Concert Committee

ABOUT: The Henniker Concert Committee was appointed by the Select Board when Angela Robinson approached the town for support following the disbanding of the Henniker Town Band. The purpose of the committee is to present a variety of high quality, professional concerts throughout the summer that will have a broad appeal and contribute to developing a stronger sense of community. Activities of the committee include choosing bands and promoting the concerts for the year, arranging preparation of the bandstand and back-up at the Community Center, working with the Finance Director to process payments for performers, and preparing an annual budget and report for the Selectmen.

PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS:  Attendance has increased each year since the formation of the concert committee with some concerts attracting as many as 600 people on a Tuesday evening. Quality and variety have increased each year even with level funding. Our performers have been  featured on NH Chronicle and their Henniker performance was filmed. A second group was voted “Best of NH” by NH Magazine and several others have won major awards in state, regional and national competitions. We’ve maintained professional management of contracting and payment of artists, created a uniform ‘branding’ for the concerts – graphics/signs etc. In 2018 we began a winter coffeehouse series, Acoustic Café, in partnership with NEC and in 2019, we held the first ever “Blues and Brews Fest” in cooperation with Henniker Brewery. Annually we seek feedback from concertgoers through the use of a satisfaction survey which encourages recommendations for the coming year’s groups as well as gathering demographic information on the age, residence of attendees and their shopping habits the day of the concert.  

When COVID arrived in 2020, we developed protocols following best practices from the CDC and were able to continue presenting safe outdoor summer programs. Three years into the life with COVID, we continue to ask our patrons to use good judgment in deciding whether or not to wear masks and/or to socially distance when attending.

TODAY:  Planning for the Concert Series is a year-round commitment for our committee and involves our entire community. We have developed a “Friends of the Henniker Concert Series” campaign and a Sponsorship Program to supplement our budget in order to present a range of performers to our increasingly varied audiences. Our list of current sponsors and co-sponsors is listed elsewhere on this page.   

View a clip of Nick's Other Band at the link below:

Nick's Other Band

Concert Committee Members

NamePositionTerm End Date
Ruth Zax

Chair

9/1/2026

Jack Bopp

Member

9/1/2024

Denise Conrad

Member

9/1/2024

Lee Kriester

Member

9/1/2024

Taylor Carroll

Member

9/1/2025

Karol Dermon

Member

9/1/2025

Jennifer Lopez

Member

9/1/2025

Eric Fielding

Member

9/1/2026

Selectboard Rep