Canterbury Shaker Village offers a full calendar of special events, each focusing on a particular theme of interest. Visitors of all ages can enjoy performances, demonstrations, and activities as they explore these exuberant Village celebrations. From summertime Meeting House concerts to a candlelit Christmas stroll, special events at Canterbury Shaker Village shed new light on Shaker traditions and provide new ways of learning about Shaker culture.
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Kevin Siegfried Concert: “Traveling Home”
Sunday, June 23 at 3:00 pm
Joined by a small choral ensemble, Kevin Siegfried will lead a journey into our fascinating American musical heritage, performing rarely heard gems from the vast Shaker repertoire amidst a backdrop of other early American musical styles. Siegfried has been hard at work in the Shaker archives, and those in attendance will hear captivating, newly uncovered melodies from the Canterbury Shakers and beyond. A composer and singer with a deep, abiding love of Shaker music, Siegfried has actively sought to inspire interest in the music of the Shakers, and his award-winning choral arrangements of Shaker songs have been recorded and performed throughout the world.
Music, a central element of Shaker life, is one of the most lasting legacies of the Shaker way of life. “Traveling Home” will feature Kevin Siegfried, a composer with an emerging international voice who was acclaimed by the UK magazine Choir & Organ as writing music of “austere beauty” that exhibits the “pressure and presence of personal conviction.” Siegfried’s award-winning choral arrangements of Shaker songs have been recorded and performed throughout the world. His music has been described as “hypnotic and beautifully written” and is known for its direct expression, lyricism, and accessibility.
Click here to buy tickets. Concert ticket includes museum pass. Open seating, and tickets are first come, first serve.
We invite our Village Visionary members to reserve their seats by calling (603) 783-9077 ext. 285 at least 2 days before the concert.
Naturally Simple…Naturally Shaker
Summer Gathering and Auction July 31, 2013 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Rain Date Thursday, August 1, 2013
What could be nicer than spending a breezy summer evening on a hillside, overlooking ponds and fields, while sipping a glass of wine, enjoying fine food, meeting nice folks and supporting one of the nation’s most important National Landmark Museums? Join us Wednesday, July 31st for a summer gathering and auction benefiting Canterbury Shaker Village. Our auction selections share the Shaker characteristics of fine craftsmanship, high quality and simplicity. A full catalog will be available on our website starting July 1st. Please share it with your friends and colleagues!
Tickets are $55 per person. Click here to buy tickets. For further details, call (603) 783-9077 ext. 285.
Mother Ann Day
Sunday, August 4, from 10:00 – 5:00 pm, 3:00 pm Concert
An authentic event originating with the Shakers themselves, in celebration of Shaker leader Mother Ann Lee’s arrival in America in 1774. Enjoy a concert of inspired Shaker music performed by the Canterbury Shaker Singers, followed by complimentary Shaker rosewater cake.
Click here to buy tickets to Mother Ann Day. Concert ticket includes museum pass. Open seating, and tickets are first come, first serve.
Canterbury Artisan Festival
Saturday, September 14, from 10:00 – 5:00 pm
A country fair celebrating rural farm traditions and the traditional arts, with Artisan Craft Fair & Farmers’ Market, Traditional Arts demonstrations including coopering, blacksmithing, woodworking, and the fiber arts, music and agricultural demonstrations including sheepherding, family craft activities and artisan food.
Special Event Admission: $12 for adults, $6.00 for children age 6-17; children 5 and under attend free.
More information for vendors available here.
Click here to buy tickets to the Canterbury Artisan Festival.
Ghost Encounters
Friday, October 18 & Saturday, October 19, 6:00 & 8:30 pm
Experience for yourself true stories of ghostly encounters at Canterbury Shaker Village, many in the actual rooms where the other-worldly incidents took place. Meet “the Chef,” “the Museum Guide,” “the Museum Intern,” “the Historian,” ”the Psychic,” “the Tourist,” “The Textiles Expert,” “Eldress Elizabeth Stirling,” and “Sister Caroline Whitcher” in these dramatizations of true accounts.
Tickets are $15.00 each. Not recommended for small children. Preregistration is required.
Click here to buy tickets for the 6:00 performance on Friday, Ocotber 18.
Click here to buy tickets for the 8:30 performance on Friday, October 18.
Click here to buy tickets for the 6:00 performance on Saturday, October 19.
Click here to buy tickets for the 8:30 performance on Saturday, October 19.
Vintage Car Show
Saturday, October 19, from 10:00 – 1:00 pm
Canterbury Shaker Village and the White Mountain Region Chapter of MAFCA join to host this popular Vintage Car Show on the Village grounds. Admire automobiles from many eras, meet with the owners and other vintage car enthusiasts, enjoy Village tours and exhibits, and shop for local handcrafts at the Museum Store. Outdoor grill lunch available in addition to regular hours the Shaker Box Lunch & Farm Stand.
Tickets $17 for adults, $8 for children age 6-17; children 5 and under attend free. Click here to buy tickets to the Vintage Car Show.
Christmas at Canterbury
Saturday, December 7 & 14, from 3:00 – 8:00 pm
Bring the family and experience the many delights of Christmas from a simpler era. Take a candlelight stroll through the Village, ride in a horse-drawn sleigh or wagon, enjoy hot cider and music performances, craft demonstrations, seasonal craft activities, cookie decorating, the annual Village tree lighting and more! Lighter fare will be available at the Shaker Box Lunch & Farm Stand.
ADMISSION: $18 for adults, $8 for children age 6-17; children under 5 free. ½ Price for members.
Click here to buy tickets for December 7.
Click here to buy tickets for December 14.