Join Washington, D.C.-based, African-American a cappella ensemble, Sweet Honey in the Rock®, as they mark this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a celebration of hope, resilience, and new beginnings. The ensemble will once again take the stage at the historic Lincoln Theatre, where they will look out to an audience of thousands from around the world who have joined via Zoom so that they can be seen by the artists. The concert will feature an exciting lineup of special guests including Kiki Shepard, Keith David, Mumu Fresh, Azar Lawrence, and Wycliffe Gordon who reflect the life of Reverend King and offer words of inspiration for the future.
Since 1973, Sweet Honey has empowered and inspired with songs about a range of social issues, blending potent themes with gorgeous artistry to stir the mind and the soul. Throughout their sterling career, the ensemble has raised their voices to defend civil rights, social justice, equality, and freedom for all.
The three-time Grammy® Award-nominated and internationally renowned group currently consists of members Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, Rochelle Rice, Christie Dashiell, and features Romeir Mendez on upright acoustic bass and electric bass. This performance will include American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, Barbara Hunt.
Uncork a bottle of sherry, dust off your sense of adventure, and join us for a festival of music and dance set in the foothills of Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains. The afternoon begins with Variación a Tempo, the newest award-winning work by Sara Jimenez and Pablo Gimenez, broadcast live from Teatro Mira Amescua in Guadix. The exquisitely choreographed piece chronicles the evolution of Spanish music and dance, linking the classical traditions’ influence on the more modern genre, flamenco.
We then retreat to the olive groves of Almazara de Paulenca for an intimate performance broadcast live from a rustic, family-owned olive mill. Against a backdrop of hand-hewn timbers and terracotta tiles, guitarist Pablo Giménez leads a Granada based ensemble which features dancers Rocío Montoya, of Riverdance acclaim, and Jasiel Nahim. They remind us that nothing, not even a pandemic, can temper the passion of authentic Flamenco.
Latin Grammy Award nominee, Claudia Acuña, presents a two-part musical celebration to mark International Women’s Day. Broadcast live from Northampton’s Academy of Music Theatre, the production features a six-camera shoot to capture the intimacy of her performance and the majesty of this historic opera house. Audience members are invited to join via Zoom so they can “be seen” by the artists on a video wall in the orchestra pit.
Growing up in Chile, Claudia dreamed of performing in the iconic jazz clubs of New York City. She fell in love with this unfamiliar music while listening to international stations on her transistor radio. At age 20, she sold all of her possessions and immigrated to the US with no English and little more than her own ambitions. In a short period of time, she began appearing at jam sessions and gained recognition as one of the most intriguing and original vocalists on the scene. “She sings in the tradition of the great ones.” remarked Abbey Lincoln, “ Her sound is her own.”
Claudia will be joined by Pablo Vergara on piano, Carlos Henderson on bass, Juancho Herrera on guitar, and Rodrigo Recabarren on drums.
Spend the day with two of Spain’s most revered singers, both divas in their own right and daughters of some of the greatest stars in the history of Grand Opera. The day begins with an Opera Gala featuring Montserrat Martí Caballé, daughter of soprano Montserrat Caballé and tenor Bernabé Martí, who takes us on a journey through the world of Opera and Spanish Zarzuela with a selection of some of the classical genre’s most fascinating solos and duets.
The evening turns to Bacchus in Love with an inebriating mix of good wines and music; duets and songs that speak to us of passion and joy, friendships and glamour, exaltation and inspiration. Together soprano Cecilia Lavilla Berganza, daughter of the grand opera diva Teresa Berganza, baritone Luis Santana and pianist Victor Carbajo exalt the goodness of “miracle juices” by interpreting an extensive repertoire of different composers and celebrating this exciting and passionate pairing.
UPDATE: The Magos Herrera shows on April 2nd have been moved to Saturday, April 17th. We made this change to enable Magos to perform as part of the United Nations Generation Equality Forum, a landmark event that sets priorities for women’s rights around the globe.
Born in Mexico City and currently based out of New York, Magos is best known for her eloquent vocal improvisation and her singular bold style, which embraces elements of contemporary jazz with Ibero-American melodies and rhythms singing in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Regarded as one of the most active vocalists in the Latin American jazz scene, she is also a United Nations spokesperson for UN Women UNITE, a program promoting the elimination of violence against women, and the UN’s “He For She” campaigns to promote gender equality. An all-star ensemble will join Magos featuring Luis Perdomo on piano, Sam Minaie on bass, and Alex Kautz on drums.
Join us in celebrating the vital contributions of women in the arts as part of the 2021 International Women Rising Series. Be the first to hear highlights from the Generation Equality Forum in Mexico City, where Magos performed on behalf of UN Women and the Mexican and French governments. Broadcast live from the historic Academy of Music Theatre; this event weaves together a tapestry of musical performances and conversations with distinguished artists and leaders in gender equality.
Blues to Green (Springfield, MA) and Next Stage Arts (Putney, VT) are proud to present The New Immigrant Experience, the remarkable eighth release by renowned composer Felipe Salles, is a powerful multimedia work inspired by the lives of “Dreamers,” the almost seven hundred thousand individuals currently protected by DACA. The performance will be preceded by an investigative panel discussion to ground us in the work’s sociopolitical context.
Written by Salles –who emigrated from Brazil to the United States in 1995 – and developed with the aid of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship, the work uses speech cadences and melodic motifs based on key words as its main source of musical material. The compelling and personal stories it tells were collected through interviews Salles conducted with a group of nine Dreamers during the summer of 2018. It’s an emotional musical journey through beautiful orchestral textures, carefully developed motifs, and intense solo features, that combine the power of a big band recording and the dramatic landscape of a soundtrack.
This program is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies. Additional support for this performance provided by the Mass Cultural Council.
It’s Not Too Late is an interactive, multimedia experience that delivers a potent blend of science, activism, and art – a microcosm of the coalition converging to change course at this dramatic moment in planetary history. This event includes a screening of Geoffrey Hudson’s A Passion for the Planet, a stunning eco-oratorio with director’s-cut style annotations by Hudson and climate scientist Michael E. Mann, preceded by a panel discussion with leaders in climate activism including Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Mann.
Geoffrey Hudson’s choral-orchestral work, A Passion for the Planet, is an hour-long oratorio on the subject of planetary crisis. Blending scientific prose, poetry, and sacred texts from many faiths, the libretto traces an arc from beauty and gratitude into darkness and out again into hope.
A Passion for the Planet is scored for a chorus of mixed voices, children’s chorus, soprano and baritone soloists, and instrumental ensemble. There are eleven movements; in the finale, performers and audience members join together to sing a simple chorale tune.
Follow our hashtag campaign on Instagram and Twitter #WhatGivesMeHope to join the conversation.
MISTER G – the Latin GRAMMY Award-winning artist, author, activist and educator – presents an exciting bilingual Earth Day concert for children and families with an emphasis on ecoliteracy. Broadcast live from the Academy of Music Theatre, the performance will be filled with music, culture, special guests from all over the world, and of course a foot-stomping handclapping good time.
Hailed as “a bilingual rock star” by the Washington Post, Ben Gundersheimer was originally dubbed MISTER G by his young students while pursuing a Master of Education degree. His dynamic, interactive performances aim to dissolve borders and foster cross-cultural connections. His most recent album, Children of the World, unites musicians across five continents and fourteen countries (including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Romania, Iran, Liberia, Senegal, Vietnam, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Mexico, France, Jamaica and the US).
The Festival de Jerez is the foremost Flamenco and Spanish Dance Festival in the world. In 2021, it celebrates its landmark 25th edition, making it one of the longest-running festivals of its kind, but this year, the Festival de Jerez faces a new, unprecedented challenge.
With the COVID-19 global pandemic still looming large, rather than cancelling this year’s edition, the festival administration made the brave decision to reduce the number of productions it normally presents and move this year’s edition from its usual dates in February and March to May. Even so, to keep artists, festival staff and audience members safe, festival performances will be sold only to 50% theatre capacity. Plus, the large international contingent that normally floods the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera to attend the festival’s dance courses and performances will sadly be missing due to travel restrictions.
However, if flamenco and Spanish dance students and fans can’t come to the historic Villamarta Theatre, Third Row will bring the performances at the Villamarta to a global audience through a collection of festival live streams. Because of the pandemic, many of the performances that have been selected for streaming likely will not be able to tour as widely as they deserve, but this collaboration between the Festival de Jerez and Third Row presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some of Spain’s finest and most lauded performers and their newest masterworks from the comfort and safety of home, no matter where on Earth that home is located.
Barbès in the Woods is a summer music festival that pays homage to one of Brooklyn’s most iconic bars. Nestled in the hills of Western Massachusetts, this day-long festival features two-stages of music, local food, craft beverages, a bonfire, and a river to splash in. and more. It’s the quintessential end-of-summer backyard festival — the sort of thing you’ve always wanted in the middle of your summer — on a pristine tract of historic farmland in Montague, Massachusetts.
THE BACK STORY: Barbès was once a Park Slope laundromat until two Frenchmen turned it into a bar. That bar had a back room for music. And that back room soon became Brooklyn’s favorite hang for omnivorous, authentic, non-commercial and international performances. Its been called “a cultural phenomenon” by the Christian Science Monitor and “…the vanguard of the new Brooklyn jazz scene” by the New York Times. The tiny venue hosts more than 700 performances a year. The point is: this is no ordinary bar. And this will not be any ordinary festival.
Keep an eye on our emerging lineup at the Barbès in the Woods Festival Website and get your tickets soon, because capacity will be limited.
Folk-futurist and award-winning vocalist, songwriter and producer, Sofía Rei weaves a deft and complicated tapestry of musical styles — a self-described pond-hopper when it comes to genre — whose training as an opera singer, fascination with Argentine folk traditions, and profound immersion in the multi-cultural mecca of New York City have all contributed to the music she plays today. Her collaborations are wide-ranging and studded with luminaries; like John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Bobby McFerrin, John Medeski, Susana Baca, and Pedrito Martinez.
She joins us in Florence with a new quartet ensemble including frequent collaborator JC Maillard (bass) , the virtuosic Jorge Glem (cuatro), and fellow Argentine Leo Genovese (piano). They will be presenting music from her new future-folk project Umbral (“threshold”). The project was recently featured on Tiny Desk and it is A-MAZING.
“…a latin folkloric encyclopedia right in the heart of New York City.” -VICE
ABOUT THIS GATHERING:
The backyard of the Florence Congregational Church is centrally located and provides us with generous and ample space to enjoy music, enjoy each other’s company, and also continue following state guidelines regarding social distancing. Guests are asked to wear masks. Due to limited capacity, we regrettably have to charge a youth ticket for kids ($10).
5PM picnic. Music at 7PM. Food pop-up TBA.
ABOUT UMBRAL:
In her most recent project, an exhaustive exploration of the voice as an instrument of texture and expression, Sofía Rei breaks away from the established continuity of her work, creating a daring new soundscape that blends South American folk with pop, electronic music and improvisation.
A soul-searching trip to the Elqui Valley in Chile Sofía, armed with only two back packs of recording equipment and her charango, she created the core of her newest musical venture: “Umbral” (Threshold). Her unorthodox compositions are built almost exclusively from vocal loops and incorporate the series “Cinco poemas cínicos” (Five Cynical Poems), in which the songwriter displays her natural inclination towards lyricism. Incisive and imaginative, Sofia’s poetry responds to heartbreak, deception and disappointment with unrestrained candor, elegant humor and a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Ravid Kahalani’s Yemen Blues project begins and ends with the singer’s rhapsodic voice and a Yemeni accent acquired from childhood religious singing — but everything in the middle is global, funky, and outrageous. Kahalani is part Prince, part James Brown, and his music reaches into Moroccan gnawa, Nigerian afrobeat, ecstatic jazz, and global soul. Traditional folkways and devotional song intersect effortlessly with heavy grooves and transcendental jams.
“Some acts are so unique, so hard to describe, they even go so far as to invent their own language” -Time Out
In this quartet iteration, Ravid Kahalani (guembri) is accompanied by Shanir Blumenkrantz (bass, oud), as well as trumpet and drums.
ABOUT THIS GATHERING:
The beautiful backyard of Beit Ahavah at Florence Congregational Church (130 Pine Street, Florence) is centrally located and provides us with generous and ample space to listen to music, enjoy each other’s company, and also continue following state guidelines regarding social distancing.
MASK POLICY UPDATE:
Many people are ready to shed their masks. Others may have not yet been vaccinated, may have underlying vulnerabilities, or may be protecting loved ones who do.
We’d like everyone to feel welcome and comfortable at our events. To that end, we will be dividing the lawn into a masked and unmasked section. Please select the section where you feel most comfortable.
In addition:
IN CASE OF RAIN:
If rain is forecasted, we will move the event indoors to the Sanctuary and everyone will be required to wear masks for the duration of the show.
6PM BYO picnic. Music at 7PM.
Co-presented with Beit Ahava with generous support by the Consulate General of Israel to New England. Major funding for this event provided by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation Community Grant.
Last year, during the early months of grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the horrific murder of George Floyd was witnessed throughout the world and the international community exploded in protest.
A year later, we are still on the battlefield–with systematic racism continuing to destroy innocent lives. Those of us who are still here are truly blessed, working collectively and individually for change. Raising our voices, taking to the streets, calling out the lies, calling for justice for all, moving forward, staying hopeful, relishing our resilience, while knowing that the struggle is far from over.
We hope this Juneteenth Day experience will energize, uplift and inspire each of us to recommit, and reconnect as a world community walking courageously forward into the light of truth and freedom…never turning back!
Born in the Pinar del Río province of Cuba, Elio Villafranca is at the forefront of the latest generation of remarkable Cuban musicians. The Grammy nominated jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader will showcase his new work Standing by the Crossroads, with his six piece jazz ensemble – the Jass Syncopators. The ensemble adeptly pushes boundaries, infusing jazz with the syncopated rhythms of traditional Afro-Caribbean musical forms. Villafranca’s compelling and complex compositions teem with subtle textures and feature architecture derived from his classical training. This concert is presented by Blues to Green as part of a week-long residency.
In Cuba, religions are very intertwined with the cultural fabric. Santeria, Arará, Abakuá, Congo, Tumba Francesa, Gangá, albeit different, have two things in common— the veneration of their Orishas and the way in which they see the Crossroads as a place of great significance. In Elio’s case, the spiritual concept of the Crossroads touched him the most. Standing by the Crossroads is a project that speaks about his own life experiences as an artist living in Cuba, and the many Crossroads situations he has encountered— from the polarization of musical styles or choices of artistic expression, to moments of life where he was faced with choosing between contradictory paths. These Crossroads moments posed plentiful double meanings and contradictory outcomes such as revolution or autonomy, living in the present or planning for the future, oppression or freedom, and homeland or no land. Different from Elio’s previous projects, in which he focused on honoring the legacy of historical figures such as CINQUE, these Crossroads experiences serve as the source of inspiration for this new work.
The Mandingo Ambassadors were founded in New York City by griot-guitarist Mamady Kouyaté in 2005. As a veteran of the great orchestras of the golden age of Guinean dance bands, Mamady is a living library of musical science inherited from his ancestors and from a half-century of experience as an arranger, bandleader, accompanist, and soloist.
Mamady Kouyaté carried this heritage with him to New York where he has collaborated with members of the West African diaspora and Western musicians to continue the great tradition and sound of Guinean Afro-jazz. Since the summer of 2008 the group has been in residence at Barbes, performing every Wednesday night at this well-known Brooklyn venue. In addition, they have performed at many clubs, events and festivals including Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Celebrate Brooklyn, and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
“Dazzling vocal and guitar patterns over a rhythm section that is like a perfect system” Ben Ratliff, NY Times.
Mamady Kouyaté is accompanied by his long-time friend and fellow Guinean, Mamady Kouruma — the pair have played together since their teenage years, traveling from village to village and performing as troubadours. This quintet format also features Oran Etkin on horns.
West African Golden Age Afro-jazz is a recipe for dancing and feeling uplifted by lovely, buoyant, melodies. Endless good vibes at this one. DJ Quills spins before, between and after.
TICKET DESCRIPTION:
Gates open at 6pm and the music begins at 7pm. In case of rain, the event will be moved indoors at the Florence Congregational Church and masks will then be required for the duration of the show. Food pop-up vendors will be on site!
ABOUT THIS GATHERING:
The beautiful backyard of Beit Ahavah at Florence Congregational Church (130 Pine Street, Florence, MA, USA) is centrally located and provides us with generous and ample space to listen to music, enjoy each other’s company, and also continue following state guidelines regarding social distancing.
MASK POLICY UPDATE:
Many people are ready to shed their masks. Others may have not yet been vaccinated, may have underlying vulnerabilities, or may be protecting loved ones who do.
We’d like everyone to feel welcome and comfortable at our events. To that end, we will be dividing the lawn into a masked and unmasked section. Please select the section where you feel most comfortable.
In addition:
IN CASE OF RAIN:
If rain is forecasted, we will move the event indoors to the Sanctuary and everyone will be required to wear masks for the duration of the show.
6PM BYO picnic. Music at 7PM.
Special thanks to Downright Productions for sponsoring this event with sound and light.
Anbessa Orchestra is a 7-piece band based in Brooklyn NY that draws its inspiration from the diverse musical culture of Ethiopia, combining these unique sounds with the more western sounds of Funk, Jazz, R&B and Rock. The band has been a prominent figure on the NY scene and has played alongside legendary Ethiopian keyboardist/composer Hailu Mergia. The band has also been featured on the “Beyond Addis Vol.2” compilation featuring new music inspired by Ethiopia.
“No one does Ethio-Jazz quite like Anbessa Orchestra ” – Popmatters.com
About Gili Yalo
From his base in Tel Aviv, Gili Yalo is launching a solo career in a new project that combines Ethiopian roots with soul, funk, psychedelic, and jazz music. Yalo, who has collaborated with top music producers Beno Hendler (Balkan Beat Box) and Uri Brauner Kinrot (Boom Pam), incorporates sounds from traditional Ethiopian music into a contemporary music production.
The result is an exceptional, rich, vivid melody accompanied by Gili’s unique voice with lyrics in both English and Amharic. The music embodies his own personal story, which inspired the rhythm and flow of the whole project. And what a story he has to tell: Operation Moses was the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984. These Ethiopian Jews fled from their native land on foot to refugee camps in Sudan. Together with his family, Gili Yalo made this perilous trip, walked through the desert towards the “Promised Land” and sang to his beloved ones.
Yalo reveals a fresh perspective to Ethiopian culture by using his personal musical influences such as James Brown and Mulatu Astatke to blend the sounds of funk and soul with Ethio-jazz music. The album, like Africa itself, is a rich patchwork of color and rhythm. The sound is influenced by ’70s blues, soul, and funk music, with Ethiopian music at the core of the project. Also features Keren Dun.
ABOUT THIS GATHERING:
The beautiful backyard of Beit Ahavah at Florence Congregational Church (130 Pine Street, Florence, MA, USA) is centrally located and provides us with generous and ample space to listen to music, enjoy each other’s company, and also continue following state guidelines regarding social distancing.
MASK POLICY UPDATE:
Many people are ready to shed their masks. Others may have not yet been vaccinated, may have underlying vulnerabilities, or may be protecting loved ones who do.
We’d like everyone to feel welcome and comfortable at our events. To that end, we will be dividing the lawn into a masked and unmasked section. Please select the section where you feel most comfortable.
In addition:
IN CASE OF RAIN:
If rain is forecasted, we will move the event indoors to the Sanctuary and everyone will be required to wear masks for the duration of the show.
6PM BYO picnic. Music at 7PM.
Major funding for this event provided by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation Community Grant. Special thanks to Downright Productions for sponsoring this event with sound and light.
This event is made possible with support from the Consulate General of Israel to New England and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation
Sotomayor draws from cumbia, merengue, dancehall, afrobeat, and other Afro-latinx rhythms to create their signature sound — an incredibly danceable, electro-percussive groove with lots of low end, tantalizing vocals, and satisfying electro-pop. Led by siblings Raul (music production) and Paulina (vocals) from Mexico City, the group is spearheading the Latin New Wave with cutting edge beats and a well-balanced toolkit of electronic and instrumental sounds.
In 2020 they released “Orígenes” their 3rd studio album through the NY based label Wonderwheel Recordings. This album was recorded between Mexico and Puerto Rico, and was produced by the 28 times Grammy Winner Eduardo Cabra aka “Visitante” from the legendary band “Calle 13”. In this production Sotomayor explores a new Afro Caribbean vision in the music, much more dance floor focused, and highly influenced by percussion. You don’t want to miss their MA debut.
“Diverse in origins and shamelessly upbeat” –Sounds & Colours
Special guest C.A.M.P.O.S. is the one-man cumbia band led by Josh Camp (Chicha Libre, Locobeach) that goes through jungles, outer space, and up the sides of ancient Mayan temples, all in a single set. C.A.M.P.O.S. stands for Cumbia And More Psychedelic Original Sounds.
“Sounds like a lost night in the Amazon with a Moog, drum machine and leather jacket. Psychedelic, playful and authentic.” —Quantic
ABOUT THIS GATHERING:
The beautiful backyard of Beit Ahavah at Florence Congregational Church (130 Pine Street, Florence, MA, USA) is centrally located and provides us with generous and ample space to listen to music, enjoy each other’s company, and also continue following state guidelines regarding social distancing.
MASK POLICY UPDATE:
Many people are ready to shed their masks. Others may have not yet been vaccinated, may have underlying vulnerabilities, or may be protecting loved ones who do.
We’d like everyone to feel welcome and comfortable at our events. To that end, we will be dividing the lawn into a masked and unmasked section. Please select the section where you feel most comfortable.
In addition:
IN CASE OF RAIN:
If rain is forecasted, we will move the event indoors to the Sanctuary and everyone will be required to wear masks for the duration of the show.
6PM BYO picnic. Music at 7PM.
Special thanks to Downright Productions for sponsoring this event with sound and light.
The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center is delighted to honor Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr as the 2021 Stowe Prize winner. Dr. Glaude receives the award for Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own (Crown Publishing Group, 2020), a book that uses the life of James Baldwin to create dialogue about racial inequality currently in the United States. This year’s events will be both on site and virtual.
The award will be presented on Thursday, September 23, 2021 on the Stowe Center grounds along with a rare look into the Stowe Archive with Dr. Glaude, Director of Collections and Research Beth Burgess, and Professor Jeffrey Ogbar.
About the Stowe Prize
The Stowe Prize recognizes the author of a distinguished book of general adult fiction or nonfiction whose written work illuminates a critical social issue in the tradition of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The winning book applies informed inquiry, is accessible and engaging to a wide audience, and promotes empathy and understanding. In making this award, the Stowe Center recognizes the value of diversity to strengthen our communities. Dr. Glaude is the seventh recipient of the Stowe Prize, following Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn in 2011 for Half the Sky, Michelle Alexander in 2013 for The New Jim Crow, Ta-Nehisi Coates in 2015 for The Case for Reparations, Bryan Stevenson in 2017 for Just Mercy, Matthew Desmond in 2018 for Evicted, and Albert Woodfox in 2020 for Solitary.
The Hartford is proud to be the Presenting Sponsor for the 2021 Stowe Prize.
Last year, we took the festival virtual. We loved seeing all of you on Zoom, dancing in your living rooms. It was almost as good as being in Millside Park…almost. Okay, not the same at all. This summer, thanks to our presenting partner, River Valley Co-op, WE’RE BACK! Mark your calendars and get ready for two magical evenings of music on Sept 10th and 11th.
Millpond.live is a FREE, grassroots, community-sponsored festival series designed to unite people from all walks of life. In this digital age, we believe that opportunities to interact with our neighbors in analog and on neutral ground help to foster a sense of community, cohesion, and inclusiveness. Our festival was born out of a desire to bring people together, from all walks of life, to share a journey of wonder, discovery, and delight.
Families bring picnics or savor delicious offerings from local food trucks, while nearby breweries serve a rotating selection of handcrafted beverages. Children clamber on the illuminated play structure and cavort about the lawn in gleeful packs, their laughter filling the warm night air. As the sun set, the cliffs of Mt. Tom are illuminated in scarlet and gold. Dancers step and sway while couples draw close as the stars come out.
Effortless… spontaneous… inimitable… Join us for the convergence of two of Jazz’s most legendary forces of nature. When Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap take the stage, an incomparable experience awaits. With a vast repertoire spanning the greatest periods and genres in music, the duo craft masterful performances and deliver captivating storytelling.
Drawing on the canons of luminary composers… Ellington, Porter, Sondheim, Lengrand, Simon and others, their virtuosic interpretations traverse the musical spectrum… from the intimate ballads to soulful grooves, delivered with daring expression borne of their musical chemistry.
Tickets are $35 for Early Bird tickets, $45 General Admission, and $50 at the door.
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, Grammy and Tony Award-winning Jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics. Ever the fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, the three-time Grammy-winner most recently won theGrammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee.
Bridgewater’s career has always bridged musical genres. She earned her first professional experience as a member of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Louis Big Band, and throughout the 70’s she performed with such jazz notables as Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie.
Bridgewater also pursued a parallel career in musical theater, winning a Tony Award for her role as “Glinda” in The Wiz in 1975. Having recently completed a run as the lead role of Billie Holiday in the off-Broadway production of Lady Day, her other theatrical credits include Sophisticated Ladies, Black Ballad, Carmen, Cabaret and the Off-Broadway and West End Productions ofLady Day, for which Bridgewater received the British Laurence Olivier Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
Bill Charlap
Grammy award winning pianist Bill Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Wynton Marsalis, Freddy Cole and Houston Person. Born in New York City, Charlap began playing the piano at age three. His father was Broadway composer Moose Charlap, whose credits include Peter Pan, and his mother is singer Sandy Stewart, who toured with Benny Goodman, and was a regular on the Perry Como show.
In 2016, Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern, was awarded a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album. In April, the Bill Charlap Trio released, Notes from New York, their debut recording for the Impulse label. Alan Morrison’s five-star review in Down Beat stated that the new recording is “a masterclass in class.”
In 2019, Charlap celebrated his 15th year as Artistic Director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival at 92Y. He has produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Chicago Symphony Center and the Hollywood Bowl. Charlap is married to renowned jazz pianist and composer Renee Rosnes, and the two artists often collaborate in a duo piano setting. Bill Charlap is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.
This American String Band is firmly rooted in tradition, but they are fresh and adventurous. Taking Old Time tunes and expanding on them in a way never heard before, in a way only well seasoned jazz musicians could – with intelligence as well as power. The Wildmans have been wrangling tunes and dialing in their sound at countless fiddler’s conventions and jams for nearly a decade. With a deep groove, a one of kind vocal blend, and instrumental virtuosity, all combined to create one of the freshest sounds in American roots music today If you’re looking for tight musicianship, haunting vocals, and a great stage presence, then this is a band you’ll definitely want to check out!
The Wildmans
The Wildmans come from the hills of Floyd, Virginia, in the heart of the Appalachian mountain music tradition. From campsite jamming at festivals and fiddler’s conventions and a college level music education comes the foundation for musical exploration that sets this group apart, taking the audience on a musical journey that reflects the growth and passion of these talented musicians.
The group has appeared on stages large and small, performing in festivals such as Red Wing Roots, Chantilly Farm’s Bluegrass and BBQ festival, Grey Fox Bluegrass, Floyd Fest, and The Steep Canyon Rangers’ Mountain Song Festival. They also regularly represent young talent along the Crooked Road in regional fiddler’s conventions. Having shared the stage with talents such as Bela Fleck, The Steep Canyon Rangers, The Steel Wheels, Danny Knicely, Sammy Shelor, Sierra Hull, Billy Strings, and more. These young musicians are making their way in the American string band scene.
Harold López-Nussa’s music can be described as a combustible blend of Afro-Cuban and modern jazz that notably marks all of the pianist’s acclaimed releases. His sound is enlivened by the sounds that thrill modern Cuban audiences: the Songo of the iconic band Los Van Van, the Mozambique of Pello el Afrokan, the reggaeton that has swept Latin America and the world since the late 90s. The culmination results in a musical pulse with the lifeblood that runs through the streets of Havana.
Harold Lopez-Nussa
The music of pianist/composer Harold López-Nussa reflects the full range and richness of Cuban music, with its distinctive combination of classical, folkloric and popular elements as well as its embrace of jazz improvisation and interaction. López-Nussa studied classical piano at the Manuel Saumell Elementary School of Music, the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and the Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA). His career gracefully spans styles, from his recording of Heitor Villa-Lobos ́ Fourth Piano Concerto with Cuba’s National Symphony Orchestra to his featured role on the album Ninety Miles, playing alongside jazz stars David Sánchez, Christian Scott and Stefon Harris. Te Lo Dije is the ninth album in a catalogue that includes exquisite classical pieces, mesmerizing solo creations and explosive jazz trio outings.
In Conakry, a sprawling legion of Natu Camara’s adoring fans regard her as “the Tina Turner of Guinea.” In her music and during high-octane shows, the impassioned singer-songwriter substantiates the weighty nickname. In the early 2000s, Camara led West Africa’s first all-female hip-hop group, the Ideal Black Girls (IBG). Years after releasing Guinèya Moumonèra (It’s Not a Shame to Be a Woman) — a multi platinum opus advocating for women’s rights — as a member of IBG, the dynamism of Camara’s musical evolution is revealed in Dimedi (“Child” in her native language, Susu), an inspirational solo debut underscoring the significance of children having positive role models. Singing in five languages, Dimedi showcases Camara’s unique blend of afro-rock, pop, and soul that speaks to the range of heroes influencing her individual sound: Miriam Makeba, Nina Simone, Mory Kante, Fela Kuti, and Baaba Maal.
Join Washington, D.C.-based, African-American a cappella ensemble, Sweet Honey in the Rock, for a rare and intimate Live Streaming celebration of the Holy Days. With five-part harmonies and sign language interpretation, Sweet Honey’s sound ranges from African to blues to gospel and jazz. Celebrating the Holy Days offers a rare fusion of traditional American holiday spiritual songs and hymns, as well as songs from other cultures and religions ranging from Africa to Israel. The three-time Grammy® Award-nominated and internationally renowned group will also perform songs from the group’s extensive repertoire, which includes We Are, Let There Be Peace, The Women Gather, and Come Ye. Since 1973, Sweet Honey has empowered and inspired with songs about a range of social issues, blending potent messages with gorgeous artistry to stir the mind and the soul.
After a few years hiatus, local mobile bicycle shop Speed and Sprocket Cycle Works is bringing the Ciclismo Classico Bike Travel Film Festival back to the Pioneer Valley! For those who’ve never attended, get ready for an entire evening of cycling inspiration that will make you want to quit your job (as if you need an excuse) and hit the open road. This year, the festival is moving from March to May, to coincide with Bay State Bike Month and to get you ready for the cycling season! We are also moving the venue to the amazing and newly opened Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity!
In addition to in-person, we’ll be offering streaming tickets to allow you to watch from the comfort of your own couch this year!
For those who choose to attend in person, come early for our VIP tasting event, where we’ll have a selection of fine foods and beverages to pair with from Provisions in Northampton. In previous years, lots of attendees were disappointed that they didn’t splurge when they saw the spread that was available – don’t be one of those people this year!
Every attendee gets a free raffle ticket (additional tickets available for purchase!) for our amazing giveaway of goodies, with all proceeds from the evening going to MassBike and World Bicycle Relief.
This event is made possible thanks to the River Valley Co-op, Provisions, Pedal 2 Pints, Craig Della Penna Realtor, and the Sugar Maple Trailside Inn.
We will be following current guidelines regarding masking, but all attendees are encouraged to mask for their own comfort.
For more information and updates on this year’s films, please visit www.ciclismoclassico.com/filmfest
Since 1995, the New Directions Cello Festival has provided a forum for the exchange of music and ideas in the field of non-classical and alternative cello. With a “big tent” ethos, New Directions embraces all styles of music not commonly taught at conservatories and music schools, especially those that incorporate improvisation. Cellist participants come from all over the US and abroad for a weekend of workshops, concerts and panels by some of the most innovative and creative cellists working today.
Since the first festival in New York City’s Knitting Factory (1995), the annual festival has presented a veritable who’s who of non-classical cello in New York City, Boston, Connecticut, Wisconsin, California, Ithaca, NY, and now Northampton, MA. Some of the cellists who have graced the stages of the festival include David Darling, Eugene Friesen, David Baker, Mark Summer, Jami Sieber, Vincent Courtois, Leyla McCalla, Seth Parker Woods, Stephan Braun, Ben Sollee, Stephen Katz, Ernst Reijseger, David Eyges, Akua Dixon, Jeffrey McFarland-Johnson, Rufus Cappodocia, Jane Scarpantoni, Chris White, Erik Friedlander, Dawn Avery and Robert Een.
For over 25 years, the New Directions Cello Festival and Association has been dedicated to new and innovative uses of the cello. The festival has created an international forum for the exchange of music and ideas and fostered the growth of the cello in all styles beyond classical music. The cello can now be seen and heard in countless genres of music around the globe.
Join our in-person or virtual audiences for the 2022 Stowe Prize, honoring Dr. Clint Smith, for his New York Times bestselling book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery across America (Little, Brown and Company, 2021), a deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history. We at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center preserve and interpret Stowe’s Hartford home and the center’s historic collections, promote vibrant discussion of her life and work, and inspire commitment to social justice and positive change.
Dr. Smith converses with Linda Norris of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. The event begins at 6PM on the Stowe Center Grounds. The moderated discussion and a Q&A with the live audience will be followed by Poets Respond to Dred, six original commissioned poems responding directly to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1857 antislavery novel, Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp. These readings will be performed by Authors and are curated by Versatile Poetiq, former artist-in-residence at the Stowe Center.
For this year’s in-person Stowe Prize Program, the Center’s grounds will be turned into a magical evening glade, dramatically lighting Nook Farm’s buildings and trees. For increased visibility, the conversation will be projected on a large screen adjacent to the stage. Please bring low height folding chairs or blankets for seating, and food and beverages for picnicking and sipping. An on site food truck with Brazilian specialties and beverages for purchase is also planned. While this event is free and open to the public, pre-registration is required and our capacity on site is limited to 200. A free live stream of the event is also available if that is more convenient for you.
If you would like to make a donation to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center your support of our mission would be deeply appreciated.
The Power of Truths Arts & Education Festival envisions a world where arts and education are utilized to bring about communities where justice and equity are the standards, not outliers. We center the practice that the arts and humanities are powerful tools to envision and create a more just world.
The 2nd Annual Power of Truths Arts & Education Festival builds on the previous year’s event with even more thought provoking and inspiring presenters, performances, talks, panels, and workshops with the purpose of inspiring educators and learners to focus on the intersections between arts and education as tools for power that build toward a just and equitable society.
Join us on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30 for a powerful series of experiences. Saturday night will be “Know the Ledge: Hiphop History Live”, a multimedia performance using arts and storytelling to bring the audience on powerful journeys through history; a separate ticket is required for this event.
Since 1995, the New Directions Cello Festival has provided an international forum for the exchange of music and ideas for creative and alternative cellists of all ages, levels and backgrounds. With a “big tent” ethos, New Directions embraces all styles of music, particularly those not commonly taught at conservatories and music schools and especially those that incorporate improvisation. Cellist participants come from all over the US and abroad for a weekend of workshops, concerts, panels and jam sessions with some of the most innovative cellists working today.
Since its inception at New York City’s Knitting Factory, the annual festival has presented a veritable who’s who of creative cellists in New York City, Boston, Connecticut, Wisconsin, California, Cologne, Germany, Ithaca, NY, and now Northampton, MA. Over 100 cellists and their groups have graced the stages of the festival over the years including David Darling, Eugene Friesen, David Baker, Mark Summer, Tomeka Reid, Zoë Keating, Vincent Courtois, Mike Block, Leyla McCalla, Seth Parker Woods, Stephan Braun, Nathalie Haas, Andrew Yee, Zachary Brown, Ben Sollee, Vincent Segal, Jaques Morelenbaum, Stephen Katz, Ernst Reijseger, David Eyges, Akua Dixon, Rushad Eggleston, Rufus Cappodocia, Jane Scarpantoni, Chris White, Erik Friedlander, Jake Charkey, Jeremy Harman, Dawn Avery and Robert Een and many others.
Contact Improvisation is an honoring of every moment. The Class will focus on fundamental physical skills of this partner dance form. Learn to stay in integrity with each choice, never forcing, never rushing. Learn to recognize and differentiate the subtle impulses in our choices and our partner’s choices. Begin to decipher the touch cues that we give and receive which tell us when to lead or follow, when to go up, when to go down, how to lift, when to slow down, and when to be still.
The Flo-Jam is an improvisational dance gathering where people explore movement and connection through touch, weight-sharing, and nonverbal communication. It’s an open, inclusive non-judgmental space where dancers of all levels come together to create a shared dance experience. The focus is on being present in the moment, listening to one’s own body and the bodies of others, and exploring new ways of moving. The music is improvised and the atmosphere is welcoming and non-judgmental. Overall, it’s a dynamic dance experience that fosters creativity, connection, and community. Moti Zemelman will teach the class and play live music for a jam session.
The Contact Class will be from 9:30AM – 10:45AM, and the Contact Jam will be from 11AM – 12:30PM. Tickets are available for the class only, the jam only, or for both.
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COVID PROTOCOL
For more info, click HERE.
Contact Improvisation is an honoring of every moment. The Class will focus on fundamental physical skills of this partner dance form. Learn to stay in integrity with each choice, never forcing, never rushing. Learn to recognize and differentiate the subtle impulses in our choices and our partner’s choices. Begin to decipher the touch cues that we give and receive which tell us when to lead or follow, when to go up, when to go down, how to lift, when to slow down, and when to be still.
The Flo-Jam is an improvisational dance gathering where people explore movement and connection through touch, weight-sharing, and nonverbal communication. It’s an open, inclusive non-judgmental space where dancers of all levels come together to create a shared dance experience. The focus is on being present in the moment, listening to one’s own body and the bodies of others, and exploring new ways of moving. The music is improvised and the atmosphere is welcoming and non-judgmental. Overall, it’s a dynamic dance experience that fosters creativity, connection, and community. Moti Zemelman will teach the class and play live music for a jam session.
The Contact Class will be from 9:30AM – 10:45AM, and the Contact Jam will be from 11AM – 12:30PM. Tickets are available for the class only, the jam only, or for both.
For more info about the artist, click HERE.
Contact Improvisation is an honoring of every moment. The Class will focus on fundamental physical skills of this partner dance form. Learn to stay in integrity with each choice, never forcing, never rushing. Learn to recognize and differentiate the subtle impulses in our choices and our partner’s choices. Begin to decipher the touch cues that we give and receive which tell us when to lead or follow, when to go up, when to go down, how to lift, when to slow down, and when to be still.
The Flo-Jam is an improvisational dance gathering where people explore movement and connection through touch, weight-sharing, and nonverbal communication. It’s an open, inclusive non-judgmental space where dancers of all levels come together to create a shared dance experience. The focus is on being present in the moment, listening to one’s own body and the bodies of others, and exploring new ways of moving. The music is improvised and the atmosphere is welcoming and non-judgmental. Overall, it’s a dynamic dance experience that fosters creativity, connection, and community. Moti Zemelman will teach the class and play live music for a jam session.
The Contact Class will be from 9:30AM – 10:45AM, and the Contact Jam will be from 11AM – 12:30PM. Tickets are available for the class only, the jam only, or for both.
For more info about the artist, click HERE.
“Brother Robert: Growing Up with Robert Johnson” author Mrs. Annye Anderson of Amherst, MA gives a rare appearance for a 97th birthday celebration and performance by blues banjo player Hubby Jenkins (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops).
“An intimate memoir by blues legend Robert Johnson’s stepsister, including new details about his family, music, influences, tragic death, and musical afterlife. Brother Robert does much to pull the blues master out of the fog of myth.” – Rolling Stone
Though Robert Johnson was only twenty-seven and relatively unknown at the time of his death in 1938, his enduring recordings have solidified his status as a progenitor of the Delta blues style. In Brother Robert, nonagenarian Annye C. Anderson sheds new light on a real-life figure largely obscured by his own legend: her stepbrother, Robert Johnson. For decades, Anderson and her family have ignored the tall tales of Johnson “selling his soul to the devil” and the speculative accounts that passed for biography. This book chronicles Johnson’s unconventional path to stardom, from the harrowing story behind his birth, to his first strum of the guitar on Anderson’s father’s knee, to the recordings that would one day secure his legacy. Readers get Anderson’s personal anecdotes and recollections passed down to Anderson by members of their family – the people who knew Johnson best.