Wine Tasting with Rick Steves
Thursday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. on Zoom
Ticket sales end Monday, Feb. 2 at 5 p.m.
Join travel expert Rick Steves for an unforgettable virtual wine tasting adventure! Whether you're a long-time wine aficionado or just beginning your tasting journey, this will be fun and educational. Six mini bottles of wine (enough for two to taste) will be shipped directly to your door. Then sip along during this delightful evening with Rick. Listen to his stories and learn about the different European wine varietals and flavors.
'65 Years of As Schools Match Wits' Screening and Filmmaker Q&A
NEPM Studios, Springfield
Friday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.
Celebrate the upcoming 65th anniversary of As Schools Match Wits, one of the nation's longest-running academic quiz show competitions. Our new 45-minute documentary film explores the rich history of one of the longest-running academic quiz shows in the country, featuring archival footage, interviews, and behind-the-scenes stories. After the screening, enjoy a Q&A with ASMW executive producers Tony Dunne of NEPM and Mark St. Jean of Westfield State University with longtime ASMW host Beth Ward for an inside look at the making of this milestone documentary.
Gallery Visit with Anaїs Duplan
MASS MoCA, North Adams
Saturday, Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Join writer Anaїs Duplan for one of the events in a multi-session, seminar-style series at MASS MoCA to explore the concepts of privilege and power in contemporary art through reading short texts, writing in response to exhibitions, and discussion. The series focuses on exhibitions by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) identifying artists at MASS MoCA who explore the concepts of privilege and power in some form. This session explores Jimena Sarno’s Rhapsody exhibition.
Understanding Bad Bunny
Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley
Saturday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m.
What are some basic facts that all Americans might wish to know about Puerto Rico? Where did the island’s latest global celebrity, Bad Bunny, come from? How did he become a superstar in the music industry, chosen to play the halftime show at the 2026 Super Bowl? What are his lyrics about, and why does his music appeal to listeners across the world? This presentation by Professor Juan Pablo Rivera will appeal both to fans of Bad Bunny and curious people unfamiliar with him. The show is intended for mature audiences 16+.
Singer Songwriter Series
Workshop13, Ware
Saturday, Jan. 31 from 6 – 10 p.m.
Here’s something intriguing. “In the round” is a performance format that brings a group of singer-songwriters together sharing the stage, with each artist delivering songs one after another. First there’s round one. After intermission, there will be a special featured performance by national touring artist Taija New, followed by a powerful second round, a group curtain call, and a community meet-and greet with all of the performers.
Valley Classical: Isidore String Quartet
Sweeney Concert Hall, Smith College
Sunday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m.
Winners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022, the New York City-based Isidore String Quartet was formed in 2019 with a vision to revisit, rediscover, and reinvigorate the repertory. Case in point: Devin Moore (b. 1999) has created arrangements of choral works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Johannes Brahms for the Isidore String Quartet. Hear these new arrangements alongside Beethoven’s String Quartet no. 6 and Brahms’s String Quartet no. 3.
Chamber @ The Drake
Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'Riley
The Drake, Amherst
Sunday, Feb. 1 at 4 p.m.
You may remember when, a couple of decades ago, cellist Matt Haimovitz was making headlines with his Listening Room Tour for which he performed Bach’s cello suites bars and clubs. Around this time, he was teaching at UMass. Now, Matt and former NPR host Christopher O’Riley are touring with a new album, "The Bach Dialogues." It includes Bach viola da gamba sonatas and a Trio Sonata on a 5-string cello piccolo and clavichord. Matt will be performing on his electric 5-string cello, and Christopher has programmed his electronic keyboard as a clavichord, ensuring “period” timbre and balance.
Cello & Chocolate
Bombyx, Florence
Rescheduled to Sunday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.
This was in last week’s CTD. But, you know, we had some snow. Luckily, it was rescheduled to this coming Sunday. This multi-sensory experience will feature the sounds of the Jeremy Harman and Dave Haughey Cello Duo paired with the delicious flavors of Ana Bandeira Chocolates of Northampton. Dave is the owner of Ana Bandeira Chocolates and a stellar multi-genre cellist. Jeremy Harman is Artistic Director of the New Directions Cello Festival and professor of cello at the Berklee College of Music. With special guest Natalie Padilla.
Roddy Bottum in Person
Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley
Monday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
Roddy Bottum is a founder of the iconic band Faith No More. He’ll be at the Odyssey Bookshop to talk about “The Royal We,” his coming-of-age and out-of-the-closet story in pre–tech boom San Francisco. The book follows his travels from Los Angeles, growing up gay with no role models, to San Francisco, where he formed Faith No More and went on to tour the world relentlessly, surviving heroin addiction and the plight of AIDS, to become a queer icon.
Venice Baroque Orchestra
Tillis Performance Hall, UMass
Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Since their founding in 1997 by renowned harpsichordist and Baroque scholar Andrea Marcon, the Venice Baroque Orchestra has toured the globe, rediscovering and promoting masterpieces from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Chouchane Siranossian, who ranks among the world’s greatest violin virtuosos, now takes the stage with the Venice Baroque for a program of compositions by four acclaimed Italian violinist-composers of the Baroque era.
The Smith College Department of Dance: 2026 M.F.A. Dance Concert
Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts, Smith College
Thursday, Feb. 5 – Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m.
The Smith College Department of Dance presents the 2026 M.F.A. Dance Concert featuring choreography by 2nd-year M.F.A. candidates Chavi Bansal, Dimitri Kalaitzidis and Hannah Littman. The contemporary pieces explore themes of choice and consequences, risk and reward, the ephemerality of dance work, and the creative play between dancers and audience. Additionally, “Experiments in Improvisation,” by M.F.A. candidate Sarah Young will be shown in the Crew House Dance Studio on Feb. 14 at 1 and 3 p.m.
A Brief History of Illustration: The Abyss
Norman Rockwell Museum
On view through Sunday, May 31
NRM’s Brief History of Illustration Collection series highlights the importance of both the history of illustration and the huge collection at Norman Rockwell Museum. Each iteration occupies one of the Museum’s galleries, and changes twice a year, with a new theme. The Abyss demonstrates the vast complexity of illustration, while simultaneously illustrating the ocean. From the 19th century to the present, artists have engaged with the concept (as well as the reality) of the ocean for many purposes, from wartime propaganda and political statements to compelling book illustrations and lighthearted cartoons.
COMING SOON
Sage Chamber Music Society Spring Recital Opener
Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall, Smith College
Friday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Acclaimed violinist Fabiola Kim, Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, joins Smith faculty pianist Jiayan Sun to present three duos by Franz Schubert. This is the first of four free concerts featuring Smith College faculty and guest artists presented by the Sage Chamber Music Society this semester. Reserve Friday, Feb. 20; Thursday, March 26; and Friday, April 10 for the other three concerts!
Silver Chord Bowl 2026
John M. Greene Hall, Smith College
Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.
Now in its 42nd year, the Silver Chord Bowl brings together the region’s finest vocal talent for an afternoon of extraordinary a cappella performance. This year’s showcase features seven collegiate ensembles and a special opening by Northampton High’s Northamptones.
Cécilia
Bombyx, Florence
Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Cécilia delivers traditional Celtic and Quebecois music that causes a wonderful stir. and fills to overflowing at every venue. They bring the best of many musical worlds together in their explorations of traditional music. Every one of their pieces is skillfully arranged and highlighted with influences from contemporary, classical, jazz and swing styles.
Dar Williams with special guest Peter Mulvey
Academy of Music
Friday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m.
Dar Williams released her 13th album, Hummingbird Highway, last September. It celebrates the colors she glimpses from her vantage as a touring musician. And, drawing on her experience as a playwright, Williams populates the album with nuanced characters that come alive in the space of a few minutes. Peter Mulvey, a veteran singer and songwriter from Milwaukee, has made 20 records, spanning rock and roll, folk, Jazz, spoken word, and Americana.
NAB TICKETS NOW
Cynthia Erivo
Tanglewood, Stockbridge
Friday, Aug. 21 at 8 p.m.
Secure tickets now (in the Shed or on the Lawn) for Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo and the Boston Pops this summer at Tanglewood. Don't miss this powerhouse vocalist make her Tanglewood debut with America's orchestra.