TURNmusic performs 'Penelope’ by Sarah Kirkland Snider

featuring Mary Bonhag, Soprano

String Quartets from Bridgerton/Queen Charlotte

Nobody Gets Me by Sza

Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift

POV by Ariana Grande

Sunday, March 30, 2025 Barre Opera House Opens 1:00pm / Music 2:00pm.

First 100 youth tickets FREE; adult tickets $15+

Barre Opera House Box Office: (802) 476-8188

“Penelope is a piece about remembering who we are. It’s a piece about change

and about how life circumstances change us.”

-Mary Bonhag

Mary Bonhag, Soprano

An “extraordinary” singer (Classical Voice N. America) committed to the healing powers of song, Mary Bonhag is both a new-music specialist and a singer deeply devoted to sacred music across the ages. Mary was featured on Resonant Bodies Festival, and has sung with 21st Century Consort, and San Francisco Contemporary Players. Mary recently premiered a new chamber opera by Susan Botti, River Spirits, an allegorical tale featuring Mary, Susan Botti, and Lucy Shelton. Mary is sought after for her impeccable musicianship and “supple expressive voice” (San Antonio News) for concert work, specializing in the sacred music of J.S. Bach.

About Penelope

Penelope was composed by Sarah Kirkland Snider. Lyrics by Ellen McLaughlin. Penelope will be performed around the world in nine performances in March/April 2025! Watch the Trailer here.

Silent auction and reception with artists following the performance, thanks to our sponsors at local vermont farms and markets. Guest speaker Sue Minter, former Executive Director, Capstone Community Action in Barre.

Reflection and Resilience

This concert explores the emotional depth, strength, and transformation of women navigating the passage of time. Our program brings together works that tell stories of waiting and longing, but also of resilience and reinvention—of women who have put their lives on hold and those who have found ways to make them sustainable. First, we step into the shimmering worlds of Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte, where familiar modern melodies take on new life through the elegance of a string quartet. The selections—Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift, POV by Ariana Grande, and Nobody Gets Me by SZA—offer a different perspective on love, longing, and self-preservation. These songs, transformed into classical string quartet arrangements, remind us that while some women may find themselves waiting, others are carving out space for their own stories, reimagining what love and fulfillment look like on their own terms.

Penelope by Sarah Kirkland Snider, is a song cycle that reimagines Homer’s Odyssey through the perspective of a woman left behind. In this modern retelling, Penelope is not just waiting—she is remembering, questioning, and ultimately reclaiming her own identity. Through Snider’s richly textured music and poetic lyricism, we experience the weight of time and the ache of uncertainty, but also the quiet strength of a woman finding her voice.

TURNmusic Ensemble

TURNmusic is thrilled to perform Penelope again this March and feature the versatile voice of Vermont soprano, Mary Bonhag. Soprano, Mary Bonhag, Violin Brooke Quiggins, Violin, Elizabeth Reid, Viola, John Dunlop, Cello, Nicholas Browne, Bass, Geoff Kim, Guitar, Jane Boxall, Percussion, Katie Semro, Laptop/Live Electronics, and Conductor, Anne Decker.

TURNmusic extends a special thanks to our event sponsors and partners:

PCC Computing, Vermont Gynecology Art Zorn and Newcomb Studios, our concert sponsors.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Vermont Arts Council.

Capstone Community Action & Guest Speaker Sue Minter our concert partner.

Thank you to our reception sponsors: Jasper Hill Farm, Red Hen Bakery, Hunger Mountain Coop, JK Adams, Woodstock Market, The Roots Farm Market and AR Market in Barre!

Thanks to Woodstock Market in Waterbury for feeding our musicians before the show!