Vimana
Summer on Strong, Northampton
Thursday, July 11 from 5 – 8 p.m.
Vimana is a "heavy jazz" trio based in Montague (Brian Rodrigues, bass; Bruce Todd, drums; Leo Hwang, guitar) that mixes equal parts rock, funk, and jazz into a stone cauldron. They create original jazz fusion compositions that have a contemporary feel and reflect influences from the 60s and 70s, while weaving together cultural roots from Korea, to Portugal, to America.
Summit House Sunset Concert Series
Skinner State Park, Hadley
Thursdays, July 11 — August 8 at 7:30 p.m.
The historic, 935-ft. elevation Summit House in J. A. Skinner State Park in Hadley will resonate with live local music on five Thursday evenings this summer. And weather permitting, you can enjoy a glorious mountaintop sunset at intermission! Arcadia Viols opens the series this week. Indoor tickets are sold out, but a limited number of porch tickets will be available on site. The series schedule includes performances by SPF4, Ardaigh, The Hot Club of New England, and Zikina.
Yidstock: The Festival of New Yiddish Music
Yiddish Book Center, Amherst
Thursday, July 11 – Sunday July 14
Now in its twelfth year, Yidstock brings the best in klezmer and new Yiddish music to the Yiddish Book Center. This four-day festival will include musicians and performers at the forefront of the Yiddish music scene. In addition to concerts, the lineup also includes four workshops, nine talks, and one special film screening, all in celebration of Yiddish music, language, and culture.
Smokey Bear’s 80th Birthday Party!
Great Falls Discovery Center, Turners Falls
Thursday, July 11 from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Join Wildland Firefighters from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Bureau of Fire Control & Forestry. Hear a reading of the Smokey Bear Story Learn about campfire safety. Tour a Wildland Fire Engine, try a scavenger hunt, and meet Smokey Bear himself! Take home a Smokey Story mini book and a party favor bag, including Smokey Bear materials. Refreshments! Free!
Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival
Stearns Square, Springfield
Friday, July 12 from 5 – 10 p.m.
Saturday, July 13 from 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Jazz, R&B, Soul, Latin — this festival has it all! The Friday night line-up includes Lefever, Malado, and Misty Blues. Saturday starts off at City Hall with a New Orleans–style a second line parade that makes its way to the Charles Neville Main Stage at Stearns Square. The schedule includes a presentation by the Community Music School of Springfield, Brandee Younger, Ranky Tank with Lisa Fischer and more. And don’t miss what’s happening on the Urban Roots Stage at Tower Square Park where you’ll find (among others) Samirah Evans & Her Handsome Devils. Now in its 11th year, this fabulous festival is brought to us by Blues to Green, the nonprofit founded by Kristin Neville, wife of the late Charles Neville.
Hannah Mohan Album Release w/ Stefan Weiner & Ruby Lou
Iron Horse, Northampton
Friday, July 12 at 7 p.m.
Indie Folk artist Hannah Mohan’s new album, Time Is a Walnut, is the first solo release from the western Massachusetts singer and songwriter, after nearly a decade fronting indie-pop band And the Kids. The album also comes amid the longest stretch Mohan has spent in one place since she left her home in Northampton at 16 to hop freight trains and hitchhike across North America. Stefan Weiner is an NYC-based queer indie folk singer-songwriter who was chosen as a finalist in the 2024 Tiny Desk Contest.
The Comedy of Errors
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox
Saturday, July 11 – Sunday, August 18
The Comedy of Errors takes over Shakespeare & Company’s outdoor Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre with a long run that starts this weekend and goes through August 18. The Bard’s fast-paced and farcical story of mistaken identities that begins with two sets of twins separated by a storm at sea, and culminates in a raucous series of misunderstandings and mishaps.
Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative of Western Massachusetts: Production Assistant Workshop
Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield
Saturday, July 13 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
The Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative (BFMC) creates educational, workforce and production opportunities in the film and media industry as an economic initiative for the western Massachusetts region. Berkshire native Jake Diamond, who started as a production assistant six years ago and has worked his way to becoming a first or second assistant director, will lead a workshop designed to equip participants with fundamental skills crucial for success as a production assistant on film or television sets. Scholarships are available.
Mohawk Trail Concerts: Edward Arron, cello and Jeewon Park, piano
Charlemont Federated Church
Saturday July 13, at 5 p.m.
Cellist Edward Arron has garnered recognition worldwide for his elegant musicianship, impassioned performances, and creative programming. He made his New York recital debut in 2000 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since making her debut at the age of 12 performing Chopin’s First Concerto with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, pianist Jeewon Park has performed at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and many other prestigious venues. Their program includes works by Robert Schumann, Manuel de Falla and Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Layaali Arabic Music Ensemble
Gaza: A Musical Tribute of Hope & Solidarity
Bombyx, Florence
Saturday, July 13 at 7 p.m.
Layaali Arabic Music Ensemble is a group of talented musicians whose love and dedication to Arabic music have earned them wide acclaim from both ethnomusicologists and audiences throughout the U.S. and internationally. A benefit for Middle East Children's Alliance, the concert is a musical tribute to Gaza and its people. It aims to raise awareness of the plight of Palestinians through music and make a small contribution towards the immense need for humanitarian aid in Gaza.
An Evening with Shawn Colvin & KT Tunstall Together on Stage
Academy of Music, Northampton
Saturday, July 13 at 8 p.m.
Shawn Colvin stopped the industry in its tracks with her arresting 1989 debut, Steady On. The following spring, Colvin took home the GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, establishing herself as a mainstay in the singer-songwriter genre. In the ensuing 30 years, Colvin has created a remarkable canon of work. KT Tunstall burst onto the music scene with her 2004 multi-platinum debut, Eye to the Telescope, which spawned the global hits “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See.” These songs, paired with her pioneering looping skills, established her as a captivating and dynamic performer.
Tanglewood: Snider, Prokofiev, and Dvořák featuring Augustin Hadelich, violin
Tanglewood, Lenox
Sunday, July 14 at 2:30 p.m.
You have two options for this concert: Go to Tanglewood or listen to the live broadcast on Classical NEPM! Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Forward Into Light is a meditation on “perseverance, bravery, and alliance.” Grammy-winner Augustin Hadelich rounds out the program with Prokofiev’s intense Violin Concerto No. 2, and Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 — sometimes called the composer's greatest symphony.
Plus! Tune in to Classical NEPM Wednesdays at noon for Classical Music host John Nowacki’s weekly Tanglewood preview.
Sevenars 56th Summer Opening Concert
The Academy, South Worthington
Sunday, July 14 at 4 p.m.
Sevenars Concerts was founded in 1968 by internationally known pianist Robert Schrade and his celebrated composer/songwriter/pianist wife Rolande Young Schrade. It all began with family concerts that included their five young pianist children, Robelyn, Rhonda Lee, Rolisa, Randolph, and Rorianne. Hence the name “Sevenars” as all seven performers had names starting with the letter R. Concerts will be held every Sunday through August 18.
Northampton Flutes
Springfield City Library, East Forest Park Branch
Wednesday, July 17 at 6 p.m.
Northampton Flutes performs music from Bach to contemporary on flutes ranging from piccolo (very small) to contrabass (very large). They are a trio of veteran musicians: Sue Kurian, Nancy Janoson, and George Owens. Please join them for a delightful hour of musical conversation.