Mill Pond Live
Mill Side Park, Easthampton
Friday, Sept 15 – Sunday, Sept. 17
Gates open at 5 p.m., music 6 – 10 p.m.
Easthampton's iconic festival is back with an amazing weekend of music from around the world, with delectable local food and craft beverages. Bring a blanket, round up your friends and family, and head to Millside Park for the festival’s eighth season.
Arcadia Folk Festival
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, Easthampton
Sunday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Signature Sounds and Mass Audubon present the fifth annual Arcadia Folk Festival, an outdoor musical event that brings the community together around music in the heart of the Valley to celebrate and support the work at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary and to model a sustainable community event. The lineup includes Valerie June, James McMurtry, The Suitcase Junket, Chatham Rabbits, and much more. It’s easy to bike to Arcadia and there’s a free bike valet service!
Tommy Emmanuel with special guests Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams
Academy of Music, Northampton
Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m.
I have seen Tommy Emmanuel several times, and I can tell you that he is both a superb player and a generous and kind-hearted soul. The exuberance that he brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious.
Ghost Tours
The Mount, Lenox
Book now for Halloween Week
I made a note to myself last year to tell you about this early before tickets sell out! Veteran tour guides lead you through the darkened halls of The Mount, sharing tales of the many eerie encounters that have been reported there for years, exploring some of the most haunted corners of the estate. It starts with the sounds—creaking floors and slamming doors, fading footsteps down empty halls. Are these tricks of the imagination in an old building or something else?
Looking for Higher Ground: Music by Emigrés and Refugees
Ken Radnofsky, saxophone & Yoshiko Kline, piano
Bezanson Hall, UMass Amherst
Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Saxophonist Ken Radnofsky has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras and ensembles throughout the world, including the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and New York Philharmonic under the direction of Kurt Masur, Jerusalem Symphony, Dresden Staatskapelle, Boston Pops, Taipei and Taiwan Symphonies and others. You’ll hear Sonata Op. 19 in g-minor by Rachmaninoff, Paul Ben-Haim’s "Three Songs Without Words," "L'envoi" by Jakov Jakoulov, "Rückblick" by Ursula Mamlok, and more. The concert is free and open to the public.
Listen and Learn: Museums à la Carte Lectures
Springfield Museums
Starts Thursday, Sept. 14 at 12:15 p.m.
We who love public media value lifelong learning, right? So, here’s a fabulous resource for just that — Springfield Museum’s Listen and Learn lectures. They’re just an hour long and conveniently scheduled around lunchtime. They’re always in person, and many are available online too! It kicks off with “The Springfield Armory’s Role in Creating the Tool and Die Industry.”
Lunar Eclipse
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox
Friday, Sept. 15 – October 22
On a summer night, in the middle of a field on their Midwest farm, a long-married couple sits on folding chairs to observe the seven stages of a lunar eclipse. While watching the celestial phenomenon unfold, the two sip bourbon and reflect on land and legacy, on children and dogs, and the accelerating passage of time. "Lunar Eclipse" is a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies making its World Premiere at Shakespeare & Company. Featuring Karen Allen and Reed Birney.
Dicey Riley
Gateway City Arts, Holyoke
Friday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m.
It’s a halfway to St. Patrick’s Day event. Why not? Dicey Riley is a seven-piece Celtic Rock band from Northampton. They call their style of Celtic rock “Alt-Irish” which blends alternative rock and Celtic music to create a sound that honors and incorporates traditional music and instrumentation while also having the feeling, vibrancy, and sincerity of rock music.
Exhibit Opening: Veiled
Becket Arts Center
Saturday, Sept. 16 at 2 p.m.
The Becket Arts Center’s mission is to ensure that creative expression is a vital and vibrant part of the everyday lives of the regional community. Veiled will include the works of Kathy Garren, Allan Seppa, Stephen Klema, Marion Grant, and Mark Mellinger.
Shea Presents: From Global to Local
Shea Theater Arts Center, Turners Falls
Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
The Senegal-America Project is an expandable, up-close-and-personal model for practicing the most essential and obvious principle of human interactions, which is that we are all connected. Tony Vacca, Tantra Zawadi, Abdou Sarr, Mamadou Ndiaye and Derrik Jordan and Jo Sallins share their worlds of experience through The Senegal-America Project and beyond. It’s a bold mix of innovative music, dance and spoken words in celebration of the twenty-year connection of Senegal with The Pioneer Valley.
33rd Annual Springfield Puerto Rican Parade 2023
Main Street, Springfield
Sunday, Sept. 17, starting at 11 a.m.
The Springfield Puerto Rican Parade envisions a world where Puerto Rican heritage is recognized and celebrated for its unique contributions to society. With the parade theme, "Nunca Olvides Tus Raíces" (Never Forget Your Roots), this year’s parade highlights the vibrant fusion of Taino, Spanish, and African influences that shape Puerto Rican culture. Look out for the NEPM contingent in the parade! Then, head to the staging area at the end of the parade to enjoy with Latin-infused rhythms, bomba y plena and música típica!
Brick Church Music Series: Four Hand Piano Recital
First Church of Deerfield
Sunday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m.
My husband and I have performed at the Brick Church, and I can tell you that it is a lovely space with beautiful acoustics — a perfect place for a Sunday afternoon recital. Pi-Hsun Shih and Yu-Mei Wei will perform a program of piano four hands — that’s two players playing the same piano simultaneously. It allows for a particularly rich experience. You’ll hear Mozart, Ravel, and more.
Senseless Optimism & Wendy Eisenberg
The Clark, Williamstown
Sunday, Sept. 17 at 5 p.m.
With her unique perspective and evocative lyricism, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Brittany Tsewole brings her project, Senseless Optimism, to the Clark. Improviser and songwriter Wendy Eisenberg performs with guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer, and voice. Their work spans multiple genres, from jazz to noise to avant-rock to delicate ballads. This is a free outdoor concert. Bring a picnic and your own seating.