Performing Arts  

 

 

PERFORMING ARTS

Broadway or Bust


WATCH ONLINE
In this WGBH-produced mini-series, the most talented students from high schools across the U.S. competed in New York City for a chance to get to Broadway.
Broadway or Bust

Celebrity Cameo: Michael Feinstein


WATCH ONLINE
Theater legend Michael Feinstein stops by rehearsals and demonstrates the art of storytelling through song with a number from Ira Gershwin.

Part II: Boot Camp
Sunday at 8pm on WGBH2
PBS ARTS

Kansas City Symphony and Joyce DiDonato


WATCH A PREVIEW
Celebrate mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato’s return to her hometown to perform with the Kansas City Symphony.

Friday, 9pm on WGBH 2
CALLIE CROSSLEY SHOW

Celebrating Woody Guthrie at the A.R.T.


By Callie Crossley
To see the performance "Woody Sez," and to hear Guthrie's songs again, one is struck by how relevant the music is today, given our country's current economic situation.
Caught in the Act

Arts Ahead: Shadows, Pops and Merry Poppers


MORE ARTS NEWS
By Jared Bowen
Traditions take new and wild turns as a band of theater renegades reinterpret Mary Poppins, Tim Burton drops a vampire into 20th century Maine and the Boston Pops celebrate America's diverse music history with Steve Martin on banjo.
CALLIE CROSSLEY SHOW

Kirsten Greenidge and "Luck of the Irish"


HEAR JARED BOWEN'S REVIEW
SEE MORE ON BASIC BLACK
Playwright Kirsten Greenidge's latest play, "The Luck of the Irish," is about an upwardly mobile African American family in the 1950s that moves from inner-city Boston to a white part of town.
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Love, Luck and Triumph


By Jared Bowen
Boston's outstanding theater scene is highlighted again with a round of awards and new performances by ArtsEmerson and the Huntington Theatre. 
Drama

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Lows and Highs


WATCH LONG DAY'S REVIEW ON GREATER BOSTON
By Jared Bowen
Theater-goers won't want to miss this long-awaited performance of Eugene O'Neill's powerful examination of family, and families won't want to miss a night of delight under the Big Top.
CALLIE CROSSLEY SHOW

Rachel Dratch: Life after SNL


Lexington native and Saturday Night Live star Rachel Dratch talks with Callie Crossley about her new book, Girl Walks into a Bar.
Folk Music

Brian O'Donovan Pays Tribute to John McGann


HEAR THE PROGRAM
By Brian O'Donovan
On April 6, musician John McGann passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind a wife and young daughter. He was known in the Irish, bluegrass and jazz worlds locally and abroad, and taught at Berklee.
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Art from the Heart


What do Broadway, Native American art and sushi have in common? Jared Bowen has the answer.
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Show Time


By Jared Bowen
Boston's theater scene is blossoming this spring with regional performances and national tours. 
Great Performances

The Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall


WATCH A PREVIEW & VIEW SCHEDULES
THANK-YOU GIFTS AVAILABLE
Take a front-row seat for the 25th anniversary performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera.

Sunday, 7pm on WGBH 44
Performing Arts

Circa! All The Stunts, None Of The Fanfare


By Jared Bowen
The Australian group Circa brings a new definition of "circus" to Boston.
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Keep it Real


By Jared Bowen
Ballet that reveals the pure essence of the dance, circus acrobats without the fanfare and a play about a painting and its inherent value.
Books

Essayist/Comedian Michael Ian Black


LISTEN ON DEMAND
The sardonic comedian has found himself a married suburban dad. How did that happen? He joined WGBH News to talk about cars, his career and being happy.
Modern

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: New, Bold and Beautiful


By Jared Bowen
Premiere performances, bold comedy and daring exhibitions prove Boston's art scene is to be taken seriously.
Theater

Wild Swans: A Memoir Brought To The Stage


By Jared Bowen
Jung Chang's bestselling memior, Wild Swans, about her family’s survival during much of 20th century China’s upheaval, is finally adapted for performance.
Fine Art

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Something for Everyone


By Jared Bowen
From contemporary sculpture to knitting bombers, ballet to Sondheim theater, or even an afternoon of Broadway love songs, Bostonians will find something appealing this weekend.
Music

Local Wins at the 2012 Grammys


By Jordan Weinstein
U.K.-born Adele grabbed the headlines but at least six of this year's Grammy winners have Boston connections. Listen to their music here.
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Dark Ages


By Jared Bowen
From black comedy to bleak history to the day the sun went out in ancient Pompei.
Film & Television

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Vixens and Cross Dressers


By Jared Bowen
Two female leads portray women who go to extremes as they face the fallout of war and the pressure of hardship.
Architecture

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Isabella and Donuts


By Jared Bowen
The long-awaited new wing at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum opens to much fanfare. And all of it is deserved. 
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Now With Even More Carnage


By Jared Bowen
It's blood and gore all over the place in the Boston arts scene this week. Well, more like razor wit, black comedy and red paint.
CNE Journal

Three Pianos: Regular Guys and Schubert


By Brian McCreath
Three friends channel the spirit of the Schubertiade at American Repertory Theater, partying with the piece of music you'd least expect.
Performing Arts

My Flight Of Fancy At 'Peter Pan'


By Jared Bowen
An elaborate production of "Peter Pan" has been drawing audiences all season long. I had an invitation I just couldn’t turn down tonight to soar and be a star — that is, to take a flying lesson and have a cameo role as a pirate in the show one night.
The Emily Rooney Show

J Squared: Hip Holiday Happenings Around The Hub

Performing Arts

'Gateway City' Residents Favor The Arts


NEWS: STATE GETS ART GRANT FOR GATEWAY CITIES
By Cristina Quinn
A MassINC poll shows overwhelming support for the arts as a catalyst for economic development in cities such as New Bedford, Lowell and Brockton.
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead: Marilyn, Eichmann And A Fiddle Choir

By Jared Bowen
What to do this weekend? There's the movie "My Week With Marilyn," the new play "Captors" and the all-string group Childsplay's annual series of concerts.
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead For Nov. 17–21 (And Beyond)


By Jared Bowen
Don't be a chocolate turkey: start planning your early-winter nights out now with an extra holiday serving of Arts Ahead.
Education

Emerson Goes Hollywood But Rooted In Beantown


By Jordan Weinstein
Does the Hollywood sign outshine the lights of the Cutler Majestic? Emerson leader Lee Pelton said a new LA campus is an expansion — and not the start of a wholesale move west.
Performing Arts

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead For November 3–6


By Jared Bowen
Reimagined classics are the theme of the weekend, with fascinating takes on the "Oz" series, an Ibsen classic and "Peter Pan" competing for your literary and theatrical attention.
ARTS

Radio Sound Effects Star Inspired Local Performers


By Danielle Dreilinger
Tom Keith, longtime sound effects master with 'A Prairie Home Companion,' passed away October 30. But for a Boston-area theater company, his influence lives on. 
LOCAL ARTS

Jared Bowen's Arts Ahead For October 27–30


EMILY ROONEY SHOW: A LOVE STORY FOR GROWNUPS
By Jared Bowen
Every Thursday, reporter Jared Bowen discusses the weekend's hottest arts events with WGBH Morning Edition Host Bob Seay. In Boston this Halloween, something campy this way comes.
Greater Boston

Porgy And Bess Controversy At The A.R.T.


MORE GREATER BOSTON
PART ONE: A.R.T. REIMAGINES PORGY AND BESS
WEB EXTRA: PLAYWRIGHT SUZAN-LORI PARKS ON PORGY AND BESS AS THE GARDEN OF EDEN
WEB EXTRA: PORGY AND BESS STAR AUDRA MCDONALD ON THE SONG "SUMMERTIME"
WEB EXTRA: PORGY AND BESS STAR DAVID ALAN GRIER ON REINTERPRETING THE GERSHWINS' PLAY
By Jared Bowen
This is the second of two stories we featured on the American Repertory Theater's bold new adaptation of the Gershwin classic Porgy and Bess. For all the excitement surrounding the production, there's also been a fair amount of controversy.
Theater

Bruce George: A Poet For the Stage



By Bridgit Brown
Bruce George is a legend even though he would rather be recognized as a poet. But he is the reason why the art of performance poetry catapulted to stardom in this decade, and continues to thrive despite the rapidly changing interests of the American television viewership.
Education

At Dorchester School, Inclusion Through Art


By Andrea Smardon
An international education conference is highlighting the work of Dorchester's William Henderson Inclusion Elementary School for its pioneering work incorporating the arts into its classrooms. WGBH's Andrea Smardon visits the school.
CIRCUS

Watch Full-Lenth Episodes Of Circus


WATCH EPISODES
FIND AIR DATES AND TIMES
Hit the road with Circus and take an unforgettable trip with the legendary Big Apple Circus. From the big top to the “back lot” — where the real heart of the circus beats — explore a distinctive world with its own rules, lingo and no fixed address.
Circus

The Science Behind the Scenes


VIEW CIRCUS CLIPS AND SCHEDULES
The cast of Circus explains the science behind the scenes of the Big Apple Circus. See how the natural world creates unnatural wonders. 
Performing Arts

Perform Your Own Circus Tricks


VIEW CIRCUS CLIPS AND SCHEDULES
Ever wanted to be a circus performer, or just looking for new ways to entertain your friends and family? Learn how to perform these tricks with this collection of DIY tips, brought to you from the cast of Circus. Watch Circus beginning Wednesday, Nov 3 at 9pm on WGBH 2.
Live from Fraser

Harpist Jessica Zhou


LISTEN
MORE ABOUT JESSICA ZHOU
The Boston Symphony Orchestra Principal Harpist talks with 99.5 All Classical's Brian McCreath about her background and the challenges and joys of performing in a major orchestra, and she performs music by Renié, Liszt, and others.
99.5 Host Notes

Oct. 10: Mahler's Roommate


By James David Jacobs
What ever became of your college roommate?  Here's what happened to Mahler's.
99.5 Host Notes

Oct. 11: Till Fellner


By Brian McCreath
If you liked this afternoon's performance of Beethoven's Emperor concerto, check this out.
99.5 Host Notes

Oct. 7: Jack Gallagher


By Brian McCreath
Music from an Ohio composer
Music

Journey Through America's Songbook With Michael Feinstein


WATCH ONLINE

Michael Feinstein's American Songbook chronicles the singer's quest to preserve and celebrate the Great American Songbook. Premieres Wednesday, Oct 6 at 8pm on WGBH 2

Live from Fraser

Pianist Yaron Kohlberg


LISTEN
HEAR MORE LIVE FROM FRASER

Pianist Yaron Kohlberg brings a graceful approach and emotional honesty to the heart-wrenching Sonata "1.X.1905" by Leos Janacek and the Davidsbündlertanze by Robert Schumann.

Arts

Center Stage


WATCH
Watch Center Stage with Jared Bowen, and see what other fans of the program are saying.
99.5 All Classical

Video from our studios

Now you can see what you hear on the radio with these videos of concert performances from world-class artists, recorded in our Fraser Performance Studio.

Live Performances from Fraser
Live from Fraser

Classical Performance Podcast


DOWNLOAD

Download the best performances from the 99.5 All Classical studios.

The Daily Dish

Music, dancing, and loukaniko: Greek Independence Day in Boston Common


The Daily Dish Blog
WGBH LearningTours presents: Mediterranean Voyage of Discovery with Diane Rehm and Scott Simon
By Cathy Huyghe

The Greek Independence Day festival took over Boston Common on Sunday.

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