NEPM Book Club: The Gardener's Plot
Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m. on Zoom
Here’s advance notice of our next Book Club meeting that gives you plenty of time to read Deborah J. Benoit’s award-winning debut. After life threw Maggie Walker a few curveballs, she’s happy to be back in the small Berkshires town where she spent so much time as a child. Maggie has always loved gardening, so it’s only natural to sign on to help Violet Bloom set up a community garden. When opening day arrives, Maggie finds a boot buried in one of the plots…and there’s a body attached to it.
Montague Shakespeare Festival: Macbeth
Shea Theater, Turners Falls
Friday, March 28 – Sunday, April 6
Enter the dangerous mind of Shakespeare's Macbeth, where ambition, love, and the supernatural intertwine to create a psychological masterpiece. Under Nia Lynn's direction, this production plunges audiences into Shakespeare's most psychologically complex tragedy, where passionate love transforms into a conspiratorial power-grabbing nightmare, and the line between reality and imagination dissolves. Director Nia Lynn has worked extensively for The Royal Shakespeare Company. With Nia heading the festival, MSF anticipates a thrilling opportunity for us to experience The Bard’s words in an enthralling new light.
Live Dead & Brothers: An All-Star Celebration of Grateful Dead & Allman Brothers
Iron Horse, Northampton
Friday, March 28 at 7 p.m.
Prepare to embark on a mesmerizing journey through the golden era of psychedelic blues and the seeds of the ‘jam band’ scene as Live Dead & Brothers takes the stage. Comprised of actual and legacy members from the extended Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers families, this exceptional ensemble invites fans, both old and new, to come together and relive the vibrant, transformative spirit of the 60s and 70s. It’s a live music experience that transcends generations.
Van Gogh for All
Springfield Museums
Opens Saturday, March 29
Head to the D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts to immerse yourself in the works of the world’s most famous painter. Designed to engage 21st-century audiences in the 19th-century art of Vincent van Gogh, this exhibition uses modern technology and participatory learning to immerse new audiences in Van Gogh’s genius, his personal struggles, and his creative process. You can get behind the shutters of The Yellow House, become part of one of Van Gogh’s famous landscapes, manipulate a 12-foot-wide interactive version of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and more.
Sweet Spirit & A Balm in Gilead
Second Congregational Church, Greenfield
Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30
Greenfield’s LAVA Center is facilitating a collaboration with Música Franklin, Twice as Smart and Dr. Arthur C. Jones, founder of The Spirituals Project (Denver, CO). On Saturday at 2 p.m., the youth of Musica Franklin and Twice as Smart present Sweet Spirit: Songs of Joy, Peace, and Freedom, with commentary from Dr. Jones on the meaning and importance of the songs. On Sunday, at 4 p.m. Dr. Jones will present A Balm in Gilead, a multi-media talk with live music, on the history of Spirituals.
Five College Choral Festival
John M. Greene Hall, Smith College
Saturday, March 29 at 5 p.m.
This annual free concert demonstrates the good vibes that occur when the five colleges collaborate through music. The singers will be the Amherst College Glee Club and Concert Choir, conducted by Arianne Abela; the Mount Holyoke College Glee Club and Chorale, conducted by Colin Britt; the Smith College Glee Club and Chamber Singers, conducted by Jonathan Hirsh and Hanif Lawrence; the University of Massachusetts Amherst Chamber Choir, conducted by Lindsay Pope; and the University of Massachusetts Amherst Chorale, conducted by Stephen Pagano. Each will sing its own program, then everyone will gather on stage to perform Alice Parker' s "Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal."
Anda Union
Bombyx, Florence
Saturday, March 29 at 7 p.m.
Anda Union's thoroughly addictive combination of Mongolian musical styles is a reflection of their roots. Driven by their thirst to discover the power and magic of the rich and powerful Mongol traditions and culture, they have been stunning people all over the world with their music for the last fifteen years. Hailing from differing ethnic nomadic cultures the nine-strong band unites tribal and music traditions from all over Inner Mongolia.
The Blues Project: Songs of Love and Loneliness
with Eric Bascom & Friends
Trinity United Methodist Church, Springfield
Saturday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.
"The Blues Project: Songs of Love and Loneliness," is an exploration of the way blues music has permeated American music for over two hundred years. The sextet led by Eric Bascom, guitar and vocals, will present an evening of blues covering a wide variety of genres and time periods - from traditional to modern, including works by Nat Adderly, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington. Joining Eric will be Carl Hopkins, guitar; Genevieve Rose, double bass; Ed Brainerd, trumpet, flugel horn and piano; Ted Levine, saxophone; and Tito Holtkamp on drums.
The Slackers w/ Some Ska Band
The Drake, Amherst
Saturday, March 29 at 8 p.m.
For 33 years, the NYC-based and critically acclaimed Slackers have been touring the world with their blend of Ska, Reggae, and Soul. They’ve been called “the Sound of New York” by the New York Times, and were described by Brooklyn Vegan as a “clean mix of Ska, Reggae, and Soul that gets dirtied up by Vic Ruggiero’s tough New York accent.” Some Ska Band, a tight, 8-piece outfit, opens.
Very Hungry Caterpillar Day
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Sunday, March 30 from 12 – 4:30 p.m.
This family event is free with Museum admission. Kids can enjoy art-making, a museum-wide scavenger hunt, films, story time, and a concert by the UMass flute ensemble. Guests can also meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar in our Great Hall. Riff’s Food Truck will be onsite from noon until 3 p.m.
Winter Film Series 2025: Call Me Dancer
Temple Anshe Amunim, Pittsfield
Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m.
Call Me Dancer is a film about hope, heartache, and hard work. Together, Manish and Yehuda transform each other’s lives, searching to uncover who and what they are. Yehuda seeks a purpose and a place to call home. Manish dreams of dancing on the world-stage but struggles to break free from the confines of his own economic and social circumstances.
Valley Classical: The Ulysses String Quartet
Sweeney Concert Hall, Smith College
Sunday, March 30 at 3 p.m.
I saw this fabulous young string quartet perform in NEPM’s Studio A last spring. They were completing their service as GBH Music’s first-ever quartet in residence and it was sensational! The group’s name pays homage to Homer’s hero Odysseus and his arduous homeward voyage, signifying the constant pursuit of artistic and personal ideals. Founded in 2015, they have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Washington’s National Gallery of Art many other fine venues. This is the final concert in Valley Classical’s 2024–25 season. Go!
Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares: Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio
Institute for the Musical Arts, Goshen
Monday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Pianist and composer Satoko Fujii, is one of the most original voices in jazz today. For more than 25 years, she has created a unique, personal music that spans many genres, blending jazz, contemporary classical, rock, and traditional Japanese music into an innovative synthesis instantly recognizable as hers alone. She will be joined by Natto Maki (bass), Oden (drums).
Science on Screen: Don’t Look Up
Amherst Cinema
Tuesday, April 1 at 7 p.m.
There’s always something interesting (and local) happening at Amherst Cinema. This week, they’re launching their 2025 Science on Screen series where compelling films are paired with lively talks by local experts in science, technology and medicine. It starts with “Don’t Look Up” in which two astronomers go on a media tour to warn humankind of a planet-killing comet hurtling toward Earth. The response from a distracted world: Meh. Ethan Zuckerman, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Information, and Communication at UMass Amherst will talk about mis/disinformation in an era of fake news and digital discourse.
Osman Khan: Road to Hybridabad
MASS MoCA, North Adams
On View through Sunday, April 6
If you have not yet seen this exhibit, better go now! In a sprawling and wryly funny exhibition, Osman Khan re-reads the magical and fantastical figures found in folktales and lore, with a particular focus on those from South Asia, the Middle East, and other Muslim and immigrant traditions. This new body of work includes an animatronic djinn, drone-operated flying carpets, a wall-destroying sound system/cannon, and a storytelling Scheherezade AI.