Terence Blanchard: Flow
Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall, UMass
Thursday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.
Terence Blanchard is one of the leading lights of modern American music. His work cuts across jazz, new music, opera, and cinematic scoring. In 2021, his opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones became the first opera by a Black composer performed by the Metropolitan Opera in their 138-year history. In this performance, Blanchard and his sextet will focus on music from the critically acclaimed 2005 album Flow, which explored themes related to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s theories on the connections between creativity, a sense of meaning, and happiness.
The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show
Naumkeag, Stockbridge
Friday, Sept. 27 – Sunday, Oct. 27
A hugely popular fall Berkshires tradition returns. this year with more pumpkins (hard to imagine), more fun, and an expanded schedule. Explore Naumkeag famous gardens, transformed into a celebration of autumn with over 1,500 jack-o-lanterns, hundreds of mums, pumpkins and countless gourds — most of which were grown at Naumkeag. Advanced purchase of timed tickets is required (one ticket per person). Tickets will not be sold on site.
The Lost Weekend: May Pang’s photographs of John Lennon
R. Michelson Galleries, Northampton
Friday Sept. 27 – Sunday, Sept. 29
Reception Friday from 6 – 8 p.m.
Few people knew John Lennon as intimately as May Pang. Pang was Lennon’s lover during the infamous “Lost Weekend” which lasted 18 months during late 1973 through 1975. During this highly creative time for Lennon, Pang took candid photos of Lennon in a comfortable, relaxed environment. A collection of these private photographs will be on display and available for purchase.
The 2024 Northampton Jazz Festival
Friday, Sept. 27 from 4:30 p.m. – midnight
Saturday, Sept. 28 from 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Ticketed show: Anat Cohen Quartetinho at the Academy of Music at 7:30 p.m.
Friday’s free Jazz Strut gives you the chance to troll, sip and dine your way through downtown Northampton to the sounds of jazz ensembles at establishments across town. On Saturday you can catch free performances at the Iron Horse, the Parlor Room, the UU and other venues. The festival culminates in a ticketed show by the Anat Cohen Quartetinho at the Academy of Music.
Off the Common – A Free Community Concert Series: September Edition
Hawks & Reed, Greenfield
Friday, Sept. 27 from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
The final in a series of free summer concerts with music, food, games, and fun for the entire community. Starting at 5:30 PM music will be bumping inside of Hawks and Reed while food trucks, artists, and games will be going strong on the common. Leon Trout is a four-piece jam influenced rock band based out of Boston that mixes hard rock, funk, psychedelic rock and a bit of reggae. The Narcotix is a West African Alt-rock band that got started in Virginia. The Faith Ann Band is a New Hampshire-based indie rock group.
Trolleyfest
Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum
Saturday Sept. 28 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Trolleyfest is the museum’s annual celebration of the restoration of Trolley No. 10. In addition to trolley car, pump and speeder rides, you can enjoy music by Whistle Stop, demos, cider pressing and sampling, railroad movies, a quilt sale, games from 1900, a railroad paraphernalia tag sale, and more.
Beckett Fall Family Fun Festival
Saturday, Sept. 28 from 12 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The Becket Parks and Recreation Committee is presenting its very first Fall Family Fun Festival. Music, food, games, a farmers market, and a tag sale will be located at the pavilion on Main Street between Town Hall and The Country Store. Games will include volleyball, kickball, and pickleball during the day; bean-bag baseball and Wiffle ball in the evening. A lineup of live music performances begins at 2 p.m.
QueerCore Fest
CitySpace, Easthampton
Saturday, Sept. 28 from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.
QueerCore Fest is a powerful new festival created by queer and trans folks for the community and its allies. A makers market is open from 2 – p.m. Live performances featuring an album release show for Space Camp. Film and Gender, Eevie Echoes and the Locations, KO Queen, and others start at 4 p.m.
Yacouba Sissoko
Bombyx, Florence
Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.
Master kora player Yacouba Sissoko devotes his musical gift to expand the awareness of West African history and culture, and spread the word of peace. His performances have a magical effect on audiences as he skillfully transforms the traditional songs and stories of his forefathers into modern day messages of peace, love, and harmony. He blends his virtuosity with other musical styles, ranging from Indian ragas to Appalachian tunes.
The Kalos Trio
Frederick Historical Concert
Ashburnham Community Church
Sunday, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m.
The Kalos Trio is Liijiong Liao, violin; Rebecca Hartka, cello; and Barbara Lysakowski, piano. They will play a collection of trios of the early modern age by Piazzola, Fauré, and Dora Pejačević. The purpose of the Frederick Piano Collection is to give musicians and music lovers a chance to hear works by major piano composers, played on pianos such as those the composers knew, and for which their music was conceived. At each concert a professional pianist, plays music suited to the piano chosen for the program. The acoustics at the Ashburnham Community Church are superb.
Dahlia Tour & Bouquet Crafting Workshop
Pie in the Sky Berry Farm, Northampton
Saturday, Sept. 28 from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
This workshop invites you to explore the lush, vibrant beauty of Pie in the Sky's farm. Begin with a guided tour through the farm's floral garden, where you'll discover a dazzling array of dahlias and other exquisite flowers. Learn about their care, unique varieties, and the magic they bring to a garden setting. Then, Blooming Table Events designers will help you create your own floral arrangement featuring dahlias, seasonal blooms, and an up-cycled vase to keep.
Electric Eyes with Les Derailleurs + Stock Goblin
Iron Horse, Northampton
Sunday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.
The Electric Eyes are a Western Massachusetts rock band known for their eclectic sound, blending punk, post-punk, indie, prog, and psychedelia. The band features lead guitarist Steve Waksman, the beloved Smith College professor and local radio personality known as the "Doctor of Rock", alongside songwriter and vocalist Matthew Medeiros, drummer Frederico Fernandes, and bassist Adam Douthwright. Professor Waksman will be leaving Smith College at the end of this semester to start a fascinating research project at University of Huddersfield in England.
Zedashe Ensemble
Wesley United Methodist Church, Hadley
Monday, Sept 30 at 8 p.m.
The Zedashe Ensemble is a polyphonic vocal choir and dance group based in the eastern medieval fortress city of Sighnaghi, Caucasus Georgia. The ensemble was founded in the mid-1990s to sing polyphonic chants, unique to Georgia, that were largely lost during the Communist era. Zedashe’s repertoire also includes folk songs, instrumental melodies and accompanying dances, which were collected from old publications and learned from village song-masters from around the many diverse regions of the country.
Five On Film
Amherst Cinema
Starts Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.
Beginning Oct. 1, and for each week through the month, Amherst Cinema spotlights films written by, directed by, or starring a graduate from the region’s five colleges. Five On Film, pays tribute to the artistic talents that have been cultivated, educated, and perhaps even inspired by the five colleges area. It starts with The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, the 1995 film written and directed by Maria Maggenti, Smith College, Class of 1986.
Hampshire Music Club Musical Potpourri
Northampton Senior Center
Tuesdays, Oct. 2 – 30 at 10 a.m.
The Hampshire Music Club was launched in 2012 by a local group of classical music lovers. It’s an educational organization whose mission is to sponsor music appreciation classes for adults and promote music appreciation (particularly classical music). Their October Musical Potpourri lecture series starts with “Two Sides of the Trombone with Ben Smar.”