Our Performers 

Returning for their third Holiday Cabaret, the Speak Easy Prohibition Band will be joined this year by guest powerhouse vocalist Samirah Evans, a VT transplant hailing from New Orleans! The all-star band is a collaboration of Upper Valley talent, with Bob Merrill on piano, Tim Gilmore on drums, Michael Zsoldos on saxophone, Dave Ellis on trumpet, and Peter Concilio on bass The lively sextet will take attendees back to the Roaring 20s with jazzy holiday tunes for kicking up heels and turning across the dance floor.

After a record-breaking run in June, BarnArts own Family von Trapp will reunite to perform beloved songs from “The Sound of Music.” The von Trapps include Taylor Hobson, Albert Falcone, Marlena Farinas, Adam Huyck, Natalie Thakur, Josie Flaster, Henry Butler, Julia Flaster & Tasia Benoit. Jill Clough, Killian White, Kyra Monsam, as well as Hobson and Falcone will round out the musical offerings with familiar holiday songs under the direction of Michael Zsoldos.

Featured Performers Bios

Bob Merrill has played and performed on piano for more than 50 years. He has been the composer and accompanist for the Dartmouth Film Society's silent films, and in 1999 was presented with an award for playing his fiftieth film. He has produced music for both commercial video and film, and is featured on several albums.

Drummer and percussionist Tim Gilmore teaches at Plymouth State University, St. Paul School, and Interplay Jazz and Arts. An active clinician with Adventures in Jazz, his credits include performances at Blue Note in NYC and appearances with a number of artists including Shelia Jordan, Tower of Power, Richie Cole, Stanley Clarke, Pete Seeger, and Shawn Colvin.

Saxophonist Michael Zsoldos frequents the BarnArts stage as a choir conductor, music director, and musician. Michael is a senior lecturer in jazz and classical saxophone and music theory at Dartmouth College, and he is on the teaching faculties of the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro and Interplay Jazz and Arts.

Trumpeter Dave Ellis is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed with the Oratorio Society of Washington D.C., Vermont Symphony, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, and Sam Rivers. He has conducted jazz festivals at Plymouth State and Hart Colleges and directed Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble at Dartmouth College. He is the president of Ellis Music.

Bassist Peter Concilio studied with composer/arranger Don DeFala. He has produced concerts for Maynard Ferguson, The Heath Brothers, Dizzy Gillespie, and a variety of other artists, and was the artistic director of Hartland, Vermont's Jazz Fest during its five year run. He is the creator of the Speak Easy Prohibition Band.

Samirah Evans is a dynamic and soulful jazz and blues vocalist. A regular at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for 15 years, she relocated to Brattleboro after Katrina. She’s made a home in southern Vermont and regularly tours the Northeast with her bands and teaches at Williams College and her home studio.

Jill Clough has been a performing arts creative for as long as she can remember. She has been involved with BarnArts on and off stage since 2021 and this will be her fourth Holiday Cabaret performance, including being lead vocalist and host in 2022. She was last seen as Igor in BarnArts “Young Frankenstein” in 2024.

Kyra Monsam is a classically trained clarinetist with a sensational voice. Kyra was a member of the nun ensemble in BarnArts June production of “The Sound of Music,” appeared in Haunted Village Theater last month, and is a member of the BarnArts Chorale.

Killian White incorporates music into her life whenever she can—from performing in musicals like “Young Frankenstein” as Elizabeth, to folk singing in many of Bald Mountain Theater's productions, to (last but not least) karaoke at Babe's.

Taylor Hobson made her Upper Valley stage debut last year as Inga in BarnArts “Young Frankenstein” after moving from Southern California where she appeared in many musicals, both amateur and professional. Hobson portrayed Maria in this June’s production of “The Sound of Music.”

Albert Falcone made his BarnArts debut as Captain von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” and has been active with every event since, including writing, directing, and acting in this year’s Haunted Village Theater.