MUSIC | BOSTON AND BEYOND/ART & ENTERTAINMENT

HURRAH!! THE WORLD OF CONCERTS HAS OPENED UP! CONTACT THE ADDITIONAL THEATER WEBSITES LISTED BELOW FOR CONFIRMATION OF CURRENT EVENTS.

MARCH 8 (7:30):CLASSICAL WITH A TWIST:MUSICAL KALEIDOSCOPE

Cherry Street Music’s chamber music series brings this new concert to The Allen Center at 35 Webster Street in West Newton. This time, the twist is a collaboration with the award-winning Boston String Academy String Ensemble. Mariesther Alvarez and Marielisa Alvarez, ground-breaking Co-Directors and violinists, who were also the founders of the ensemble along with Taide Prieto in 2012, are appearing in this program following their 2024 debut at Carnegie Hall. The Boston String Academy is a non-profit organization that provides rigorous string instrument instruction to children from Boston’s under-served communities. They have recently received honorary awards from Harvard University for their contributions to those underserved communities in Boston. The program is based on the Venezuelan El Sistema philosophy that utilizes music as a vehicle for social change. This String Ensemble is composed of their most accomplished students. Visiting guest conductor and violinist Markus Däunert will lead The Boston String Academy String Ensemble in performances of Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 8, Piazzolla Fuga y Misterio, and Mahler’s famously heartbreaking Adagietto. Dvorak’s beloved “Dumky” Piano Trio will be performed by pianist Yutong Sun, a current Concert Artist in New England Conservatory’s Institute of Concert Artists. He will be joined by violinist Markus Däunert, and Cherry Street Music’s Artistic Director Allison Eldredge on cello. Since winning the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant at 19, Allison Eldredge has been performing from Berlin to Moscow to Tokyo to Beijing to Amsterdam to Carnegie Hall as soloist with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, Moscow Virtuosi, Academy of St. Martin in the Field and the Royal Philharmonic and performed with such distinguished conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Andre Previn, Charles Dutoit, Leonard Slatkin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Hans Vonk and Jaap van Zweden. Chamber Music collaborations have included performances with Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, Andre Previn, and Shmuel Ashkenasi. In addition to serving as Cherry Street Music Artistic Director, Allison, a Newton resident, is the Allen Center’s Artist in Residence. Tickets and information are available at www.newtonculture.org

MARCH 8 & 9: THE MAGIC OF IRELAND

The Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston located at the Robinson Theatre, 617 Lexington St. in Waltham, once again brings their delightfully fun show that celebrates all that is Irish. Get ready to experience the enchanting allure of Ireland like never before with Reagle Music Theatre’s The Magic Of Ireland: A St. Patrick’s Day Concert. Headlined by spellbinding talent from Broadway and Boston, this celebration will be sure to transport you to the heart of the Emerald Isle with traditional melodies, comedy, poetry, step dancing, and more! Headlined by Ciarán Sheehan (Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables), Kathy St. George (Broadway’s Fiddler on the Roof, Off Broadway: I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change), Jennifer Ellis (RMT’s Wonderful Town, Carousel), and Rick Sherburne (RMT’s Oklahoma, West Side Story), The Harney Academy of Irish DancingIn addition, The Harney Academy of Irish Dancing will again wow audiences with performance of outstanding Step Dancing choreographed by two-time World Champion and accredited teacher and adjudicator with the An Coimisiun Le Rince Gaelacha in Ireland, Liam Harney. Heather Swanson, Boston area violinist will have the audience tapping their toes to traditional Irish music. Ryan Douglas, an Irish multi-instrumentalist, will be featured on the bodhrán expressing the haunting rhythms from this traditional Irish frame drum. Elliot Norton and five time IRNE Awards winner for Best Music Direction, Dan Rodriguez will wrap up the entire musical components of the show and deliver them with a huge shamrock on top. To obtain tickets for this upbeat annual tradition click here at www.reaglemusictheatre.org/shows/9/magic-of-ireland

MARCH 9 (6PM): ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS & PIANIST JEREMY DENK IN CONCERT

Music Worcester presents one of the world’s most acclaimed chamber orchestras, Academy of St Martin in the Fields along with pianist Jeremy Denk in concert at Mechanics Hall, at 321 Main Street in Worcester. The London-based Academy of St Martin in the Fields is renowned for fresh, brilliant interpretations of the world’s greatest orchestral music. Founded in 1958 by Sir Neville Marriner, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields has evolved into a musical powerhouse, an orchestra renowned across the world for its commitment to the musical freedom of its players and the sharing of joyful, inspiring performances. Their concert features a performance of Haydn’s Symphony No. 29 in E Major, Aaron Copland Quiet City, John Adams Shaker Loops, and Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Jeremy Denk as the soloist.

Jeremy Denk pianist “Academy of St Martin in the Fields’ return to Worcester for the first time since 2015 serves as such an inspiring anchor concert of the season” states Adrien Finlay, Executive Director of Music Worcester. Music Worcester has announced that Jeremy Denk will replace pianist Bruce Liu who unfortunately withdrew from this tour due to illness. “We are excited to have another opportunity to welcome Jeremy Denk to Worcester.” said Adrien Finlay, Executive Director of Music Worcester. “It is an extraordinary opportunity and rare treat to hear a renowned pianist playing two different programs in one month. We wish Bruce Liu a speedy recovery and hope to introduce him to our audience in the future.” He will play Bach’s Piano Partitas, as part of Bach’s Birthday Bash Weekend, part of THE COMPLETE BACH, Music Worcester’s 11-year project to present live performances of all 1000+ works written by J.S. Bach. Jeremy Denk is called “a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs” by the New York Times. He is the recipient of both the MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also known for his original and insightful writing on music, which The New Yorker’s Alex Ross praises for its “arresting sensitivity and wit.” His New York Times bestselling memoir, Every Good Boy Does Fine was published by Random House in 2022. Building on its rich global legacy, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields remains one of the world’s most-recorded orchestras, igniting a love for classical music in people around the world through live performance and digital initiatives. ASMF continues a busy international touring program alongside a significant presence in the UK – making it one of the country’s most celebrated cultural exports. “Joined by the incredible pianist, from Shostakovich and Aaron Copland to John Adams, who was born here in Worcester. The Academy’s singular reputation, known to so many fans through their immense discography, will surely take full advantage of Mechanics Hall’s legendary acoustics.” Tickets for this outstanding concert can be obtained at www.musicworcester.org

MARCH 9 (3:00pm):PRO ARTE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA…CONIFER QUARTET

The Allen Center for Arts and Culture at 36 Webster Street in Newton brings, as part of Pro Arte’s intimate Salon Series, this performance that offers audiences the chance to experience a select group of Pro Arte’s exceptional musicians in an up-close and personal setting. The program features musical gems not included in the full orchestral Ensemble Series. Audiences will experience Mozart’s String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421, one of the most celebrated works in his chamber music repertoire. And too, Dvorak’s String Quartet No 13 in G major, his first work composed entirely in his native country after he returned home from the United States. The Conifer Quartet consists of violinist Lisa Goddard; 2^nd chair violinist, Colin Davis; violist, Anne Black; and cellist, Steven Laven. All musicians boast a stunning list of awards, and performance credits as well an impressive resume of affiliations with notes Orchestras. Pro Arte is a professional, musician-led cooperative chamber orchestra that shares its passion for music through exceptional performances that enrich, engage, and educate. For tickets to what promises to be an exceptional concert click here at www.proarte.org

MARCH 12 – 16: THE SEASONS

The Boston Lyric Opera and ArtsEmerson Co-present this World Premiere of a bold reimagining of Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” on the Robert J. Orchard Stage, at the Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St. in Boston. Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons is considered to be the best known of Vivaldi’s works. It was composed around 1718–1720 and first published in 1725. A known lover of nature, Vivaldi’s music stunningly projected mages of flowing creeks, various species of song birds, buzzing flies, violent rain storms, frozen landscapes, and even cozy fires in Winter. He artfully managed o bring the sounds of a shepherd and his barking dog, hunting parties galloping though the brush along with the sound of their fleeing prey. He could even summon up visions of drunken revilers dancing in the streets. His music was published with sonnets, assumed to be written by the composer, that he added to accompany the music to help illuminate what his music was describing. Now, the Tony-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl (“Eurydice”) and the Grammy-winning countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo have collaborated in creating a new libretto plus added some additional arias and ensembles to Vivaldi’s famed work.

L.-r.: four artists from Pam Tanowitz Dance, Anthony Roth Costanzo (c.), singers Whitney Morrison and Brandon Cedel, and pianist Dmitri Dover take a curtain call after a recent Works & Process preview of THE SEASONS. Photo Titus Ogilvie-Laing Produced by Boston Lyric Opera, AMOC* (American Modern Opera Company) and SCENE, the production tells the story of five contemporary artists who retreat to a remote farm to make art inspired by the beauty of nature. But increasingly, they begin to succumb to the extremely erratic and highly unpredictable weather which is disrupting their nature paradise. It, in turn, makes the artists creative concepts for their artwork become arduously more complicated as the weather patterns literally impact their plans as well as their emotional selves. With each unexpected storm, lives, creative visions, as well as personalities quickly begin to seemingly change forever. But, when hope arrives in an unexpected form, a bright future opens for them on the horizon. Our Seasons Seasons is a meditation on the relationship between our contemporary moments and Vivaldi’s iconic music, which was inspired by the apparently harmonious seasons in the early 1700’s. Directed by Zack Winokur with choreography by Pam Tanowitz, the storyline makes a vigorous nod to our increasing, unpredictable, and totally bizarre global climate issues. But The Seasons is equally focused on the affect that this weather has to our psyche. As Ruhl elucidates that fact when she states that the opera is, “a contemporary Baroque opera about the weather, inside and out.” Thus, it also affects, “the emotional weather we experience inside ourselves.” Vivaldi’s exquisite violin masterpiece becomes a launch point from which, with this new production, we can see our own disordered seasons more clearly. The cast for THE SEASONS includes includes – in alphabetical order, Brandon Cedel (BLO’s 2023 La Cenerentola), Grammy-winning artist Anthony Roth Costanzo making his BLO debut, Ashley Emerson (2024 The Anonymous Lover), Kangmin Justin Kim and Whitney Morrison (both making BLO debuts) and Alexis Peart (BLO Emerging Artist alum; 2024’s Mitridate). An extremely unique and innovative, eco-friendly set design has been created through a partnership between BLO and MIT, Tony Award-winning scenic designer Mimi Lien and MIT Media Lab Design and Materials Technologist Jack Forman. The set is created largely from bubbles that in turn give the impression of ephemeral weather effects such as rain, smoke and snowy mountains. Traditional wood and steel construction are replaced by crafting water and soap mixtures, treated with a variety of processes. Forman has developed specialized soap formulas and built new machinery to animate and manipulate his unique substances. BLO Artistic Director Nina Yoshida Nelsen says THE SEASONS promises an eye-popping and ear-pleasing experience for audiences. “This extraordinarily talented creative team and fantastic cast is bringing that rare thing to contemporary baroque opera…a supremely accessible musical world and a brilliant libretto that brings relatable characters into a resonant story with real stakes. This is a profound meditation on humanity’s relationship with nature and the changing seasons; I’m certain it will be the must-see performance of the spring.” Tickets for this stunningly memorable production may be obtained at www.ArtsEmerson.org

MARCH 15: DREAM THEATER’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

GRAMMY®-winning, progressive music titans Dream Theater are brings their 40th Anniversary Tour 2024 – 2025 leg for North America,.to the Boch Center Wang Theatre. drummer Mike Portnoy’s return to the lineup joining vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. They will be performing classics and fan favorites from their catalog in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music. Progressive metal pioneers Dream Theater share a unique bond with one of the most passionate fan bases around the globe as evidenced by their three GRAMMY® Award nominations, 2022 GRAMMY® Award win in the Best Metal Performance category for “The Alien” and 15 million records sold worldwide. The 1992 opus Images & Words received a gold certification and landed on Rolling Stone’s coveted “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All-Time.” Guitar World placed the follow-up Awake at #1 on “Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994.” 1996’s A Change of Seasons notably sound tracked NBC’s coverage of Downhill Skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Fans voted the 1999 Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory the “Number One All-Time Progressive Rock Album” in a 2012 Rolling Stone poll. Not to mention, it ranked as the “15th Greatest Concept Album” by Classic Rock. 2009 saw Black Clouds & Silver Linings crash the Billboard Top 200 at #6 as A Dramatic Turn of Events [2011] and Dream Theater [2013] maintained a three-peat in the chart’s Top 10. In 2016, the band returned with their second concept album and sci-fi novel of the same name, The Astonishing. Beyond three platinum and two gold videos, the group was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2019, the band continued to expand its audience when they released Distance Over Time to critical and commercial acclaim. On their 15th full-length and second studio release for InsideOutMusic / Sony Music, A View From The Top Of The World the band continue to challenge themselves and push their musical envelope – something they have done for over 30-years performing together. The band launched the inaugural DREAMSONIC Tour in 2023 – a traveling progressive music spectacle that will return for more runs in the future. In 2024, founding drummer Mike Portnoy reunited with the iconic lineup of guitarist John Petrucci, vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess to overwhelming fanfare. Dream Theater has been in the studio currently working on their upcoming 16th studio album and first for this lineup in over 15 years. “The excitement we have felt from the fans since the first tour was announced has been overwhelming! Now we get to bring the show to our home country and play a bunch of cities that we haven’t been together in for more than a decade. We can’t wait to continue this historic celebration of 40 years together with everyone in North America next year. We still have plenty of more exciting Dream Theater news to share in the coming weeks,” explains Dream Theater. More information on all tickets and VIP packages can be found at https://dreamtheater.net/tour/.

MARCH 21 – 23: BACH’S BIRTHDAY BASH, 2025

Come celebrate with Music Worcester, along with Pianist Jeremy Denk and the Handel & Haydn Society as they headline this part of Music Worcester’s four weekend observation of the 350th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth. Located at Worcester’s Mechanics Hall, 321 Main Street in Worcester, the weekend contributes to the massive undertaking of this celebration of THE COMPLETE BACH (TCB), Music Worcester’s 11-year project to culminate in 2035, by presenting live concerts of all 1000+ works by the Baroque master. Friday, March 21 (7pm), the Pianist Jeremy Denk

will play the complete collection of Bach’s Keyboard Partitas (BWV 825-83C. He is the pianist that was called “a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs” by the New York Times. Denk is the recipient of both the MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also known for his original and insightful writing on music, which The New Yorker’s Alex Ross praises for its “arresting sensitivity and wit.” His New York Times bestselling memoir, Every Good Boy Does Fine was published by Random House in 2022 and will be available for sale at a book signing event following the concert, through a partnership with TidePool Bookshop. On Saturday afternoon March 22 (4pm), the Worcester Chorus, under the direction of TCB Artistic Director Chris Shepard, will sing the secular cantatas BWV 213 and 214. Soloists from Boston’s Emmanuel Music will join the chorus. The Worcester Chorus, under the sponsorship of Music Worcester, Inc., was founded in 1858 to sing at the first annual Worcester Music Festival in the newly built Mechanics Hall. The 100-member group includes both amateur and professional singers from Worcester County and throughout Southern New England. On the evening of March 22 (8pm), Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society,

along with harpsichordists Ian Watson and John McKean will perform Bach’s Concerti for Two Harpsichords. The multi-talented Watson has been described by The Times of London as a “world-class soloist and performer of virtuosic panache.” He is Music Director of the Connecticut Early Music Festival, and Associate Conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society. John McKean is a harpsichordist and musicologist based in Boston. He serves on the faculty and is chair of the Historical Performance Department at the Longy School of Music of Bard College. Critically acclaimed for his “intelligent” and “precise” playing (The Washington Post) John performs with leading American and European ensembles, including Apollo’s Fire, Emmanuel Music, the Catacoustic Consort, and Habsburger Camerata among others. The Grammy-winning Handel and Haydn Society has been captivating audiences for 209 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States), speaking to its singular success at converting new audiences to this extraordinary music, generation after generation. March 23(4pm) heralds the conclusion of this Bach’s Birthday Bash weekend with a joint Cantatathon with members of the Worcester Bach Collective

who bring together a wide range of musical organizations in Worcester and beyond. This year’s concert includes singers from Trinity Lutheran Choir (directed by Mark Mummert), WPI Choirs (led by Joshua W. Rohde), Master Singers of Worcester (directed by Edward Tyler), All Saints Choir (Kevin Neel, Director of Music), and select members of The Worcester Chorus (directed by Chris Shepard). The Collective will perform cantatas BWV 28, 36, 40, 64, and 133, with each of the conductors leading one cantata. Chris Shepard says “We have so many wonderful choral groups in our region, this is an exciting opportunity to bring everyone together to celebrate The Master’s 340th birthday.” The concert on March 23rd will acknowledge J.S.Bach’s birth anniversary with complimentary cake and champagne, available during intermission. Tickets for singular events of for the entire weekend are available at www.thecompletebach.com

MARCH 30 (4pm): THE SPHINX VIRTUOSI’s AMERICAN FORM/S

Music Worcester and The Prior Performing Arts Center are co-presenting the acclaimed self-conducted string orchestra The Sphinx Virtuosi in American Form/s at The Prior Performing Arts Center at the College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street in Worcester. Described by the Washington Post as musicians who demonstrate “immeasurable power, unwavering command and soulful beauty,” A dynamic and inspiring chamber orchestra, it serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. The Sphinx Organization has reached more than 100 million people worldwide. Focused on increasing representation in classical music and celebrating excellence, Sphinx programs serve beginner students, seasoned classical music professionals, cultural entrepreneurs, and artistic administrators by addressing the systemic lack of access within Black and Latino communities. Comprised of 18 accomplished Black and Latinx artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement. As a bilingual ensemble, these artist-citizens break down existing barriers to foster connections with the broader community. “We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Music Worcester in bringing the extraordinary artists of Sphinx Virtuosi to the state-of-the-art concert hall at The Prior Performing Arts Center,” said Kyle Frisina, Interim Director of The Prior. “It has underscored our shared commitment to making the arts accessible to all.” “Engaging Sphinx Virtuosi for their first visit to Central MA addresses so many aspirations of Music Worcester,” added Adrien Finlay, Executive Director of Music Worcester. “We are very happy to be working with Holy Cross to activate this amazing new cultural facility and to inspire future generations of musicians through a robust educational residency by the orchestra across the city.” American Form/s is a musical tapestry depicting the many sounds of American classical music, including classically framed infusions of soul, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and elements of rag. The program opens with a riveting final movement of Serenade for Strings by 19th-century pianist, composer, singer, and conductor Teresa Carreño. Additional concepts of American music are explored in Derrick Skye’s multifaceted and optimistic American Mirror, Part One; renowned violinist-composer Curtis Stewart’s Drill Set for Prepared Drumset and Strings which features guest percussionist Josh Jones. Jones earned his bachelor’s in music from DePaul School of Music and was the orchestra fellow of both the Detroit and Pittsburgh symphonies. In 2022, Josh joined the Grant Park Festival Orchestra as Principal Percussionist. Of the American Form/s program, Sphinx President and Artistic Director Afa Dworkin says, “This program aspires to evolve the American concert music canon through a celebration of kaleidoscopic voices of the past and present. The beauty of today’s landscape is expressed by the abundance of both the harmonic and rhythmic exploration that we hope resonates with audiences far and wide.” Of the American Form/s program, Sphinx President and Artistic Director Afa Dworkin says, “This program aspires to evolve the American concert music canon through a celebration of kaleidoscopic voices of the past and present. The beauty of today’s landscape is expressed by the abundance of both the harmonic and rhythmic exploration that we hope resonates with audiences far and wide.” Tickets and information for all Music Worcester events can be found at www.musicworcester.org

APRIL 8 – 13: RIVERDANCE

The Boch Center Wang Theatre at 270 Tremont St. in Boston, brings to their stage the return to the city of Riverdance, now observing their 30^th Anniversary bringing its wonderful fusion of Irish and international dance and music. Since coming onto the world stage, the production has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. The Grammy award-winning music and the infectious energy of the show boasts mesmerizing choreography and breathtaking performances that leaves audience in in awe and are what originally established Riverdance as a global cultural sensation. This all new anniversary tour is a spectacular production that rejuvenates the much-loved original show as well as contains new innovative choreography, costumes, state of the art lighting, along with depth additions of stunning projections and motion graphics. And for the first time Riverdance welcomes “The New Generation” of performers, all of whom were not born when the show originated 30 years ago John McColgan, Director of Riverdance said “ It is both a privilege and a delight to celebrate 30 years of Riverdance and the unique journey it has taken us on. In those 30 years the show has…” continuously evolved…”yet remaining true to its Irish roots. On this upcoming tour we look forward to welcoming ‘The New Generation’ of artists while paying tribute to the talented performers, creators, dedicated crew, and the millions of fans who have made Riverdance a worldwide celebration of music and dance.” Audiences, new as well as solid long term fans, will enjoy a unique and memorable performance as it blends the traditional and the contemporary, showcasing the skill and passion of the world-class of dancers, musicians and singers in the Riverdance ensemble. Composed by Bill Whelan, Produced by Moya Doherty and Directed by John McColgan, Riverdance should not be missed. Tickets may be obtained at www.bochcenter.org

ONGOING: WEEKEND BRUNCH AT THE CITY WINERY BOSTON

City Winery Boston, located at 80 Beverly St, between Haymarket and North Station in Boston has expanded their programming with a series of noontime weekend shows offering music, comedy, and a great way to start your weekend. This is an all new specially curated brunch buffet menu that features an array of tasty dishes available during weekend noontime shows. From grilled peach arugula salad and bread pudding French Toast, to corn waffles, and smoked salmon flatbread, there are options that cover a range of dietary restrictions and preferences. “We’ve got an impressive and eclectic calendar of shows that are great fun for a wide array of audiences,” said Scott Feldman, City Winery Boston’s marketing director. “Some events are a great outing for friends to get together before the ‘Sunday scaries’ set in, while other events invite folks to revel in the music of their teen years.” The brunch buffet is $35/person (beverages are separate) and not included with a ticket purchase. For more information for all shows and to obtain tickets, visit www.citywinery.com/boston