Music & Culture Events
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In Person
October Outspoken Saturdays
The GBH BPL studio will host Outspoken Saturdays, a spoken word poetry event for emerging artists. Every first Saturday of the month, the series will be created in collaboration with spoken word artist Amanda Shea. For October 2024, we will also have a panel of guests for Latin American Heritage Month. Join us!
Registration is encouraged for this free event. -
Virtual
“Nat Turner, Black Prophet: A Visionary History” with co-author Gregory P. Downs & historian Vincent Brown
Join American Ancestors featured author and a guest historian-expert for an insightful discussion of Nat Turner, Black Prophet, a bold reinterpretation of the causes and legacy of Nat Turner's rebellion. This new, definitive account offers a fresh look at Black history.
In August 1831, a group of enslaved people in Southampton County, Virginia, rose up to fight for their freedom. They attacked the plantations on which their enslavers lived and attempted to march on the county seat of Jerusalem, from which they planned to launch an uprising across the South. After the rebellion was suppressed, well over a hundred people, Black and white, lay dead or were hanged. The uprising was the idea of a single man: Nat Turner. An enslaved preacher, he was as enigmatic as he was brilliant. He was also something more—a prophet, one who claimed to have received visions from the Spirit urging him to act.
With co-author Gregory P. Downs and moderator-historian Vincent Brown of Harvard, we’ll unpack how and why Nat Turner inspired the largest enslaved people’s rebellion in the US between 1811 and 1861 and became an enduring icon of resistance. Nat Turner, Black Prophet, a narrative history by the late historian Anthony E. Kaye and Downs, his collaborator, provides a new understanding of one of the nineteenth century's most decisive events.Partner:American Ancestors Boston Public Library Ford Hall Forum -
In Person
Getting Into Opera with Carol Vaness
GBH Music will introduce new listeners to opera in a video series produced in collaboration with Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) and New England Conservatory (NEC). Designed for newcomers and seasoned enthusiasts, “Getting into Opera” aims to ignite a passion for the genre by showcasing how powerful performances are shaped by vocal coaching and stage direction. The innovative multi-platform video series will be filmed in front of a live audience in GBH’s acoustically acclaimed Fraser Performance Studio.
This event features renowned soprano Carol Vaness leading a masterclass for BLO Jane & Steven Emerging Artists and New England Conservatory students. By pulling back the curtain on how great vocal performances are made, the masterclass will draw in new opera lovers while delighting fans of the genre.
“Getting into Opera” will be hosted by Anthony Rudel, author of “Tales from the Opera,” “Classical Music Top 40,” and “Imagining Don Giovanni.” Joshua Major, Chair of Opera Studies at NEC and Bradley Vernatter, BLO’s Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO, will also share perspectives on producing operas as part of the series.
“Getting into Opera” will be available free of charge on YouTube and other platforms.
How it works:
Event timeline:
7-9:15pm Performance in Fraser
9:15-10pm Dessert Reception in the Atrium
This event is FREE but registration is required.
Photo credit: GBH Creative
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Concerts to Watch
GBH Music Presents: The Boston Symphony Chamber Players
Experience a live performance by one of the world's most distinguished chamber music ensembles, on demand. The Boston Symphony Chamber Players, the BSO's first-chair string and wind players, visited GBH Fraser Performance Studio on May 16 to perform for a limited in-person audience. In celebration of Serge Koussevitzky's 150th birthday, the concert salutes the former BSO Music Director's profound impact on the music of his time.
Brian McCreath, producer and host of CRB Classical 99.5's Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts from Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, hosted the event.
Boston Symphony Chamber Players Program
Serge KOUSSEVITZKY Second movement (Andante) from Double Bass Concerto, and Valse miniature, for double bass and piano
Walter PISTON Quintet for flute and strings
Olivier MESSIAEN Abîme des oiseaux from Quartet for the End of Time, for solo clarinet
Jean FRANÇAIX Dixtuor, for winds and strings
Featured Musicians
Alexander Velinzon, violin
Lucia Lin, violin
Cathy Basrak, viola
Blaise Dejardin, cello
Edwin Barker, bass
Elizabeth Rowe, flute
John Ferrillo, oboe
Bill Hudgins, clarinet
Richard Ranti, bassoon
Richard Sebring, horn
Randall Hodgkinson, piano
Photo Credit: Robert Torres
This event is presented with support from Comcast Xfinity Internet.
Brian McCreath, producer and host of CRB Classical 99.5's Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts from Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, hosted the event.
Boston Symphony Chamber Players Program
Serge KOUSSEVITZKY Second movement (Andante) from Double Bass Concerto, and Valse miniature, for double bass and piano
Walter PISTON Quintet for flute and strings
Olivier MESSIAEN Abîme des oiseaux from Quartet for the End of Time, for solo clarinet
Jean FRANÇAIX Dixtuor, for winds and strings
Featured Musicians
Alexander Velinzon, violin
Lucia Lin, violin
Cathy Basrak, viola
Blaise Dejardin, cello
Edwin Barker, bass
Elizabeth Rowe, flute
John Ferrillo, oboe
Bill Hudgins, clarinet
Richard Ranti, bassoon
Richard Sebring, horn
Randall Hodgkinson, piano
Photo Credit: Robert Torres
This event is presented with support from Comcast Xfinity Internet.
Culture in the News
‘Morning Pages’ tells a play-within-a-play story of a woman figuring out her many life roles
Kate Feiffer's first novel for adults is a humorous, meta take on a woman in the 'sandwich generation.'
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Artists for Humanity is empowering Boston youth through art
Through tools, mentorship and opportunity, the nonprofit helps underserved teens thrive in Boston's art scene. -
ArrowFest kicks off grand opening of new Arrow Street Arts center
The new performance art space takes over the former Oberon theater in Harvard Square in Cambridge. -
The music of Mars takes over the Museum of Science
The final performance of the Museum of Science's "Mars Symphony" is set for this Thursday.
GBH Music
Open Studio with Jared Bowen
You & Julia
“You & Julia” is a series that celebrates the legacy of Julia Child. Top chefs share their favorite stories, recipes, kitchen hacks, and other culinary tasks that they learned from the unforgettable chef, exploring how her contributions to the culinary world still resonate with cooking today. In the spirit of Julia, we encourage viewers to “be fearless, and above all have fun” by following along at home.
More Culture Programs
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"In A Perfect World"
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Josef and Otto Journey to Shanghai
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Asmik Grigorian performs “Un bel di”
Asmik Grigorian performs “Un bel di” from "Madama Butterfly."| 2:27 -
Episode 5002, Season 50<br> Gary Clark Jr. / Black Pumas
Grammy-lauded Gary Clark Jr. and Black Pumas deliver a thrilling hour of rock and soul.| 53:55