SEPT. 2: THE PLATFORM FREE SUMMER SERIES
Global Arts Live presents these Free Concerts to announce this exciting new performance space titled The Platform. It will open in November and will be located at 585 Kendall in the Canal District. The Canal District Kendall is a park located in Kendall Square, will host The Platform’s Summer Series will bring three FREE outdoor music concerts to be held at Henri A. Termeer Square which is a public park and plaza located at 675 W Kendall Street in Cambridge. Saguaro Bar in Termeer Square offers food as well as alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages during each performance….or bring a picnic. Closing the season on 
SEPTEMBER 2 (6pm) REBIRTH BRASS BAND is the legendary, Grammy-winning band from New Orleans. They are celebrated for electrifying live performances and a pioneering influence on contemporary brass-band music. Their signature sound honors the rich traditions of New Orleans brass bands while seamlessly blending elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B, and the street rhythms that have shaped the city’s musical identity. “We’re thrilled to grow and deepen our partnership with Global Arts Live as they create new opportunities for people to access and participate in live arts experiences with The Platform,”said Jason Weeks, Executive Director of Cambridge Arts. “The Platform Free Summer Series builds on the highly successful Global Arts Live Stage at the Cambridge Arts River Festival in recent years offering fantastic music, positive energy, and a creative and welcoming atmosphere for all!” The Platform’s future home is just a 5 minute walk from Kendall Square Red Line station, The Platform is a new performing arts center and cultural hub in Kendall Square serving artists and audiences across Cambridge, Greater Boston and beyond. More than a stage, it’s a platform for supporting artists and nonprofits, for showcasing that expands perspectives, and for fostering curiosity and conversation. Alongside its operational partner Global Arts Live, The Platform champions a creative and inclusive community united by the transformative power of art and culture. For more information visit www.globalartslive.org
SEPT. 4 – 7: 28th ANNUAL CLUB PASSIM’S CAMPFIRE WEEKEND
This annual festival returns for Labor Day Weekend with over 100 artists coming, this festival brings together rising talent, seasoned musicians and veteran performers creating a four day marathon of live music att Club Passim at . 47 Palmer St. In Cambridge. Performances will begin at 6:00 P.M. on Friday (September 4th), and 2:00 P.M on Saturday (September 5th), Sunday (September 6th), and Monday (September 7th). As is Campfire tradition, the festival’s musical acts will perform in an array of styles and configurations ranging from intimate, “in-the-round” sessions where songwriters share songs, swap stories, and spark new collaborations— to solo sets, small ensembles, and full band lineups. Simultaneously, in true Club Passim fashion, these artists also run the gamut of genres across the musical spectrum with folk, rock, indie, bluegrass, Americana, Celtic, R&B, and more. In 1998, Passim established Campfire to fill a bad booking weekend, but today, it has become one of the primary methods for local audiences to discover new talent. Originally known as “On the Cutting Edge of the Campfire,” this festival merged the concept of artists playing music around the campfire with Passim’s commitment to introducing up-and-coming talent to interested and discerning listeners.“Campfire continues to amaze me every single time. It is an all-you-can-listen buffet of incredible talent. Come in with ears wide open – you’re bound to find your next favorite artist,” said Matt Smith, Managing Director at Club Passim. Previous Campfire artists include Anais Mitchell, Lake Street Dive, Tall Heights, Alisa Amador, Lori McKenna, Josh Ritter, Jenny Owen Youngs, Jake Blount, Mary Gauthier, Regina Spektor, and so many more. Now, audiences can experience scores of new artists in an intimate seated space. Swapping between songwriter rounds and band sets, attendees will get a glimpse of a music scene that is much bigger than a single room. A Campfire weekend is without question the best way to see new artists in Greater Boston along with the ultimate Club Passim experience. Lots o music for your buck as tickets are $20 for a single day and $35 for the entire event as well as free to students with a valid student ID. . For information regarding the line up and to obtain tickets, visit www.passim.org
THROUGH SEPT. 6 TANGLEWOOD POPULAR ARTIST SERIES
Boston Symphony Orchestra brings to Tanglewood in Lenox MA in the Berkshires at the Tanglewood Koussevitzky Music Shed this star-studded lineup of musicians and performers, The entertainment genre includes rock, country, pop, Broadway, and soul with a who’s who list of popular performers that Include Alabama Shakes, Brandi Carlile, Carrie Underwood, James Taylor, Jason Isbell, John Fogerty & Steve Winwood, Paul Simon, Tedeschi Trucks Band, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Yacht Rock Revue, Ziggy Marley with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue . In addition there will be two additional performances with the Boston Pops. One with Cynthia Erivo and the other with Hugh Jackman. This season opens on June 20th at 7pm with comedian John Stewart joined by Special Guest band Church and State. These single night concerts join a lineup that already includes Paul Simon, who will perform on June 27, with a second performance added on June 28 due to overwhelming demand. Also James Taylor and his All-Star Band will perform on July 3 and July 4, continuing Taylor’s decades-long tradition of Independence Day performances at Tanglewood. For a complete schedule of the line up and to obtain tickets, visit www.Tanglewood.org
SEPT. 10: RASA STRING QUARTET with JAKE ARMERDING
Passim in partnership with The Trustees of the Reservations will present the Boston-based, award-winning. Club Passim entertainers. The Rasa String Quartet are known for their blend of Western classical and folk music traditions. They will be joined on a co-bill by folk musician, composer, and Ipswich native Jake Armerding of the acoustic, instrumental band Rosin, and formerly of the legendary bluegrass outfit Northern Lights. They will be performing at Castle Hill’s terra-cotta walled barn, known for its breathtaking views of the New England sea. It is located on the Crane Estate in Ipswich. Tickets may be obtained at www.passim.org
SEPT. 11: RED, WHITE, BLACK & BLUES (THE RANTS, CHANTS and COOS of 3 LITERARY MUSICIANS)
Revels Fringe brings to Club Passim at 47 Palmer Street in Cambridge the Inaugural Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Regie Gibson,
Regie Gibson He is joine by the award-winning singer-songwriter Kemp Harris and Grammy-nominated artist Alastair Moock.
Kemp Harris & Alastair Mook This notedly talented trio will bring to the stage an evening filled with poignant storytelling, spoken word poetry, and vibrant music. This is a heartfelt exploration of the American experience through a blend of blues, funk, jazz, and folk. For more information and obtain tickets, visit www.revels.org
SEPT. 17: MELISSA FERRICK
Passim in partnership with The Trustees of the Reservations brings this genre-defying songwriter and performer to Castle Hill’s terra-cotta walled barn, on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA. With a career spanning three decades and 18 albums, the celebrated indie music veteran and Ipswich native has cemented her legacy as one of New England’s premier storytellers. This show is a homecoming for Ferrick, who also grew up in Ipswich, worked at the property, and even attended prom inside the venue. “I am thrilled to be returning to my hometown, Ipswich, to perform at the Crane Estate. Besides being a long-time Trustees member, from 1984 to 1988, I served as a front gate attendant at Crane Beach, celebrated my Junior and Senior proms at Castle Hill, and enjoyed 4th of July fireworks and lots of music events at the estate. It’s an immense honor to have been invited to perform by the Trustees of Reservations in my hometown at such a prestigious venue. Expect an evening of lyric-centered acoustic songs about love, loss, and the moments in between,” said Ferrick. Tickets for this show are available at www.passim.org
SEPT. 18 (7:00pm): AN EVENING WITH BETTYE LaVETTE
Club Passim presents this 7 time Grammy-nominated Vocalist at Arrow Street Arts at 2 Arrow Street in Cambridge. This soul legend, who gained the title the, “Great Lady of Soul”! She will be accompanied by Etienne Stadwijk on keyboard for a rare duo set taking the audience on a marvelous journey through her incredible 64-year career. Lauded as one of the best remaining soul vocalists of her generation, Bettye found her calling at the age of 16 growing up in Detroit, soon signing with Atlantic Records. Over her seven-plus-decade career, she has released 12 albums and toured with the likes of The Rolling Stone, James Brown, Otis Redding, and more. Since her resurgence in 2000, LaVette has been nominated for 7 Grammy Awards, won multiple Blues Music Awards, was inducted into The Blues Hall of Fame & The R&B Hall Of Fame, and received the R&B Foundation’s Pioneer Award as well as the Americana Music Association’s Legacy Award. Her latest album, the self-titled LaVette! was produced by Steve Jordan (The Rolling Stones, John Mayer Trio), and featured contributions from Jon Batiste, Steve Winwood, and Anthony Hamilton. According to Steve Jordan, who produced her last three albums: “When Bettye gets a hold of a song, it becomes her song. It’s like she wrote it. Bettye LaVette is like a combination of Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Miles Davis.” At 80 years old, LaVette is a shining example of what perseverance and determination can bring. One of her many gifts lies in her ability to strip every song down to its emotional core, reshaping familiar material with the raw honesty and fearless artistry that have defined her since her very first Billboard charting recording in 1962. Over the past year, Passim has developed a partnership with Arrow Street Arts, bringing together two of Cambridge’s premier independent arts organizations. This new venture connects Club Passim, the legendary Harvard Square listening room, with Arrow Street Arts, a new state-of-the-art venue for a series of highly curated concerts with the goal of bringing amazing music to an even wider audience. Other artists presented this year have included Jonatha Brooke, Mark Erelli with Liv Green, Mary Gauthier with Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light, and more. Tickets are on sale now at www.passim.org.
SEP. 25 – OCT 4: WILLIAM TELL
The Boston Lyric Opera opens its landmark 50th Season with Rossini’s WILLIAM TELL at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St. In Boston. It is the first Boston production of WILLIAM TELL in nearly 150 years having last been performed in Boston in 1880 by the company known then as the Strakosch Opera Company. With BLO Music Director David Angus conducting, it is presented with cinematic, immersive projections to create a fantastical as well as historical period. The staging is by longtime collaborators Vita Tzykun and David Adam Moore. Rossini’s 1829 masterpiece explores tyranny, resistance and the price of freedom by telling a story of ordinary people uniting against authoritarian rule and pointing its arrow at the heart of our contemporary relevance. Tell is the legendary archer whose act of impossible courage has become one of cultural history’s enduring symbols of resistance. BLO Artistic Director Nina Yoshida Nelsen stated, “William Tell is a patriot who chooses to fight back. At its heart, the opera asks what people are willing to risk for one another and for their freedom.” Best known for its iconic overture, made famous by generations of use in films and television, WILLIAM TELL features far more than one of classical music’s most recognizable melodies. This WILLIAM TELL is an epic undertaking, with 11 principals that include Metropolitan Opera baritone George Gagnidze takes on the role of Tell, BLO Artistic Director Nina Yoshida Nelsen is Hedwige, Anya Matanovič is Mathilde, Konu Kim is Arnold, Brianna J. Robinson is Jemmy, Yeghishe Manucharyan ia Rudolph, Hunter Enoch is Gessler, James Demler is Melchtal, Sergio Martinez is Walter, Morgan Mastrangelo is Ruod) and Ilya Silchukou is Leuthold. Fifty-four musicians will accompany the cast that includes 40 choristers. Dozens of additional artists will be behind-the-scenes. The creative team is streamlining Rossini’s opus (not uncommon) while adding narrative notes for modern audiences’s appeal. Sung in French with English supertitiles, Rossini’s WILLIAM TELL follows the legendary hero who inspires his countrymen to rise against the tyrannical governor Gessler. As patriotism collides with personal loyalties, including the forbidden romance between Arnold and Mathilde, a movement for freedom gathers strength. When Tell refuses to bow to Gessler’s authority, he is forced to shoot an apple from atop his child’s head, a feat that makes him a hero. Escaping execution, Tell ultimately leads his side to victory, transforming a story of courage, sacrifice and resistance into a stirring celebration of liberty. Tickets for this exciting operatic production may be obtained at www.blo.org/tell
SEPT. 26: REVELS RiverSing
This FREE, beloved annual celebration of the Fall Equinox take place along the scenic banks of the Charles River in Cambridge. One and all are encouraged to bring picnics and their joy for singing to this family friendly event .Long-time Revels singer David Coffin will lead all to participate in some celebratory communal singing.
Attendees are encouraged to initially gather at Winthrop Park near the Weeks Footbridge where The Puppeteers Cooperative will lead joy filled processions to the rivers edge. It is a delightful time for all to welcome the change of the season and the balance of day and night.. For more information go to www.revels.org
OCT. 15: REVELS SALON…HARMONIES & HOMESTEADERS
The historic Carriage House at Gore Place, 52 Gore Street in Waltham will host this reception and engaging conversation with Revels Artistic Director Jeffrey Binder and special guests. They will explore the history and cultural context surrounding the life on in 1870s on the American Plains as well as its creative inspiration behind this year’s Midwinter Revels. The evening is presented in partnership with Gore Place, and also will feature live music and song! For further information and to purchase tickets, go to www.revels.org
OCT. 16 (7:30 PM): EMANUEL AX (Pianist) & THE KNIGHTS (Chamber Orchestra)
Music Worcester opens their 168th season at Mechanics Hall, 321 Main Street in Worcester with this concert featuring two of Mozart piano concertos; No. 17 in G Major, and No. 25 in C Major. They will also play Overture to L’amant anonyme, by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a French composer of African descent from the early Classical Era. “Opening Night this October offers the rare chance for Music Worcester to connect its own incredible history with one of today’s leading orchestras,” stated Adrien Finlay, Executive Director. “Emanuel Ax’s relationship with us amazingly began back in the early 1980s and has encompassed recitals, chamber music, and concerto performances. To have him return with The Knights, a collective of musicians redefining what it means to be an ensemble today, will serve as an ideal opportunity to witness the collaboration of musical giants from multiple generations.” Emanuel Ax is widely considered to be one of the top living American classical pianists, having been presented by Music Worcester multiple times over the course of his career, most recently in 2002. Mr. Ax made his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists Series, and in 1974 won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michael’s Award of Young Concert Artists, followed four years later by the Avery Fisher Prize. He has also obtained eight Grammy Awards, two of which are for his solo recordings of Haydn’s Piano Sonatas. He received six additional Grammys for collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and others, for albums of chamber music written by Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart. Emanuel Ax was named the 2026 Musical America Artist of the Year.
Emanuel AX The Knights are a collective of adventurous musicians dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audiences and music. They last performed for Music Worcester in 2023 with Chris Thile. Driven by an open-minded spirit of camaraderie and exploration, they inspire listeners with vibrant programs that encompass their roots in the classical tradition and passion for artistic discovery. The Knights have toured and recorded with renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck, Chris Thile, Gil Shaham, as well as Emanuel Ax, and has appeared across the world’s most prestigious stages, including those at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, The Kennedy Center, and the Vienna Musikverein.
The Knights Music Worcester, founded in 1858, continues its long tradition of presenting internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles to Central Massachusetts, with programming that spans classical, jazz, global traditions, and dance. This concert is presented as The Joseph and Joyce Tamer Annual Concert. Tickets for this spectacular evening may be obtained at www.musicworcester.org
OCT. 21: REVELS CHANTEY SING
The Burren at 247 Elm St. in Somerville hosts this uniquely uplifting and fun event. It will provide an evening filled with food, drinks, and camaraderie, as the master chantey man, David Coffin, leads the audience in singing traditional sea chanteys and more. Song-sheets will be provided to ensure participation. This event is part of the Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series at The Burren. For tickets and information go to www.revels.org
OCT. 23 – 25: BACHTOBERFEST WEEKEND
Music Worcester returns for the third year in the ambitious Complete Back Series, the 11-year initiative to present live performances of all works composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. It ends on March 21, 2035—the 350th anniversary of the Baroque master’s birth. This five-concert weekend was programmed by TCB’s Artistic Director Chris Shepard and opens on Friday night at WAMS Works (the Worcester Area Mission Society), located at 6 Institute Road in Worcester. will be anchored by celebrated flutist Emi Ferguson and keyboardist Kit Armstrong playing the Flute Sonatas on Friday night a 7:30pm. The flute player, singer, composer, arranger, radio host, and writer, and 2023 recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Emi Ferguson will perform with noted Kit Armstrong on the harpsichord. They will perform Bach’s BWV 120 and 130-132, as well as Sonata in C Major and Sonata in G Major that were composed by Bach’s son C..E. Bach.
EVI Ferguson & Kit Armstong Saturday at 4:00pm. also at WAMS Works, CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Arts), also under the direction of Director Chris Shepard, will sing three of Bach’s choral cantatas including Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend warden (BWV 6), Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot (BWV 39), and Herr, wie du willt, so schick’s mit mir (BWV 73)
COCORA Saturday evening at 7:30pm, at Assumption University’s Curtis Hall at 500 Salisbury Street in Worcester, the internationally renowned pianist Boris Giltburg performing The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1. This near-meditative journey through every key signature, each with two movements (Prelude and Fugue) allows the listener to experience Bach’s keyboard writing as he intended: musical practices to explore all ways of writing.
Boris Giltburg. pianistSunday morning, audiences are invited to enjoy Free Music Sunday at 10:15am in the First Unitarian Church, at 90 Main Street in Worceseter. The First Church Unitarian Choir will sing Bach’s cantata Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh allzeit, (BWV 111), which highlights the gorgeous acoustics of the sanctuary.
BACHtoberfest Choir The Weekend ends at 4:00pm with the BACHtoberfest Choir, along with members of the Hartford Chorale as they gather under the baton of TCB’s Artistic Director Chris Shepard and in Mechanics Hall at 321 Main Street in Worcester. They will be performing Bach Cantatas: BWV’s: 1, 18, 79, 192. For more information surrounding THE COMPLETE BACH and all Music Worcester programs aw well as to obtain tickets, visit www.musicworcester.org