MasQUer aid

Saturday 8

The Vermont Italian Cultural Association hosts fundraiser Carnevale at the Essex Resort & Spa for the first time since 2005, to benefit its grants and scholarships. Revelers don festive attire and intricate masks à la the annual Venetian festa and indulge in live opera performances, a silent auction, dancing, specialty cocktails, cannoli and loads of pasta, naturalmente.

Shacked Up

Ongoing

Colombian-born local photographer Federico Pardo‘s exhibit “Ice Shanties: Fishing, People & Culture” at the Center for Arts and Learning in Montpelier showcases atmospheric large-format color photographs. The simple yet captivating works are coupled with audio from Vermont Folklife interviews with the shanty owners, offering a window into their lives in temporary seasonal communities. ”

Keys to Happiness

Friday 7

Middlebury College’s Performing Arts Series welcomes Jordanian Palestinian pianist Iyad Sughayer to Mahaney Arts Center for his Vermont concert debut. An up-and-coming force bursting onto the classical music scene, Sughayer captures the hearts and imaginations of audiences worldwide with his extraordinary technique, profound emotive ability and keen musicality.

Buy the Book

Saturday 8

Guster front man Ryan Miller and musical guest Bill Mullins & Friends join Vermont native Colin Thompson for the launch of his debut novel, The Spoils, at Light Club Lamp Shop in Burlington. The filmmaker turned author regales listeners with the story of a young man’s foibles and failures in Hollywood-adjacent Venice, Calif. — an unapologetic portrait of modern creative ambition.

Over the Moon

Saturday 8

Stargazers rocket to the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich for Astronomy Day, an annual celebration of celestial wonders. This year’s extraterrestrial programming includes hands-on space demonstrations with Dartmouth College grad students, a gravity well, themed arts and crafts, and the rare chance to examine a meteorite at close range. Talk about outta this world!

Ceiling Busters

Sunday 9

Lawson’s Finest Liquids marks International Women’s Day with the Power of Women in Leadership panel in Waitsfield. CEO Adeline Druart leads a candid convo about successes and challenges with local female business leaders such as Karen Colberg, CEO of King Arthur Baking; and Sascha Mayer, cofounder of Mamava, with a keynote by Vermont Women’s Fund director Emily Bush.

Transcendent Tunes

Sunday 9

If you’re looking to be swept away from this century’s trials and tribulations, Trinity Episcopal Church in Rutland presents an evening of penitential Tudor music by local vocal chamber ensemble Ampersand. The consort’s program, “Lamentation,” brings works of the 15th and 16th centuries into the spotlight, breathing new life into Renaissance polyphony — Greek for “many voices.”