his generation, joins forces with Lage — guitarist celebrated for his clarity, imagination, and deep engagement with American musical traditions — to explore history through music that wrestles with contradiction, conviction, and consequence.

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DORSET THEATRE FESTIVAL SUMMER SEASON

June 19 – September 5, 2026

Dorset Playhouse, Dorset

Tickets: dorsettheatrefestival.org 

AARP Members & Guests get 10% off ticket prices. Use code 50Plus to access the discount.

Dorset Theatre Festival presents the 49th season of professional summer theatre at the historic Dorset Playhouse in Dorset, VT, highlighting both new plays and classic works. Enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring audiences since 1976, the Festival’s annual celebration of great plays runs June through September and features top theatre-makers from around the country. 

This year’s shows include:

Deceived: A gripping adaptation of the 1938 thriller “Gaslight” by Patrick Hamilton.

June 19 – July 4

The Understudy: A wickedly funny, fast-paced comedy. 

July 10 – 18 

Advice: A lively and irreverent new play.

July 31 – August 15

Lobby Hero: A smart and riveting Tony Award-winner.

August 21 – September 5 

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VSO SUMMER FESTIVAL

June 30 – July 5

Various locations around Vermont

Tickets: vso.org 

AARP Members & Guests get 15% off ticket prices. Use code Summer15 to access the discount.

To celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra hits the road with Summer Festival Tour: America 250, bringing music to communities across the Green Mountain State. There’s nothing quite like a balmy July evening in the Vermont outdoors, especially when the state’s orchestra performs beloved favorites like Morton Gould’s American Salute (based on “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”), Aaron Copland’s Hoe-Down from Rodeo, a lively selection of music by John Williams and John Philip Sousa, and more.

Music Director Andrew Crust invites you to bring a picnic blanket and relax under sunny skies to enjoy this cherished annual tradition. Each location features the VSO’s Musical Petting Zoo before the performance, where audiences young and old can explore a variety of orchestral instruments.

July 1 - Saskadena Six Ski Area, South Pomfret

July 2 - Burke Mountain Ski Resort, East Burke

July 3 - Grafton Trails & Outdoor Center, Grafton

July 4 - Shelburne Museum, Shelburne

July 5 - Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow, Stowe

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TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE w/ JJ GREY & MOFRO

July 22, 2026

Shelburne Museum, Shelburne

Tickets: https://highergroundmusic.com/events/trombone-shorty/ 

AARP Members & Guests get 10% off ticket prices. Use code TROMBONE2026 to access the discount.

Few artists embody the heart and soul of their city like Trombone Shorty. Perhaps the most recognizable ambassador for New Orleans music working today, Shorty has spent his entire life not only carrying the torch for Crescent City culture, but also propelling it forward into the 21st century with his ecstatic live performances and intoxicating blend of rock, funk, soul, jazz, blues, hip-hop, and Caribbean influences.

Born Troy Andrews, Shorty made his first appearance at New Orleans’ iconic Jazz Fest at the age of four, when he took the stage for an impromptu performance with Bo Diddley. By six, he was heading up his own brass band, and by his early twenties, he’d released the first in a string of critically acclaimed, chart-topping albums that would lead to performances everywhere from the White House and the Grammy Awards to Madison Square Garden and the 2025 Super Bowl. Along the way, Shorty would tour with artists as diverse as Jeff Beck and the Red Hot Chili Peppers; play Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, the Roots Picnic, and countless other festivals; perform alongside Juvenile on his instantly legendary NPR Tiny Desk Concert; earn his first Grammy Award; appear on The Tonight Show, The Late Show, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Good Morning America, Today, CNN, HBO’s Treme, and even an episode of The Simpsons; and collaborate with an eclectic mix of stars including Pharrell, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Jon Batiste, Lenny Kravitz, Foo Fighters, ZHU, Zac Brown, Normani and Ringo Starr.

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SUMMER THEATER CLASSES 

Summer 2026

Vermont Stage Company, Burlington

Tickets: https://www.vermontstage.org/summer-theatre-classes-2026.html 

AARP Members & Guests get 10% off class prices. Use code storyvs10 to access the discount.

This summer, Vermont Stage invites adults of all experience levels to explore storytelling, acting, playwriting, and directing in a supportive and creatively energizing environment. Whether you are brand new, returning to an old passion, or ready to challenge yourself in a new way, these classes are designed to help you grow as a creative person, learn and expand your avenues of expression, and connect with others through storytelling and performance.  

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FAIRY FESTIVAL 

July 25, 2026

Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro 

Tickets: https://highlandartsvt.org 

AARP Members & Guests get 10% off ticket prices. Use code Fairy50 to access the discount.

Calling all fairies, wizards, gnomes, pixies, trolls and other magical creatures for an afternoon of merriment! 

Fluff up your wings, mix your fairy dust, polish your wand and flit on over to HCA for an enchanted adventure. Learn to fly on a lyra, get lost in a fairy escapade, flutter along the fairy trail with dozens of fairy houses, and make potions, crowns, houses, and wands. The Kitchen at HCA will be offering up delicious fare along with other local culinary artists.  Be sure to wear your magical garb and join us for these whimsical activities for all ages. 

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THE HOWARD LEVY 4

July 25, 2026  

Next Stage Arts, Putney

Tickets: https://www.nextstagearts.org/#/events 

AARP Members & Guests get 15% off ticket prices. Use code 50Plus to access the discount.

The Howard Levy 4 is a dynamic, multi-styled band hailing from Chicago, led by Grammy-Award winning diatonic harmonica master, pianist and composer Howard Levy. Joining him are the incredibly virtuosic guitarist Chris Siebold, the outstanding upright and electric bassist Joshua Ramos, and the masterful Brazilian drummer Luiz Ewerling. This powerhouse ensemble delivers pure musical magic in a range of styles that includes Jazz, Latin, World Music, and Blues. Besides several distinctively reworked American and Brazilian tunes, the band has an astonishingly diverse repertoire of original compositions that combine and blend many cultures, rhythms and genres, creating a sonic experience that's nothing short of extraordinary.

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VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 

October 16 – 25, 2026

Main Street Landing, Burlington

Tickets: vtiff.org  

AARP Members & Guests get $2.00 off the General Admission festival ticket cost. Use code 50Plus to access the discount. To get the discount, go to vtiff.org, select your film, and be sure to click "Know a promo code?" before adding a ticket to your cart. Once the code is added, you will be offered a discounted ticket. Discount may not apply to select films/events such as Opening Night. Tickets go on sale to members on October 2 and to the general public on October 6.

Vermont's premier film festival is back, October 16-25, with diverse, independent films from the USA and around the world - screening in downtown Burlington. 10 days, over 50 films, Q&As with filmmakers, and receptions. Become a Patron Member or buy a pass for advance access and the best value!