Music by the River featuring Ryan Montbleau

MUSIC BY THE RIVER 2026 | SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

For many years now, it has been our honor and joy to bring this free, community-centered concert series to the banks of the Ottauquechee River. On Friday evenings this summer, neighbors gather under the sky — kids dance barefoot in the grass, family’s picnic, and visitors discover the spirit of Woodstock, all made possible by your generosity.

This year’s 2026 Music by the River lineup and promises something for everyone!

ABOUT Ryan Montbleau

A relentless road warrior and masterful wordsmith, Ryan Montbleau has spent the better part of thirty years cultivating a devoted audience on the strength of his ecstatic live shows and exhilarating sonic versatility. He’s collaborated with artists as diverse as Trombone Shorty, Galactic, Steel Pulse, Tall Heights, Martin Sexton, Anders Osborne, and George Porter, Jr; shared bills with the likes of Tedeschi Trucks Band, Ani DiFranco, Todd Snider, The Wood Brothers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Mavis Staples; and racked up more than 150 million streams on Spotify alone. NPR’s Mountain Stage compared his “eloquent, soulful songwriting” to Bill Withers and James Taylor, while Relixcelebrated his “poetic Americana,” and The Boston Herald raved that “he’s made a career of confident, danceable positivity.”

Montbleau’s freewheeling new album finds him exploring the full spectrum of his influences like never before, touching on folk, rock, funk, soul, hip-hop, and reggae, all with a preternatural ease that belies the intensely focused craftsmanship behind it. The songs are sprawling and unpredictable, grappling with a modern world perpetually teetering on the edge of chaos, but the performances are relentlessly optimistic, insisting on hope and joy in the face of it all. The result is Montbleau’s most vulnerable and cathartic work yet, an album that acknowledges the inevitability of doubt and pain while at the same time celebrating our limitless capacity for growth and love.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

July 28: Zach Nuggent's DEAD SET

Aug 7: All Night Boogie Band – Rock/Soul

Aug 14: John Pinetree - Blues

Aug: 21 Jay Nash - Local Legend