‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding’ showcases the joys and struggles of immigrants in America
The SpeakEasy Stage's production of the Tony Award-winning play centers hair braiders and their lives over one day in the salon in which they work.
Music & Culture Events
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VirtualExplorers: A New History with Matthew Lockwood
Prize-winning historian Matthew Lockwood looks at the impulse to explore, the travels of Pocahontas, Columbus, Sacagawea, and Captain Cook alongside others who rightfully deserve the title of “explorers” including immigrants and fugitive slaves.
According to Lockwood, people of every background imagine new worlds. The impulse to seek new places is universal to humanity. In his new book, “Explorers,” he unfurls a tapestry of surprising and historically overlooked travelers spanning forty centuries and six continents. His illustrated talk will share the stories of such seekers as David Dorr, born into slavery in New Orleans who embarked on a Grand Tour or Europe and Egypt, and the Viking female voyager Gudrid Far-Traveler, who sailed to North America in 1000 AD; among other pioneers.Partner:American Ancestors -
In Person
The Ulysses Quartet at The Boston Public Library (May 2025)
Join GBH Music's quartet in residence, the Ulysses Quartet, for a performance at the Boston Public Library! -
In PersonVirtual
GBH Music Presents JazzNOW: Gabrielle Goodman in tribute to Ella Fitzgerald
GBH Music and JazzBoston close the 2025 JazzNOW series with a tribute to jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald, featuring acclaimed Boston-based vocalist Gabrielle Goodman. Ella Fitzgerald, celebrated for her groundbreaking scat improvisation, impeccable vocal technique, and definitive interpretations of the Great American Songbook, redefined jazz over her 60-year career, earning 13 Grammys and breaking barriers for women and Black artists. Gabrielle Goodman and her band honor Fitzgerald’s legacy with fresh interpretations of the works that made her "The First Lady of Song." A professor at Berklee College of Music, Goodman is a versatile artist whose career spans jazz, R&B, classical, and gospel. She has performed with legends like Chaka Khan, Nancy Wilson, and Roberta Flack, who calls her "one of the finest singers today." Goodman has released six acclaimed albums, including Travelin' Light and Until We Love on the Verve label, and was paired with Ella Fitzgerald recordings on a compilation album from Verve. She has also performed internationally at major jazz festivals.
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Culture in the News
New book spotlights Madam C.J. Walker’s daughter A’Lelia, who forged her own path
The daughter of America's first Black millionaire became the “joy goddess” of Harlem in the 1920s.
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Boston’s famous music venue Great Scott will return to Allston
The club served Boston for 44 years before closing at the start of the pandemic. -
Tony-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth on the glitz and glamour of 'The Queen Of Versailles'
Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony and Emmy award-winning actress and Broadway royalty, has brought her crown to Boston. She stars in the new musical “The Queen of Versailles,” which is making its pre-Broadway debut at the Emerson Colonial Theatre through August 25. -
Honoring 1090 WILD-AM, a station that brought R&B, New Edition to Bostonians and the world
WILD 1090 AM was the place to hear a range of R&B, something the city’s Black residents especially are missing today.
GBH Music
More Culture Programs
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Broadway Stars' Earliest Memory of Rodgers & Hammerstein
Audra McDonald, Michael Ball, Daniel Dae Kim discuss their earliest memory of R&H.| 1:59 -
Aaron Tveit performs "Soliloquy" from "Carousel"
Aaron Tveit performs Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Soliloquy" from "Carousel."| 1:04 -
Patrick Wilson performs "Surrey with the Fringe on the Top"
Patrick Wilson performs R&H's classic "Surrey with the Fringe on the Top."| 1:17 -
In Memoriam: Jac Venza
Great Performances mourns the passing of its founding Executive Producer, Jac Venza.| 0:20
