Amherst College Jazz Ensemble: McBride Commission Concert
Buckley Recital Hall, Amherst College
Friday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Experience the world premiere of Jeremy Cohen's "Changing Tides" in a joint concert by the Jazz Ensemble and members of the Boston-based New England Jazz Collective. This is the newest composition in the Jazz Commission Series, named after Robin McBride. Jeremy Cohen is a composer, percussionist and entrepreneur. He is a Remo-sponsored artist and founder of ThisWorldMusic, which for over 10 years specialized in award-winning, music-and-dance study abroad programs in West Africa and Cuba. Admission is free; no tickets are required; donations will be collected for the Amherst Survival Center.
Charley’s Tropical Bar & Board Game Palace- An Immersive Experience
Shea Theater, Turner’s Falls
Friday, Feb. 13 and Saturday, Feb 14 from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
The Shea Theater and Eggtooth Productions present a 1990’s nostalgic experience with tabletop games, music, cocktails, cozy community vibes and the chance to surrender your phone and your cares to an evening of live performances and more than a few immersive rewards.
Springfield Symphony Orchestra
Planet Earth: A Symphonic Journey
Springfield Symphony Hall
Saturday, Feb. 14 at 3 p.m.
This innovative concert will open with “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity,” a movement from Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Joseph Alessi, principal trombone player of the New York Philharmonic will be featured in a performance of Dutch composer Johan de Meij’s T-Bone Concerto for solo trombone and symphonic band — with three movements: Rare, Medium and Well Done. The concert will conclude with the U.S. premiere of de Meij’s Symphony No. 3 Planet Earth, accompanied by a beautiful film, produced by the composers’ wife, Dyan Machan and directed by Jed Parker.
Touch of Red
The Guilded Brick, Holyoke
Saturday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m.
Celebrate romance and passion for the arts at this benefit for the Holyoke Arts League, the Cancer Connection, and the Holyoke Food & Equity Collective with music featuring Packing Shed (R&B), Rabble Rouser (latin-surf-punk), Rival Galaxies (synth-dance-punk), and 13Queen piano karaoke with Josh Sitron. Plus! a chocolate fountain and kissing booth.
The Femmes: The Valentines Ball — a Gay Prom
Iron Horse, Northampton
Saturday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.
The Femmes are an all-woman and non-binary wedding band specializing in songs by female and non-binary artists. When you’re at a Femmes show, you’re at a high energy concert experience. Epic singalongs, expertly crafted harmonies, and musicians who absolutely love to interact with the audience.
Peter Blanchette with Yann Falquet
Trinity United Methodist Church, Springfield
Saturday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Peter Blanchette is known around the world as the inventor of the 11-string archguitar. His extraordinary repertoire of internationally acclaimed arrangements spans from Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music to World Music, and his own original pieces. He will be joined by Québecois guitarist and singer Yann Falquet, whose vibrant traditional repertoire and warm vocals expand the duo’s sound. They will present an uplifting mix of early music, original works, and Québecois songs to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
John Sayles in Person
Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley
Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker John Sayles presents his new novel, Crucible. He will be joined in conversation by NEPM reporter and host Jill Kaufman. Crucible is a complex and sweeping historical novel about Henry Ford — the Elon Musk of his day — and his attempt to rule not only an automotive empire but the rambunctious city of Detroit. It is an epic tale ranging from the 1920s through the second World War, featuring violent labor disputes, misbegotten jungle expeditions, a tragic race riot, the gestapo tactics of Ford’s private army, and more.
Jolly Good Times in the Kitchen with Elyse Moore
John W. Olver Transit Center, Greenfield
Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 2 – 4 p.m.
Mary Prudence Wells Smith (1840–1920) was a novelist, historian, feminist, Historical Society of Greenfield founder and cookbook author. Elyse Moore, who teaches early American hearth cooking at Historic Deerfield, will explore the connections between the manuscript of Wells Smith’s 1875 cookbook and her Jolly Good Times series (1875–1895) of eight junior novels. Moore will look at how Wells Smith drew on her relationships with family and friends, knowledge of domestic food production, and familiarity with the pleasures of the table to create historical flavors in her fiction. This talk is sponsored by Senior Symposia in collaboration with Greenfield Community College.
Inspired Giving: Pro Tips for the Savvy Philanthropist
HCC-MGM Culinary Arts Institute, Holyoke
Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Philanthropy is most impactful when it is intentional, informed, and aligned with personal values. Join Gina Barry, shareholder and chair of the estate planning and elder law department at Bacon Wilson, P.C., for an engaging discussion on how to give wisely and strategically. HCC alumna Elizabeth Román, executive editor of news at NEPM, will share remarks about the impact of journalism in our community and her journey from HCC to her current role. A luncheon with food prepared by HCC culinary arts students will be served. Admission is free, but space is limited.
Reel Good: Nonprofits Strengthening the Berkshires
Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield
Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 3 – 5 p.m.
The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires (NPC) presents a film-sharing event highlighting 20 Berkshire County nonprofits through short films that share their missions and invite community engagement. A brief panel discussion with nonprofit leaders will follow the screening, focusing on the year ahead for the sector and the importance of effective storytelling. This is part of Pittsfield’s 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival.
Sunny Jain: Wild Wild East
The Drake, Amherst
Thursday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m.
Sunny Jain is known as the founder and leader of the unruly, oversized, genre-mashing Brooklyn-based band Red Baraat. Wild Wild East draws from Jain’s identity as a first-generation South Asian American and as a global musicianWhile sourcing musical inspiration from the scores of Bollywood classics and Spaghetti Westerns, Indian folk traditions, jazz improvisation, and psychedelic guitar styles, Jain recasts the immigrant as the modern-day cowboy and cowgirl.
SCHOOL VACATION WEEK
Olympic STEAM Quest
Springfield Museums
Monday, Feb. 16 – Friday, Feb. 20 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Go for the gold! Explore the science, engineering, and artistry behind cold-weather sports through hands-on activities throughout the day. Discover endless possibilities of math through dozens of interactive stations. Ride in a live-action snowboard race, control a Mars rover, fend off cyber invaders from inside a computer game, capture your image in a 360 freeze-motion video, and much more. Kids can learn about the origins of the iconic wreath of the Olympic Games and make one of their own. Free with museum admission.
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.
School Vacation Week
The Clark, Williamstown
Daily Activities Tuesday, Feb. 17 – Thursday, Feb. 19
Twilight Zone marathon Friday, Feb. 20
School’s out, monsters are in! Head to the Clark for all forms of fun connected to the exhibition, Shadow Visionaries: French Artists Against the Current, 1840–70. Discover themes of imagination, fantasy, and ghostly realities with exciting programming all week. From 10 a.m.– 12 p.m., drop in to sculpt your own gargoyle or otherworldly creature out of mixed media materials. At 1 p.m. join a Clark educator for an all-ages interactive tour of Shadow Visionaries that includes playful writing and storytelling activities. On Friday, immerse yourself in the otherworldly with a marathon of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, screening from 1 – 4 p.m.
Free Admission Day at The Carle
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst
Thursday, Feb. 19 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Carle is pleased to offer free admission on Thursday, February 19, with grateful thanks to the The Highland Street Foundation. All events, including a special cooking demonstration by Afton Cyrus, are free to all guests.
COMING SOON
Bulb Shows!
Berkshire Botanical Gardens, Stockbridge
Friday, Feb. 20 – Friday, March 20
Mount Holyoke College’s Talcott Greenhouse, South Hadley
Saturday, March 7 – Sunday, March 15
Botanic Garden of Smith College, Northampton
Saturday, March 7 – Sunday, March 22
Most years, when talking about our annual local bulbs shows phrases like “early glimpse of spring” or “retreat from winter’s chill” are nice. But this year, for me, the promise of flowers and milder days is producing a stronger, more urgent sense of anticipation. This may be the year to go to all three of these shows.
Mean Girls: High School Version
Northampton High School
Thursday, March 12 – Sunday, March 15
Northampton High School is getting ready for its spring musical theater production, the high school version of Mean Girls, a high-energy rock musical based on the iconic 2004 film. Packed with sharp humor, big dance numbers, and unforgettable one-liners, Mean Girls spotlights the best and worst of high school cliques.
Craig Eastman
Majestic Theater, West Springfield
Monday, March 16 at 7 p.m. (limited tickets available)
Craig Eastman returns to the Majestic with his magic violin and special guests for an exceptional evening of virtuoso fiddle music from Ireland and beyond. Though his illustrious career has had him working with legends like Steve Martin, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Hugh Laurie, Slash, Johnny Depp, and Hans Zimmer, he always returns home to western Mass to perform for Majestic audiences.
Berkshire Bach: J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion
First Congregational Church, Great Barrington
Saturday, April 11 at 3 p.m.
BBS choral director James Bagwell leads soloists, chorus, and orchestra in the dramatic St. John Passion, Bach’s earliest surviving work in the genre and predecessor to his powerful St. Matthew Passion. These are Berkshire Bach’s first performances of St. John Passion since 1995 and promise to be major choral events in our region. With tenor Gene Stenger as The Evangelist.
Jacob’s Pillow Spring Performances
Compañía Irene Rodríguez: Flamenco Soul
Friday, April 24 – Sunday, April 26
inDANCE: ROWDIES IN LOVE
Friday, May 1 — Sunday, May 3
Jacob’s Pillow has announced its inaugural spring season, featuring two spring weekends of fully-produced performances in the newly opened Doris Duke Theatre. Compañía Irene Rodríguez will present the world premiere of Flamenco Soul, an intimate and magnetic solo dance performance, accompanied by live music from a three-person ensemble. inDANCE will perform ROWDIES IN LOVE, a vibrant, sensual work for eight male contemporary dancers. It unites the Indian classical dance form Bharatanatyam with contemporary dance from queer, global perspectives.