Burlington City Arts

Established by the family of Diane Gabriel (1947-2017) in 2021, the Diane Gabriel Visual Artist Award will be given on an annual basis to emerging Vermont-based artists to recognize and support an artist’s creative development, especially those artists interested in initiating innovative ideas, exploring new media, or better establishing their creative practice. 

Community producer James Gero visits Church Street in Burlington for the annual holiday tree lighting.

Community producer James Gero records the concert of Dayna Kurtz as part of the Burlington City Arts Summer Concert series.

From the BCA concert description:

Dayna Kurtz

Over the past decade, the New Jersey-born vocalist/writer/musician/producer (now dividing her time between New Orleans and the mountains of Vermont) has been bestowed with many awards and praises, including being named the Female Songwriter of the Year by the National Academy of Songwriters. Dayna was recently nominated as 2017 New Orleans Songwriter of the Year in the Offbeat Magazine poll. Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt have raved about her in interviews, and she's performed on such high-profile radio shows as World Cafe, Mountain Stage, NPR's Morning Edition, and Tell Me More. She's toured and opened for the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples, Rufus Wainwright, B.B. King, Dr. John, Richie Havens, Madeleine Peyroux, Chris Whitley, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Festivals that have asked Dayna to perform are the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the French Quarter Festival, Celebrate Brooklyn, Lincoln Center Out of Doors and Roots on the Rails.

Concert of John Lackard and the Left Eye Jump Band. from John Lackard's biography: "A sound and style that could easily have come from Memphis or Chicago is perhaps what makes John Lackard and his Green Mountain origin so unique. Not just another trip on the Blues Bandwagon” that is so ever popular today. This is the real thing. His apparent connection and understanding began when his father brought the Boogie Woogie piano and records into the household, and started a career that has lasted over a third of a century. John’s first real musical instrument at the age of five was a Hohner harmonica. Being only eight when he went to work selling greeting cards for points toward a plastic electric guitar. It was followed by a Silvertone “Stella” 12 string acoustic guitar when he was nine. During this time, John moved next door to Buddy Truax, jazz guitarist of “Buddy Truax And The Playboys”. This early influence was enhanced by Buddy’s sons who played bass and drums, providing a rhythm section to jam with in addition to Buddy’s informal “lessons”. By age fifteen he was ready for his first professional stage appearance. Touring New York and New England for a few years led to a stint with Sam the Sham, sit-ins with James Cotton, Jimmy Rogers and Bob Margolin, working with Cotton’s drummer as Ken Johnson and Co., in addition to opening shows for Jimmy and James as well as countless others. After which Jimmy declared “That boy kicks the hell out of the Blues!” James simply stated “The Blues is in Vermont”. Currently in process of recording a CD, one of the tracks titled “I Wanna Go Back” can be heard on the compilation album “Best of The Green Mountain Blues Vol. 1”. The future promises a continued extensive touring schedule that previously prompted a radio D.J. to proclaim the John Lackard Blues Band “The Hardest Working Blues Band in New England”."