Past Events

Presented by GBH Music and JazzBoston, this GBH Jazz Night features woodwind player and composer Sam Spear performing a collection of songs inspired by her formative years emerging in Boston’s music scene.

GBH Jazz Nights showcase the incredible range of jazz talent in the Greater Boston area. The series is co-hosted by JazzBoston and GBH Music, taking place on the second Thursday of every month from September through May. Tickets are free, but registration is encouraged. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, so arrive early! By registering, you agree to receive email communications from GBH Music.

GBH Jazz Nights are made possible by the Goldstein Family Fund.

Join host Ron Mitchell as he and his guests discuss the myriad of opportunities and challenges facing today’s Black entrepreneurs, like how the current political climate impacts the ability to secure business loans and generate vital capital. This conversation highlights the indispensable role that wealth plays in the entrepreneurial journey, offering a transparent look at the strategies needed to build lasting financial legacies and bolster our local economies.

Guests:

John Barros
Interim Executive Director,
Massachusetts Convention Center Authority

Marvin Gilmore
President and Co-Founder, Western Front LLC
Celebrated entrepreneur, distinguished veteran, and civil rights activist

Nicole Obi
President & CEO,
Black Economic Council of MA

Colette Phillips
President & CEO
Colette Phillips Communications 

GBH Amplifies is a community conversation series focused on expanding the reach of local voices from Greater Boston and beyond. The series features community leaders hosting public conversations in the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, providing a platform for inclusive perspectives on the issues that matter most to New England communities. GBH Amplifies happens weekly on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm at the GBH BPL Studio. This event is free and open to the public.

GBH Amplifies is also being supported by the Barr Foundation.

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

Limited seating is available on a first come, first serve basis. If you require a seat, we encourage you to arrive before the start time of this event.

Improbable Patriot: The Secret History of Monsieur de Beaumarchais, the French playwright Who Saved the American Revolution, a conversation with Suffolk University historian Robert Alison and Iris De Rode.

In 1776, the playwright and inventor Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799) conceived an audacious plan to send aid to the American rebels. What’s more, he convinced King Louis XVI to bankroll the project and single-handedly carried it out. By war’s end, he had supplied Washington’s army with most of its weapons and powder, though he was never paid or acknowledged by the United States. To some, he was a dashing hero, a towering intellect who saved the American Revolution. To others, he was a pure rogue, a double-dealing adventurer who stopped at nothing to advance his fame and fortune. In fact, he was both, and more: an advisor to kings, an arms dealer, and an author of some of the most enduring works of the stage, including The Marriage of Figaro and The Barber of Seville. Now in paperback, Improbable Patriot introduces readers to an unrecognized power player in the Revolutionary War.

Join GBH at our Brighton studios for an evening of historical reflection and vibrant celebration as we honor the cultural achievements of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. This year, we are honored to welcome legendary journalist Ann Curry for a two-part program designed to amplify and redefine AANHPI identity and culture.

The program begins with a conversation with Ann Curry and filmmaker Ben Loeterman about the new AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentary, Bombshell. This powerful film explores how the U.S. government manipulated the narrative about the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and sheds light on the efforts of a group of intrepid reporters to let the world know the truth.

Together, Ben and Ann will discuss the enduring societal impact these historic events had on both Japanese and American lives. This conversation, moderated by Ryo Morimoto, Assistant Professor in Anthropology at Harvard University, serves as a powerful entry point to understand the need for accurate reporting and the roots of AANHPI resilience.

The evening program then transitions into an inspiring one-on-one conversation with journalist Ann Curry, moderated by Tinku Ray, Executive Editor of The World. Ann will share her insights, including her personal journey and the cultural heritage that informs her approach to her career as a journalist.

We hope you can join us for this important community conversation.

The formal program will be followed by a reception featuring nonprofit partners including Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition, India Association of Greater Boston and Ricesticks and Tea, the Asian Food Pantry.


We encourage everyone to watch AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentary, Bombshell.

Paris Alston, host of the GBH show Rooted, moderates a discussion about loneliness, technology, and what it means to truly connect in the age of artificial intelligence, with Dr. Jen Hartstein, psychologist, and Oluwaseun Sanwoolu, PhD Candidate in Philosophy at the University of Kansas.

Revenue from the Fair Share Amendment, passed in 2022, is dedicated to spending on transportation and education in the Commonwealth, but three years after the bill's passing, where do things stand? GBH New transportation correspondent Jeremy Siegel moderates a discussion.

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.

If you are interested in performing, feel free to submit your work for review hereJoin us!

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

This Thursday, May 7, on GBH Amplifies, we’re getting real about what it takes to build, survive, and lead, when the system wasn’t designed for you to win, government entities are cutting funding, while the needs increase.

Guests:

Conan Harris — founder of Conan Harris & Associates, a Boston-based strategist working at the intersection of workforce development, public safety, and economic opportunity.

Jamaal Wornum — community leader focused on creating access, equity, and grassroots impact across Boston.

Joseph Bennett — Boston native who spent over two decades incarcerated, now founder of YardTime Inc., advocating for returning citizens and breaking cycles tied to incarceration.

GBH Amplifies is a community conversation series focused on expanding the reach of local voices from Greater Boston and beyond. The series features community leaders hosting public conversations in the GBH Studio at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, providing a platform for inclusive perspectives on the issues that matter most to New England communities. GBH Amplifies happens weekly on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30pm at the GBH BPL Studio. This event is free and open to the public.

GBH Amplifies is also being supported by the Barr Foundation.

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

Limited seating is available on a first come, first serve basis. If you require a seat, we encourage you to arrive before the start time of this event.

A Ford Hall Forum screening of Living in Pryde in Boston's theater district at The Modern Theater on Washington St. Filmmakers and residents featured in the film will convene after the screening for a discussion with the audience.

Living in Pryde is a powerful short documentary following residents of The Pryde—New England’s first LGBTQ+ welcoming, affordable senior housing community. As LGBTQ+ rights face renewed challenges, the film highlights a generation that came of age without basic legal protections. Residents draw on a lifetime of resilience, reflecting on surviving the AIDS crisis, fighting for same-sex marriage, and coming out as transgender. Located in a former public school in Boston’s Hyde Park, The Pryde is both a refuge and a target—a place where community becomes a powerful force in the ongoing fight for civil rights and equality.

GBH Music and Jazz Boston welcome cuatrista Fabiola Méndez and her quartet to Calderwood Studio for a celebration of International Jazz Day. Méndez is an Emmy-nominated composer and musician known for her unique blend of genres, including folk, jazz, and Afro-Caribbean influences. Notably, Méndez was the first musician to graduate from Berklee with the Puerto Rican cuatro, the island’s national instrument, as her primary instrument. Following her viral GBH Jazz Instagram reel about the cuatro in 2025 and her well-received performance during the 2024 GBH Music Holiday Spectacular, Méndez returns to GBH in April for the first time as a headliner. Drawing inspiration from the mountains of Puerto Rico to the African rhythms of the Caribbean, Méndez and her quartet will present a collection of original works — taking the listener on a journey of storytelling through Latin folk and jazz. The concert takes place at 8 pm in Calderwood Studio with a pre-concert reception at 7:15pm. Paris Alston, of GBH News Rooted, will host the performance, which will be filmed for broadcast on GBH2. This event is made possible by the Goldstein Family Fund.

7:15-7:50pm Pre-event reception
7:50pm Guest are seated in Calderwood Studio (general admission)
8:00-9:00pm Live performance in Calderwood Studio