The Etchings Festival
Events at Look Park and Bombyx, Florence
Thursday, Aug. 7 – Saturday, Aug. 9
The Etching Festivals showcases an international line up of some of the most exciting names in contemporary classical music, folk, and jazz. It opens on Thursday with a meet-the-composers evening of music at Bombyx. On Friday, the festival moves to the Sanctuary at Look Park for performances by Hazmat Modine and contemporary new music and performance art ensemble Ecce Ensemble. Then back to Bombyx on Sunday for Felipe Salles’ Camera Obscura — featuring a jazz quartet, string quartet and woodwind sextet — plus more from Ecce Ensemble. It’s a spectacularly rich collection that will leave you breathless.
Summer Concert Series
Black Birch Vineyard, Hatfield
Darlingside
Thursday, Aug. 7 at 5:30 p.m.
Comprised of Don Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, Harris Paseltiner and David Senft, four likeminded multi-instrumentalists who first met at Williams College in 2009, Darlingside’s career has been defined by the elegance of their compositions and the unity of their four voices. Their talent for harmony and melodic world-building is part of what garnered praise from outlets like NPR, Rolling Stone and The New Yorker.
Deadgrass Live
Friday, Aug. 8 at 5:30 p.m.
Matt Turk and C Lanzbom joined forces to form Deadgrass, a string band adventure through Jerry Garcia’s musical world. Bassist Dave Richards, banjo player Boo Reiners and fiddler Kensuke Shoji complete this fine group of seasoned pros exploring the life works of Jerry Garcia on the instruments that first inspired him. Deadgrass celebrates and interprets the music of Jerry Garcia, drawing from Old & in the Way, JGB, Jerry’s Jug Band days and the Grateful Dead.
Tony Davis
Summer on Strong, Northampton
Friday, Aug. 8 from 5 – 8 p.m.
Tony Davis is an internationally acclaimed guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer based in New York City. He has performed at prestigious venues such as The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, Smalls, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Birdland, and at major festivals including the Newport Jazz Festival and the Greater Hartford Jazz Festival. Tony’s music blends elements of various Latin traditions, folk, rock, and classical music into his deep roots in jazz and blues.
Exhibit Opening and 33 Outside Dance Party
33 Hawley Street, Northampton
Friday, Aug. 8
There’s a lot going on at 33 Hawley on Friday. The opening of new exhibits in the Barn Door Gallery and Split Level Gallery starts at 5 p.m., with food and live music. Then, at 7:30, a strictly-vinyl free family-friendly outdoor dance party! DJs from the Peace & Rhythm collective will spin head-nodding, feel-good, body-moving music.
African Community Festival 2025
Marshall Roy Park, Springfield
Saturday, Aug. 9 from 12 –7 p.m.
Celebrate unity, culture, and pride through vibrant African and African diaspora music, dance, food, and art. Enjoy a diverse marketplace filled with authentic crafts, clothing, and jewelry. Savor delicious cuisine from local food vendors offering rich flavors from across the African diaspora. Engage with live performances, family-friendly activities, and interactive cultural experiences.
Antenna Cloud Farm: Duo YUMENO
ACF Indoor Stage, Gill
Saturday, Aug. 9 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Antenna Cloud Farm is a special place that presents an inspiring array of artists who are not only captivating performers, but who all leverage their artistry to support others and to build community. Duo YUMENO is collaboration between koto/shamisen player and singer Yoko Reikano Kimura and cellist Hikaru Tamaki. They explore the dialogue between classical Japanese and western music, thrilling audiences around the world from Carnegie Hall and the U.N. to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan.
An Evening with Ciarra Fragale with special guest Daniel Kleederman
Studio 9 at Porches, North Adams
Saturday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m.
Ciarra Fragale is an indie pop singer/songwriter, producer, and actor from New York’s Hudson Valley. By blending the nostalgic traditions of songwriting with unique new-wave sensibilities, she creates a refreshing sound all her own. Daniel Kleederman grew up in western Massachusetts before moving to New York City. After about a decade, he came home to create his first solo EP, Grand Kid. Ciarra will be playing live on Friday’s Fabulous 413.
John Williams’ Film Night
Tanglewood, Lenox
Saturday, Aug. 9 at 8 p.m.
A cherished Tanglewood tradition, John Williams’ Film Night returns with a fabulous program of film music highlights specially curated by Maestro Williams himself and featuring Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops.
Pioneer Valley Symphony Summer Sing: Fauré Requiem
Most Holy Redeemer Church, Hadley
Sunday, Aug. 10 at 4 p.m.
Here’s your chance to sing a luscious choral masterpiece — The Fauré Requiem. The Pioneer Valley Symphony’s Summer Sings are informal, fun events open to all who wish to sing the work. Choral enthusiasts of all experience levels are welcome to attend for an informal and musically rewarding experience. This sing will be led by PVS Assistant Conductor Anthony Ferreira.
Mary Chapin Carpenter and Brandy Clark
Academy of Music, Northampton
Sunday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m.
Mary Chapin Carpenter has garnered universal critical acclaim, a bounty of awards and the respect of multiple generations of her songwriting peers. She’s one of 22 women in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In the midst of a landmark year, Brandy Clark won Best Americana Performance at the 66th GRAMMY Awards and Song of the Year at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards with her acclaimed song, “Dear Insecurity.”
Michelle Citrin & Her Powerhouse Band
Lenox Memorial High School
Sunday, Aug. 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Brooklyn-based Michelle Citrin is best known as a pioneer of celebrating Jewish culture on YouTube with viral videos including “20 Things to do with Matzah”, “Rosh Hashanah Girl” and “Hanukkah Lovin.” In total, these videos have received millions of hits from around the world. Expect an electrifying night of soul-stirring vocals, infectious, high-energy, foot-stomping world grooves, and heart-opening moments.
Plainfield Concerts at 7: The Ying Quartet
Plainfield Congregational Church
Monday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m.
This is a gem of a series, with great acoustics and an appreciative audience. Plus, the drive there is lovely! The Ying Quartet is quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. They first came to professional prominence in the early 1990s during their years as resident quartet of Jesup, Iowa, a farm town of 2000 people. Playing before audiences in homes, schools, churches, and banks, the Quartet had its first opportunities to enable music to become an integral part of community life. The Quartet considers its time in Jesup the foundation of its present musical life and goals. Other concerts to consider: The Verona Quartet on Aug. 18 and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet on Aug. 25.
Barrington Stage: King James
St. Germain Stage, Pittsfield
Tuesday, Aug. 12 – Sunday, Aug. 31
Get a courtside seat for the acclaimed slam-dunk comedy from Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph. In a town that was searching for someone to look up to, no figure loomed as tall as Lebron James — and no Clevelander worshiped him as much as Shawn and Matt. King James chronicles the budding friendship between these two fanatics as they bond over the rise of a basketball god.
August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox
Through Sunday, Aug. 24
Set against the backdrop of 1936 Pittsburgh during the Great Depression, Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning The Piano Lesson is a testament to the complexities of family, history, and legacy. It’s the fourth in Wilson’s American Century Cycle series of plays, and the second performed at Shakespeare & Company following their award-winning production of Fences in 2023.