9th Annual Black Experience Summit
Veritas Auditorium, Elms College
Friday, Feb. 20 from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Elms College’s Black Experience Summit is an academic forum that presents a historical and authentic depiction of Black communities in the United States and across the African Diaspora. This year’s theme is, “Sankofa: Rooted in Truth, Rising in Dignity: Celebrating 100 Years of Black History, Faith, Scholarship, and the Stories That Shape Our Future.” The Summit is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged.
Blue Heron Ensemble
In Praise of Laura Peverara: Madrigals for the Concerto delle donne
Edwards Church, Northampton
Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Usually, you have to drive to Cambridge to experience the exquisite musicianship of Blue Heron, but every once in while, they perform in our neck of the woods. In the 1580s, Ferrara boasted one of the most famous vocal ensembles in Europe: a trio of women known as the Concerto delle donne. One member, Laura Peverara, was so admired and beloved that she inspired two madrigal anthologies. Blue Heron will present a selection of this repertoire.
Pothole Pictures: Monsoon Wedding
Memorial Hall, Shelburne Falls
Friday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Since 1995 Pothole Pictures has been a community owned, all volunteer-run, non-profit theater with programs of films on the big screen in Shelburne Falls’s Memorial Hall. And, before the 7:30 screenings, there’s always a half hour of live music. Directed by Mira Nair, Monsoon Wedding is a Bollywood lively drama about a Punjabi family preparing for a wedding in New Delhi. How about the live music at 7 p.m.? On Friday Abdul Baki performs original songs on piano; on Saturday, Eveline & John play jazz, classical, folk and originals.
New Black Eagle Jazz Band
10 by Satch: The Music of Louis Armstrong
Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Proprietors Lodge, Pittsfield
For more than 50 years, the New Black Eagle Jazz Band has been delighting audiences worldwide with its infectious, soulful and uplifting style of traditional New Orleans jazz. They’ will be performing ten of Louis Armstrong’s most notable numbers in a cabaret setting (dancing optional). It’s part of Pittsfield’s 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival.
Technologies of Relation
MASS MoCA, North Adams
On view starting Saturday, Feb. 21 with opening reception at 5:30 p.m.
Responding to the rapidly advancing technologies that are shaping our daily lives and social fabric, the artists in this new exhibit examine how we relate to each other, to our devices, and to our future. These creators see the complexity of our relationships to the digital, avoiding the binary views that frame technology as good or bad, as tool or monster. They embrace how technology can connect us, but also acknowledge how algorithms and A.I. have the tendency to oppress and erase marginalized communities.
6th Annual Fire & Ice Festival
Amherst Town Common
Saturday, Feb. 21 from 3 – 6 p.m.
The Town of Amherst’s WinterFest has been (and is) happening all week. Saturday’s Fire & Ice Festival is the grand finale when the town common is transformed into a magical winter wonderland. Enjoy mesmerizing ice sculptures, a breathtaking luminaria display, live entertainment, demos, activities, and hot cocoa and s'mores over fire pits.
Silverthorne Theater Company
Love Came and Hit Me in the Eye
CitySpace, Easthampton
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Silverthorne Theater Company’s third annual Valentine's cabaret will feature songs about finding love in unexpected places. Singers this year include Frank Aronson, Kyle Boatwright (pictured above), Stephanie Carlson, Willow Cohen, Tahmie Der, Cordelia Winter Dwyer, Rachel F. Hirsch, John Iverson, Gina Kaufmann, Sam Samuels, Rose Schweitz Malla, and Aracelli Sierra, accompanied by Lauren Bell on piano.
Ashes to Ashes
HOPE Center for the Arts, Springfield
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.
The HOPE Center presents an evening of film, music, poetry, and conversation that confronts America’s history of racial violence while honoring resilience, memory, and creative witness. Hosted by Shirley Jackson Whitaker, the program centers on a screening of the award-winning short documentary Ashes to Ashes, directed by Taylor Rees. The screening will be followed by a live performance with the Avery Sharpe Quintet, featuring a composition written by Sharpe in memory of an uncle who was lynched. Plus, Robert Meeropol will read a poem by his father and participate in a Q&A with the audience.
Curious Festival of Unfinished Works
Adams Theater, Adams
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.
During a week-long residency in Adams, puppeteers and object performers have been working with David Lane and a crack team of mentors to develop their ideas for the stage. The final ingredient needed to test this creative soup is us — the audience!
40th Annual High School Honor Band Concert
Tillis Performance Hall, UMass
Saturday, Feb 21 at 7 p.m.
High school musicians from around the northeast, recommended by their teachers and band directors, gather for a day-long festival of rehearsing, teaching, and mixing with UMass students and faculty, culminating in the evening concert. Free and open to the public.
Horszowski Trio
The Drake, Amherst
Sunday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m.
The NYC-based Horszowski Trio is a passionate advocate for the music of our time. Recent premieres include Piano Trio #2 written by Charles Wuorinen. The trio members learned that this work was written for them when it was discovered on the composer’s desk after his death. The Trio takes its inspiration from the musicianship, integrity, and humanity of the pre-eminent pianist Mieczysław Horszowski (1892–1993). The ensemble’s pianist, Rieko Aizawa, was Horszowski’s last pupil at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.
Merry Me
Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre, Smith College
Wednesday, Feb. 25 – Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
When a mysterious blackout leaves a navy stranded near enemy territory, the libidinous Lieutenant Shane Horne puts her very specific talents to use, including with the general’s wife. Meanwhile, a famed angel sends the Navy’s psychiatrist on an epic quest to save humanity. Merry Me is a madcap and mischievous mashup of ancient mythology and restoration comedy.
Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares: A World of Piano
Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley
Thursday, Feb. 26 – Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
This is the 15th iteration of A World of Piano , an annual series of three solo concerts that is co-produced by Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares and the Northampton Center for the Arts. The series provides easy access to some of the most innovative and accomplished improvising pianists of our time. This year’s lineup: Afro-Latin jazz specialist Arturo O’Farrill on Thursday; Spanish pianist Marta Sanchez on Friday; and Seattle’s Wayne Horvitz on Saturday.
Dear Jack, Dear Louise
Majestic Theater, West Springfield
Thursday, Feb. 26 – Saturday, April 4
Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise is a heartfelt and comical play that unfolds through the letters exchanged between a young Army doctor, Jack, and an aspiring Broadway actress named Louise during World War II. As their correspondence deepens, the two begin to fall in love despite the physical distance and the challenges of wartime life. The play explores themes of love, hope, and resilience, offering a poignant look at how relationships can flourish even in the most uncertain times.
COMING SOON
Mtali Banda
De La Luz, Holyoke
Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.
A native of Amherst, Mtali Banda is the son of a Malawian refugee father and an African American mother. His work uses performance and autoethnography to explore Black history in the global African diaspora. His use of musical composition and personal narrative help to bridge Black experiences throughout the diaspora, with an emphasis on Malawian history. Check out his recent appearance on The Fabulous 413.
Spring Gardening Symposium: Gardening as a Community
Frontier Regional High School, South Deerfield
Saturday March 21 from 9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Here’s a fun and energizing way for beginning and experienced gardeners alike to branch out or brush up, sponsored by the Western MA Master Gardener Association. Includes soil testing, workshops, a raffle, tasty treats, and a keynote speech about tick safety by UMass microbiology professor and TickReport director Dr. Stephen Rich.
Hayato Sumino
Bowker Auditorium, UMass
Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Hayato Sumino is a preternaturally talented risk taker who brings both charm and humor to his work. He grew up in Tokyo, started playing piano at age three. At twenty-three, he won the Grand Prix at the PTNA Piano Competition. At twenty-four, he won third prize at the Lyon International Piano Competition. And at twenty-six, he was semi-finalist in the International Chopin Piano Competition, drawing a record 45,000 online viewers with his second-round performance.
Back Porch Festival
Northampton
Friday, March 27 – Sunday March 29
The Back Porch Festival is returning for its 12th year. The “Ramble Pass” gets you access to 50+ artists performing in venues all over downtown Northampton over three days. And, every night there’s a ticketed show at the Academy of Music: Bertha: Grateful Drag on Friday, the Bluegrass Spectacular on Saturday, and I’m with Her on Sunday.
NEPM's Smart & Funny People: An Evening with Fran Lebowitz
Academy of Music, Northampton
Saturday, April 18, at 8 p.m.
NEPM is rolling out a new event series called “NEPM's Smart & Funny People.” In a cultural landscape filled with endless pundits and talking heads, Fran Lebowitz stands out as one of our most insightful social commentators. Lebowitz's essays and interviews offer her acerbic views on current events and the media — as well as pet peeves including tourists, baggage-claim areas, after-shave lotion, adults who roller skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. Now, she's one of NEPM's Smart & Funny People.