GBH offers a wide variety of in-person and virtual events. From live music recordings, lectures and screenings to our virtual Book Club, tasting events and more, stay connected to our community. Whatever you’re interested in—news, history, the arts or music, we’ve got you covered. Fill your calendar with this rich diversity of events and be inspired, informed and entertained.
If you have questions about any of our events please reach out to Audience Member Services by phone 617-300-3300 or email info@wgbh.org
Featured Events
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VirtualBaking with the Masters: Joanne Chang
Your favorite holiday tradition is back! Join Boston’s own award-winning pastry chef, Joanne Chang, and Flour Bakery as we go step by step with Joanne to create her own confectionary creations.
During the event, Joanne will share baking tips as she demonstrates how to make Flour Bakery + Cafe’s famous Oreo-style cookies in your home kitchen. You will also have the opportunity to ask her some of your own baking questions.
This event is fun for the whole family!
For $150, you will receive a baking kit for 16-18 Oreo-style cookies and an exclusive Zoom link to access the one-hour virtual baking class led by Chef Chang, the renowned pastry chef and founder of Flour Bakery.
This baking kit includes: sugar, vanilla paste, semisweet chocolate chips, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and confectioners' sugar.
To buy separately: 3 sticks of butter, 1 large egg, milk
Tickets are limited and guests must register before Monday, January 8, to secure a spot in this deliciously fun and engaging baking event!
PLEASE NOTE THIS KIT CANNOT BE SHIPPED TO A P.O. BOX.
This event will be hosted by WCRB's Morning Program Host & Radio Producer, Laura Carlo.
How it works:
This virtual event will take place via Zoom Webinar. Zoom is free to the public but requires a computer download. You can download Zoomhere.
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Captions will be provided for this event using the Zoom Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) Transcription feature. Zoom’s Live Transcription service allows participants to see automatically generated captions and transcriptions of spoken audio in real time during a meeting or webinar. If you would like to request an accommodation or have questions about digital access for this event, please email info@wgbh.org.
If you have questions or can no longer attend, please contact Audience and Member Services Department. Audience and Member Services can be reached during regular business hours M-F, 9am-5pm at 617-300-3300 or via email: info@wgbh.org. -
In PersonVirtual
GBH Music Holiday Spectacular
Experience the magic of this season with GBH Music's Holiday Spectacular, an enchanting evening featuring some of the best musical acts in Massachusetts. The event offers families a front-row seat to an unparalleled lineup of performers, including The Renaissance Men, a Boston-based ensemble of eight male voices known for their close-knit a cappella harmonies; Blue Heron, a Renaissance and medieval vocal ensemble led by Scott Metcalfe which will bring audiences back to the sounds of the earliest holiday celebrations; pianist John Paul McGee, who will perform holiday favorites in his signature "Gospejazzical" genre; the angelic singers of the Handel and Haydn Youth Chorus Chamber Choir led by conductor Alyson Greer Espinosa; and members of the triumphant and jubilant New England Brass Band led by Music Director Mark Olson.
One of the most accessible events for families this season, GBH Music's Holiday Spectacular, invites music lovers to be part of a live studio production inside GBH's Calderwood Studio, which will glow with festive cheer, including a dramatic snowscape of light designed to herald the start of winter. Musical selections will transport listeners into an unforgettable journey into the holiday spirit with everything from traditional carols to new compositions, each capturing the harmony and passion of this special time of year. WCRB Classical 99.5's charismatic morning drive host, Laura Carlo, and afternoon drive host, Greg Ferrisi, will team up for the first time as the live presenters of this one-of-a-kind holiday experience.
This event is offered for both in-person and virtual guests. You have two ticket options:
The in-studio experience is taking place from 7:30 to 9pm ET. $40 in-studio ticket includes general admission seating.
Join the virtual event, from 7:30-9pm ET. This event is free, but registration is required.
Photo credit: A scene from the GBH’s 2018 Holiday Concert in Calderwood Studio (Meredith Nierman)
The event is sponsored by the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and The Boston Foundation.
More GBH Events
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In PersonVirtualLife After Prison : Long Journey Home
GBH hosts a panel with local experts about challenges and success for the recently released from incarceration, part of its ongoing series Life After Prison.
Each year thousands of people return from the state’s prisons and county jails facing challenges in finding work, housing and, in general re-integrating into society. Our series has focused on struggles of prisoners seeking education on the inside and, on the outside, staying out of trouble. We’ve looked at the rising multimillion-dollar state prison budget amidst a plummeting population. We’ve talked to dozens of returning citizens, experts and government officials about what needs to be done to help people succeed.
Chris Burrell, investigative reporter, will host a conversation with State Senator Liz Miranda, Leslie Credle, Executive Director of Justice For housing and Armand Coleman, Executive Director of Transformational Prison Project (TPP). They will explore the challenges of re-entry after a time in prison and discuss solutions to be implemented.
Join us for a panel discussion with local experts. Following the discussion, please join for a community engagement session with our investigative team and organizations that work on the re-entry process.
Doors open at 5:30pm
Click here to register for virtual attendancePartner:GBH NEWS -
In PersonVirtual
13th Annual Streettalk 10-in-1
LivableStreets' is back with the annual StreetTalk. Returning to the Old South Meeting House, ten speakers on ten different topics in one location to talk about issues regarding transit advocacy, climate justice, protecting our greenways, equitable housing + land use policies, and more!
Each speaker will present for seven minutes.
Doors open at 5:30PM and the event starts promptly at 6:00PM. There will be an intermission in between speakers with appetizers and beverages served.
We will be capping the in person attendance to 150 people, so make sure to RSVP online and secure a spot.
Click here to attend virtually.Partner:LivableStreets Alliance -
In Person
Lounge Thursdays featuring Ken Field Trio
Ken Field is a saxophonist & composer. He leads the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, an experimental & improvisational brass band, and is a longtime member of the electronic modern music ensemble Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. His solo releases document his work for layered saxophones and his soundtracks for dance and film. Field's music is heard regularly on the children's television program Sesame Street. He is the host of WMBR Radio’s “The New Edge”, former President of the Board of Tutoring Plus of Cambridge, Member of the HONK! Festival Organizing Committee, President of the Board of JazzBoston, and former member & chair of the Cambridge Bicycle Committee. Field was named a Finalist in Music Composition by the Mass Cultural Council.
Join us for an evening of music, wine, and food. Registration is encouraged for this free event.
Registration is encouraged for this free event. -
In PersonVirtual
Tea: Consumption, Politics, and Revolution, 1773–1776
Join Revolutionary Spaces on Monday, December 11 at the Old South Meeting House for a discussion with Dr. James Fichter of the University of Hong Kong to mark the publication of his new book Tea: Consumption, Politics, and Revolution, 1773–1776. Dr. Fichter will be joined in conversation with Dr. Nathaniel Sheidley, President and CEO of Revolutionary Spaces.
In his new book, Dr. Fichter reveals a new dimension of the Boston Tea Party by exploring a story largely overlooked for the last 250 years—The fate of two large shipments of East India Company tea that survived and were drunk in North America. The book challenges the prevailing wisdom around the tea protests and consumer boycotts while showing the economic reality behind political rhetoric: Colonists did not turn away from tea as they became revolutionary Americans. While history records the noisy protests and prohibitions of patriots, merchant ledgers reveal that tea and British goods continued to be widely sold and consumed.
By bringing different locations and events into the story and reinterpreting old ones, Dr. Fichter shows how the continuing risk that these shipments would be sold shaped colonial politics in the years ahead. He also hints at the enduring potency of consumerism in revolutionary politics.
Following the reading and discussion, guests will have the opportunity to purchase their own copy of the book. Dr. Fichter will be available to sign copies and answer questions.
This program is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 5:30 pm and the program will begin at 6:00 pm. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Click here for more information about Tea: Consumption, Politics, and Revolution, 1773–1776.
This program is made possible by the generous support of The Lowell Institute.
Click here to attend virtually.Partner:Revolutionary Spaces -
Virtual
Author Talk: Neil King, Jr. with American Ramble
Hear from the author of a revelatory memoir about a 330-mile walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City—an unforgettable pilgrimage to the heart of America across some of our oldest common ground.
Neil King Jr.’s desire to walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City began as a whim and soon became an obsession. By the spring of 2021, events had intervened that gave his desire greater urgency. His neighborhood still reeled from the January 6th insurrection. Covid lockdowns and a rancorous election had deepened America’s divides. Neil himself bore the imprints of a long battle with cancer.
Determined to rediscover what matters in life and to see our national story with new eyes, Neil turned north with a small satchel on his back and one mission in mind: To pay close attention to the land he crossed and the people he met.
What followed is an extraordinary 26-day journey through historic battlefields and cemeteries, over the Mason-Dixon line, past Quaker and Amish farms, along Valley Forge stream beds, atop a New Jersey trash mound, across New York Harbor, and finally, to his ultimate destination: the Ramble, where a tangle of pathways converges in Central Park. The journey travels deep into America’s past and present, uncovering forgotten pockets and overlooked people. At a time of mounting disunity, the trip reveals the profound power of our shared ground.
Following the discussion that will happen both in-person in the Rabb Lecture Hall of the Central Library in Copley Square and online over Zoom webinar, there will be time for an audience Q&A. At approximately 7:00 PM, there will be an author signing facilitated by Trident Booksellers and Cafe for in-person attendees. During the program, online attendees will be provided with a link to order copies of the book from Porter Square Books.
This program is part of the American Inspiration Series from American Ancestors/NEHGS and presented in partnership with with the Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library and the GBH Forum Network.Partner:Boston Public LibraryAmerican Ancestors -
In Person
How Dickens Helped Bring Christmas to Boston
Readings and performances of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol have played an integral part in winter holiday festivities since longer than most of us can remember. What fewer people know, however, is that the British literary superstar and his popular novella actually helped bring Christmas back to Boston.
Accompanied by a beautiful slide show, Susan Wilson—the Official House Historian of the Parker House—traces the history of Christmas celebrations, which were discouraged and even banned in the Puritan stronghold of colonial Boston. Wilson explains how and why Christmas finally began to be embraced in the mid 19th century, and how Charles Dickens' arrival in 1867—when he made his home at the Parker House for 5 months—really added fuel to the yule log.Partner:Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation -
In PersonVirtual
Great Decisions | Energy Geopolitics
Access to oil and gas has long held an influence over the politics of individual nations and their relations with others. But as more countries move toward sustainable energy, and supply chain shortages affect the availability of oil and gas, how will these changes in energy industries impact relations geopolitics?
Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Sarah Emerson, founder and president of Energy Security Analysis, Inc (ESAI). The program will feature expert remarks from Ms. Emerson, live audience Q&A, and time for networking and discussion with other globally-oriented participants.
To celebrate the end of WorldBoston's 2023 programming, a special reception with light refreshments will be held in the Newsfeed Café from 7:00-7:30 PM.
This program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
Click here to register to attend virtually.Partner:WorldBoston -
In PersonVirtual
GBH Music Holiday Spectacular
Experience the magic of this season with GBH Music's Holiday Spectacular, an enchanting evening featuring some of the best musical acts in Massachusetts. The event offers families a front-row seat to an unparalleled lineup of performers, including The Renaissance Men, a Boston-based ensemble of eight male voices known for their close-knit a cappella harmonies; Blue Heron, a Renaissance and medieval vocal ensemble led by Scott Metcalfe which will bring audiences back to the sounds of the earliest holiday celebrations; pianist John Paul McGee, who will perform holiday favorites in his signature "Gospejazzical" genre; the angelic singers of the Handel and Haydn Youth Chorus Chamber Choir led by conductor Alyson Greer Espinosa; and members of the triumphant and jubilant New England Brass Band led by Music Director Mark Olson.
One of the most accessible events for families this season, GBH Music's Holiday Spectacular, invites music lovers to be part of a live studio production inside GBH's Calderwood Studio, which will glow with festive cheer, including a dramatic snowscape of light designed to herald the start of winter. Musical selections will transport listeners into an unforgettable journey into the holiday spirit with everything from traditional carols to new compositions, each capturing the harmony and passion of this special time of year. WCRB Classical 99.5's charismatic morning drive host, Laura Carlo, and afternoon drive host, Greg Ferrisi, will team up for the first time as the live presenters of this one-of-a-kind holiday experience.
This event is offered for both in-person and virtual guests. You have two ticket options:
The in-studio experience is taking place from 7:30 to 9pm ET. $40 in-studio ticket includes general admission seating.
Join the virtual event, from 7:30-9pm ET. This event is free, but registration is required.
Photo credit: A scene from the GBH’s 2018 Holiday Concert in Calderwood Studio (Meredith Nierman)
The event is sponsored by the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund and The Boston Foundation.
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In Person
Lounge Thursdays featuring John Paul McGee
Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, John Paul McGee, at the age of four without formal training, began playing familiar hymns and church songs by ear. Dr. McGee studied piano and pipe organ under the renowned late Dr. Nathan Carter and graduated in 2002 from Baltimore School for the Arts. He has been recognized for numerous awards and his musical career has taken him around the globe as a keyboardist, vocal arranger, producer, and songwriter working with popular gospel and secular artists. His instrumental piano album released in 2014 with EPM records yielded him the #9 spot as in the top 10 Billboard recording artists. Dr. John Paul McGee is the current assistant chair of piano at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
Photo credit: John Paul McGee -
In PersonVirtual
The Legacy of the Tea Party: Honoring Community Changemakers
To mark the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, Revolutionary Spaces is sponsoring a civic event to honor three Community Changemakers whose leadership in bringing people together in dialogue has built a shared sense of purpose to drive change. Through their efforts, these honorees organized and inspired people to take action to ensure their voices are heard and represented.
This gathering provides an opportunity to reflect on a less-remembered part of the Boston Tea Party story that can inspire participation in our democracy today: the weeks of community meetings that took place at Old South Meeting House after the first of the tea ships arrived on November 28, 1773. Through these gatherings, the community achieved a shared sense of purpose that led to a world-changing action: that the drastic action of destroying the tea was necessary to ensure that the Crown and Parliament understood the colonists’ commitment to the principle of representation.
The Legacy of the Tea Party: Honoring Community Changemakers will take place at Old South Meeting House on the evening of December 14, 2023, marking the 250th anniversary of the start of the final round of large-scale meetings at Old South Meeting House that culminated in the 5,000-person gathering on December 16, 1773 that preceded the destruction of the tea that night.
With an inspiring and uplifting atmosphere, this event will honor leaders who exemplify the same commitment to community dialogue, civic action, and representation that were also prerequisites for the American Revolution and founding principles of our nation. Their efforts also remind us that the work of creating and sustaining a free society remains unfinished, and that our collective future can and will be shaped by the strength and depth of our civic engagement. Each Community Changemaker has, in their unique way, turned words into action and exemplified the same courage of their convictions and the spirit of change demonstrated by the patriots of 1773.
Click here to livestream the event.Partner:Revolutionary Spaces -
In Person
A Java Holiday at GBH
Join Jimmy Hills and his guests at the GBHxBPL studio for an afternoon of soulful expression. We'll celebrate the holidays and enjoy conversations with some of Boston’s own local singers, poets and musicians.
Registration is encouraged for this free event. -
In Person
Lounge Thursdays featuring Wylsner Bastien
We are here every Thursday bringing you local musicians to make noise at the library! Wylsner Bastien is a musician, producer, engineer, arranger, poet, and artist. He's had the pleasure of teaching Music theory at Bunker Hill Community College’s music club.
While studying there, he shifted his life’s focus to music. After his departure from Bunker Hill, he went on to be the Jazz Ensemble Director for his ensembles at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Music has been in his family for generations and is something he immerses himself in every day. He’s been in multiple bands, performed with many artists around Boston, and much more. Wylsner is a music director and teaching artist and believes that music is something that can help us all grow not only amongst one another, but individually as well.
Join us for an evening of music, wine, and food.
Registration is encouraged for this free event.
