Land of the Free by Camille Turner
University Museum of Contemporary Art, UMass
On View Friday, Feb. 6 – Friday, May 8
Opening reception Thursday, Feb. 5 at 5 p.m.
Camille Turner is an artist and scholar whose work lives at the intersection of historical research and Afrofuturism, a movement that blends science fiction, fantasy, and Black history and culture. Turner spent the fall semester at UMass researching and creating new work as part of her joint artist residency between the museum and Slavery North, a UMass-based research institute. Land of the Free presents Turner’s cinematic meditations on the lives of people transported in the holds of slave ships built along the eastern seaboard of North America. At its heart is her new film, “80 Died of Flux and Flu.”
Calm & Candlelight
South Church Amherst
Wednesdays in February and March from 6 – 6:30 p.m.
Community Supper at 5:30 p.m.
Taizé singing is a form of meditative, repetitive prayer developed by the ecumenical Taizé Community in France. Short, simple chants, are repeated continuously to foster inner silence, calm, and contemplation, often accompanied by candlelight. You can try it out at South Church, Amherst.
Greenfield Winter Carnival
Friday, Feb. 6 – Sunday, Feb. 8
This Greenfield tradition has been happening since 1922! This year’s activities include ice sculpture contests, fireworks, parade of lights, glow party, family activities, yeti hunt, fire and ice show, jigsaw puzzle contest, cribbage tournament, cardboard sled race, k9 keg pull, chili cook off, vintage snowmobiles, sledding, ice skating, and more. Be sure to visit the LAVA Center, where you can see a restored nine-minute film, “Greenfield’s Winter Carnival, 1923.”
Sage Chamber Music Society Spring Recital Series 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 great duos by Franz Schubert: Sonata in A Major, Rondo in B Minor, and Fantasy in C Major. 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 others!
Five College Opera: Le Nozze di Figaro
Bowker Auditorium, UMass
Friday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m.
The Five College Opera is a collaborative production in which faculty from across the campuses join together to plan an opera and students in music and theater from all of the campuses have the opportunity to study and perform. Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) is Mozart’s sparkling comedy of love and class. When Figaro and Susanna’s wedding plans are jeopardized by Count Almaviva’s entitled advances, a whirlwind of disguises and misunderstandings ensues, culminating in a joyous celebration of wit, compassion, and the triumph of love.
Winter Exquisite: Zine & Puppet Fest
Forbes Library, Northampton
Saturday, Feb. 7 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The second annual Winter Exquisite: Zine Fest & Puppet Pageant will feature 22 artist vendors, 13 puppets, and the Zine Club bookstore — all in an immersive Winter-scape. Plus! The UMass Saxophone Ensemble will be playing from 2 – 4 p.m. Plus! There’ll be a related Puppet Pageant Saturday, Feb. 28!
Kim Chin-Gibbons Album Release Show
De la Luz Soundstage, Holyoke
Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.
Kim Chin-Gibbons is a Cambodian-born, American-raised musician, photographer, and digital media specialist living in western Mass. Her new album, “Coming Out, Math-Rock & Mourning Murder” is shaped by her life inside the progressive rock world of Sunset Mission, where long outdoor rehearsals and marathon practice sessions forged both technical precision and emotional depth.
Black Belt Eagle Scout and Mato Wayuhi with Ailani
MASS MoCA, North Adams
Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m.
Black Belt Eagle Scout and Mato Wayuhi, with Ailani, are invited by Jeffrey Gibson to engage with his installation POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT through this evening-length performance in MASS MoCA’s Club B10. The duo are co-headlining “The Black Bear” national tour with support from fellow Indigenous artist Ailani (Tewa Pueblo). Their live show is a seamless set that begins with Mato Wayuhi songs, transitions into KP + Mato collaborations, and closes with Black Belt Eagle Scout songs — all performed with a full live band.
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. One of the groups, The Amherst College Zumbyes, will be crooning on Friday’s Fabulous 413.
Chris Fleming
Academy of Music, Northampton
Tuesday, Feb. 10 and Wednesday, Feb 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Comedian Chris Fleming has amassed over 80 million views on his Youtube channel and has appeared in Abbott Elementary, LOOT, Comedy Central’s CORPORATE, and Netflix’s Last Laugh. The Huffington Post has called him “perhaps one of the best things on the internet.” According to Vulture, “equal parts imagination and inferiority complex [have] led him to create some of the most bizarrely funny performance art taking place online and on stage today.” Lucky for us: he has two shows booked!
Emily King with Kimaya Diggs
The Drake, Amherst
Thursday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m.
4-time Grammy-nominated songwriter and singer Emily King was born and raised in New York City’s lower east side. She began her career playing venues in Greenwich village and was soon discovered by Clive Davis who signed her to his J Records label at the age of 21. King’s unmistakable silky lush vocal and joyous magnetic stage presence continue to lure audiences around the world. Kimaya Diggs opens.
Cécilia
Bombyx, Florence
Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
Cécilia delivers traditional Celtic and Quebecois music that causes a wonderful stir. 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.
Cirque Flip Fabrique: Blizzard
Tillis Performance Hall
Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Québec-based circus arts troupe Cirque Flip Fabrique is renowned around the world for its blend of astonishing feats and visual poetry. In Blizzard, Flip Fabrique takes you on a wild, poetic, and gentle journey through the dead of winter, inviting you to lose yourself in a moment of complete wonder.
Barrington Stage: 10×10 New Play Festival
St. Germain Stage, Pittsfield
Thursday, Feb. 12 – Sunday, March 15
Catch BSC favorites in the spotlight as 100 minutes of dreams, drama, and pure delight unfold in the St. Germain Theater. These fast-moving plays — 10 plays, each 10 minutes in length — will make you laugh, might make you cry, and promise to make you think.
COMING SOON
KidsBestFest 2026
Academy of Music, Northampton
Monday, Feb. 16 – Friday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.
A beloved February school break tradition that I remember well! The community is invited to the historic Academy of Music Theatre for five days of heartwarming stories, wild adventures, and stunning animation. This year’s lineup: Lilo & Stitch on Monday; Little Amélie on Tuesday; Flow on Wednesday; Grow on Thursday; and The Time Masters on Friday. Admission is free, with donations gratefully accepted at the door to help the Northampton Arts Council keep this popular series running for many years to come.
Berkshires Jazz
10 by Satch: the Black Eagles play Louis Armstrong
Proprietors Lodge, Pittsfield
Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
For more than 50 years, from Symphony Hall to Singapore, the New Black Eagle Jazz Band has been delighting audiences worldwide with its infectious, soulful and uplifting style of traditional New Orleans jazz. The New Black Eagle Jazz Band will perform performing ten of Louis Armstrong’s most notable numbers (dancing optional). It’s part of Pittsfield’s 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival. Light snacks included in the ticket price; a pub dessert menu will also be available.
Music @ Amherst: The Danish String Quartet
Buckley Recital Hall, Amherst College • 7:30 pm
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 7 at 12 a.m.
The grammy-nominated Danish String Quartet continue to assert their preeminence among the world’s finest string quartets. They are celebrated for their “intense blend, extreme dynamic variation (in which they seem glued together), perfect intonation even on harmonics, and constant vitality and flow” (Gramophone) and renowned for the palpable joy they exude in music-making. Their program includes Schnittke’s String Quartet No. 2, Jonny Greenwood’s Suite from There Will Be Blood, and Ravel’s String Quartet.
Ms. Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton
Iron Horse, Northampton
Sunday, March 1 at 7 p.m.
Ms. Lisa Fischer spent much of her career as an elite backup singer for artists such as Luther Vandross, the Rolling Stones, Sting, Tina Turner or Nine Inch Nails. But when her story was featured in the 2013 documentary “20 Feet From Stardom,” Fischer experienced a course-changing epiphany. “The film gave me a chance to take stock and realize I could start defining my own path.” Seizing the moment, Fischer partnered with string wizard and arranger JC Maillard’s Grand Baton, a group capable of following her in just about any musical direction.
Berkshire Opera Festival: Winterreise
Tanglewood’s Linde Center, Lenox
Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m.
Hailed as one of the greatest works in the art song repertoire, Franz Schubert’s song cycle “Winterreise” sets 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller to music of extraordinary psychological depth. The cycle follows a rejected lover wandering through a frozen landscape, confronting isolation, longing, and despair. It’s an unflinching exploration of the human soul. American baritone Jarrett Porter performs the cycle with BOF Artistic Director and Co-founder Brian Garman at the piano.