Free concerts, open to the public, at venues around Boston and Cambridge!
Latina bandleaders, global percussion collaborations, the long-awaited culmination of Solo(s) Together, and so much more: explore the 2022/23 schedule below, and make plans to enjoy some amazing concerts
We're launching into the new season with a fantastic lineup of free concerts, at venues all over Boston and Cambridge. There's a lot to like, with the return of some Neighborhood Arts favorites and new artists we can't wait to share with you.
Locations
We return to Cambridge's Harvard-Epworth Church and Multicultural Arts Center, and have a robust schedule at Back Bay's beautiful Arlington Street Church (come early and check out the Tiffany stained glass windows!) celebrating Latina bandleaders in partnership with Ágora Cultural Architects. We are forging an exciting new venue partnership with Roxbury's Black Market Nubian, and return to the South End's Union Church after a lengthy renovation.
Education
Connecting student performers and working professionals in our Stringfest programs is an important part of Neighborhood Arts. This season, we return to in-person mentorship and co-creation experiences for young musicians, working with luminaries such as Puerto Rican cuatro virtuoso Fabiola Mendez, violinist and erhu player Shaw Pong Liu, literary performer Regie Gibson, composer and cellist Aristides Rivas, harpist Eduardo Betancourt, percussionist Jorge Arce, and Carlos Capacho, an innovator on the Venezuelan cuatro (a very different instrument than the Puerto Rican version!).
Renowned percussionist Sandeep Das will create a memorable experience for young musicians from Boston City Singers when they perform on the tabla (Indian hand drums) alongside him in the culminating showcase of a February vacation week tabla camp, on stage at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge.
Commissions and new works
The Neighborhood Arts program is a driver of new works, as we demonstrated with 2021/22's Solo(s) Together commissioning program. In Solo(s) Together, five nationally-known contemporary composers created short small-ensemble works in partnership with five of our partner groups. The final concert in that series, postponed due to illness in Spring 2022, debuts in September, and all of the works will be performed together for the first time at the Solo(s) Together showcase in November.
Shaw Pong Liu will also create a piece for erhu and spoken word in collaboration with acclaimed poet and literary performer Regie Gibson in a Celebrity Series co-commission.
Digital performances, on demand for three months
Select performances in the new season will be available on demand for three months, premiering two Thursdays after the live event. We're also bringing some popular favorites from the past two seasons back, including a special holiday concert with the Jason Palmer Quintet, to return on Thanksgiving Day 2022!