INDEPENDENCE

BSU Fellowship Concert: Independence Feb. 6, 2026 @ 7:00PM | Longy School of Music, Pickman Hall For the fifth consecutive year, Castle of our Skins welcomes Black Student Union (BSU) students from local music colleges and conservatories to come together to collaborate, cultivate creative agency, and showcase their talents. Inspired by a theme of “Independence,” students will curate and perform in a capstone chamber music showcase Saturday, February 6, 2026, at Longy School of Music.

Pickman Hall at Longy School of Music of Bard College

SPOT/LIGHT: Tim Hall & Zahili Zamora 

Spot/Light Concert: February 21 @ 7:00PM | Black Market Nubian Castle of our Skins' Spot/Light Series at Black Market Nubian continues with Tim Hall (<a href="https://www.timvhall.com/bio">https://www.timvhall.com/bio</a>&nbsp;) an Afro Cuban quartet with electric bass, drums, piano and saxophone, and Zahili Zamora (<a href="https://www.zahilizamora.com/">https://www.zahilizamora.com</a>). COOS presents split-bill performances spotlighting innovative, local, Black artists across genres—from jazz to global to genre-defying soundscapes.&nbsp;&nbsp; Supported by City of Boston Neighborhood And Downtown Activation grant.&nbsp; Tickets: $50 (2 drink tickets included. Cash bar after)&nbsp; $5 card to culture&nbsp;

Black Market Nubian

Castle of our Skins' Edutainment Showcase

Saturday, December 13 | 2:00–3:45PM Roxbury Public Library – Community Room 149 Dudley St, Roxbury, MA 02119 Free with RSVP | Cookies &amp; cider provided 🍪🍎 Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of creativity, community, and learning. Our Teaching Artist Mentees—emerging Black artists from Boston-area music institutions—have been hard at work developing their own signature “edutainment” workshops. Now, they’re debuting their projects for YOU! Bring your family and your curiosity as you experience three interactive mini-workshops designed for Grades 4–12 audiences. Stay for all, or drop in for what you can—and share your thoughts through a short, fun feedback survey. Enjoy cookies, cider, and a peek into the future of culturally responsive arts education in Boston. Your voice will help shape the next chapter of Castle of our Skins’ educational programming! Why Attend? ✨ Free and family-friendly 🎵 Experience brand-new teaching artist workshops 🗣️ Share your feedback and ideas 🍪 Cookies and cider served 🌟 Support emerging Black teaching artists Parking &amp; Accessibility: Free parking lot next to the library with accessible ramp at the front entrance. The Community Room is on the left upon entering. Public WiFi available. Story

Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library

SPOT/LIGHT - Zili Misik and Ron Mahdi Jazz Trio

Spot/Light #1 Concert: November 22 @ 7:00PM | Black Market Nubian Launching our new Spot/Light Series at Black Market Nubian, COOS presents split-bill performances spotlighting innovative, local, Black artists across genres—from jazz to global to genre-defying soundscapes. The series begins with Zili Misik (<a href="http://www.zilimisik.com/">www.zilimisik.com</a>) and Ron Mahdi Jazz Trio.&nbsp; Supported by City of Boston Neighborhood And Downtown Activation grant. &nbsp; Tickets: $50 includes food &amp; 2 drink tickets&nbsp;Cash bar after.&nbsp; $5 card to culture tickets &nbsp; 6:30pm, doors open 7-7:45pm, set one 8-8:45pm, set two 9-10:00pm mingle/goodbyes

MassQ Ball

MassQ Ball 2025: Color Saturday, October 4, 2025 | 10:00PM-4:00PM | The Arnold Arboretum (Rain Date: Oct. 18, 2025) <a href="https://castleskins.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3ae554edc6afdd339c48e3dca&amp;id=c7a114c8d2&amp;e=7e67c6b36d">MassQ Ball: Color</a> is a large-scale celebration of ritual, performance, and cross-cultural arts featuring the diverse artistry of Boston's communities of color. Free and family-friendly, this event weaves together music, dance, visual arts, and spoken word with ritual, nature, and the joy found in creative expression and cross-cultural celebration. Supported by the City of Boston, The Arnold Arboretum, Create &amp; Record, Celebrity Series of Boston, Eastern Bank, Bethel AME Church, Blick Art Supplies, WCVB, The Bay State Banner, TCGT Entertainment and The Wellness Collaborative.

Arnold Arboretum

Centering Culture: A Mass Q Ball 2025: Color Event Prelude

Join dancer/choreographer Mar Parilla, percussionist Cornell Coley, and interdisciplinary artist Ifé Franklin in a conversation rooted in culture, intentional place making, and the beautiful connections that arise when both are centered. Moderated by Castle of our Skins' Artistic Director Ashleigh Gordon, this discussion is a prelude to the MassQ Ball 2025: Color event in which all three artists will be showcased. The MassQ Ball - a large-scale celebration of ritual, performance, and cross-cultural arts, featuring the diverse artistry of Boston's communities of color - will take place at The Arnold Arboretum on Saturday, October 4th from 10-4pm. Free and family-friendly, this event will weave together art, movement, dance and spoken word with ritual, nature, and the joy found in creative expression and cultural celebration. Learn more at MassQBall.com.

St. Augustine's African Orthodox Church

Storytelling and Improvisation

📅 Sunday, September 14&nbsp; 📍 Museum of African American History, Boston &amp; Nantucket (MAAH)(46 Joy St., Boston) ⏰ Session 1: 1:00-1:30pm &amp; Session 2: 1:30-2:00pm&nbsp; Designed for children ages 4–10 (Pre-K to 3rd Grade),&nbsp;Storytelling and Improvisation&nbsp;is an interactive, 60-minute workshop (two 30-minute sessions) that brings storybooks to life through music. Students will become musical storytellers—using their voices and beginner-friendly instruments to express plot, character, and emotion in real time. A playful, creative introduction to improvisation and performance!

Museum of African American History

Sound Medicine and Mindfulness

&nbsp;📅 Sunday, August 10&nbsp; 📍 Museum of African American History, Boston &amp; Nantucket (MAAH)(46 Joy St., Boston) ⏰ 1:00-2:00pm&nbsp; Sound Medicine and Mindfulness is a 45 minute immersive auditory experience. Introducing concepts of meditation and mindfulness, the program guides participants through an introductory guided meditation and sound bath. The session is led by COOS teaching artist, Deshaun Gordon-King, a certified Sound Healer. &nbsp;

MassQ Workshop with Daniel Callahan

MassQing is an art-form that uses the human face as a canvas to reveal one’s inner state. In preparation for the return of the MassQ Ball to the Arboretum on October 4th, learn the origin, technique, and meaning of this practice and then engage firsthand in the conception and creation of your own MassQ. Led by transmedia artist Daniel Callahan, the workshop will start with a 10-15 minute presentation on what MassQing is, and then we’ll break out the paints and try it out for ourselves! Inclement weather policy: Participants will be notified via email at least 24 hours in advance if a program needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather, and will be notified by phone if a program must be cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice.&nbsp;<a href="https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events-2/adult-education/">Click here to view our full inclement weather policy.</a>&nbsp;If you have questions about the status of a program, please email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:publicprograms@arnarb.harvard.edu">publicprograms@arnarb.harvard.edu</a>&nbsp;or call the Visitor Center desk between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209.

And Freedom's Reign

Join us at the historic African Meeting House for And Freedom’s Reign, an immersive event honoring the words, legacy, and spirit of Frederick Douglass. Experience the Museum’s *NEW* AI-powered hologram of Douglass in an interactive pre-event, followed by an activity and a special performance by students from Project STEP. At 3:00 PM, a concert brings Douglass’ timeless speech, <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/nations-story-what-slave-fourth-july">“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”</a>, to life, featuring a live reading with moving string quartet interludes performed by Castle of our Skins’ String Quartet: Matthew Vera, Grant Houston, Ashleigh Gordon, and Francesca McNeeley, alongside youth readers. Presented in partnership with the Museum of African American History, Boston Modern Orchestra Project &amp; Odyssey Opera’s As Told By initiative. Join us June 20th at 7:30 PM for a performance <a href="https://odysseyopera.org/frederick-douglass/">Ulysses Kay’s opera Frederick Douglass</a>, presented by Odyssey Opera and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. This program is made possible by a grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). Don’t miss this fusion of history and music. Reserve your spot today!

Them Poems Alone Won't Save Us

🎙️ Them Poems Alone Won’t Save Us An immersive evening of poetry, music, and reflection Join us for&nbsp;Them Poems Alone Won’t Save Us, an exploration of poetry as a form of radical love and resistance, led by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.castleskins.org/creative-in-residence">Carmin Wong, Castle of our Skins’ Shirley Graham Du Bois Creative in Residence.</a> Carmin Wong is a Guyanese-born poet, playwright, and digital humanist whose work deeply explores themes of homeland, heritage, and community freedom. A dual-title Ph.D. student in English Literature and African American and Diaspora Studies at Pennsylvania State University, Carmin’s work has been recognized by the Academy of American Poetry and performed at leading cultural institutions across the country. Her plays and poetry weave archival research with personal storytelling, reclaiming lost narratives while offering a space for reflection and healing. In this 90-minute experience—part art gallery, part poetry reading—you’ll be immersed in Carmin’s antidisciplinary creative practice, where poetry, music, and dance intersect to create a powerful space for self-reflection and communal connection. Poetry alone won’t save us—but it can open the door to deeper connection and action. &nbsp; 📅&nbsp;Event Details: 📆&nbsp;May 24, 2025 📍&nbsp;Goethe-Institut Boston&nbsp;(170 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02124) 🎟️&nbsp;Tickets:&nbsp;$25 general admission | $10 students &amp; seniors | $5 Card to Culture Limited seating available—secure your spot today! Doors open at 7:00 📅&nbsp;Exhibition Only Viewing (Bonus Addition!): 📆&nbsp;May 30, 2025&nbsp;| 🕐 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM 📍&nbsp;Goethe-Institut Boston 🎟️ Free with suggested donation

Goethe-Boston

Alchemy

Castle of our Skins’ Portrait Concert&nbsp;Alchemy: featuring composer Jonathan Bailey Holland Ensemble-in-Residence Castle of Our Skins returns to the Longy School of Music of Bard College for an immersive three-day residency focused on the music of&nbsp;Jonathan Bailey Holland.&nbsp;Its sixth residency, COOS teams up with Bailey Holland to work with students in master classes, classroom visits, and affinity spaces, and present a capstone portrait concert featuring chamber music from the composer. Post-concert reception to follow.

Pickman Concert Hall

Sonic Journeys

Join Castle of our Skins for&nbsp;Sonic Journeys, an immersive and interactive edutainment experience that blends music, meditation, and audience participation. Led by flutist&nbsp;DeShaun Gordon-King&nbsp;and percussionist&nbsp;Steph Davis, this one-hour journey explores soundscapes across time and geography, weaving together influences from the blues, Afro-Latino traditions, African rhythms, and African American improvisation. Through dynamic storytelling, breathwork, and rhythmic call-and-response, audiences of all ages will be invited to engage with the music—breaking the fourth wall and becoming part of the experience. This is not just a concert; it’s a shared exploration of sound, culture, and history, designed to uplift, inspire, and connect. 📍&nbsp;When:&nbsp;April 6, 2025 | 3:00 PM 📍&nbsp;Where:&nbsp;Conservatory Lab Charter School, Dorchester, MA 🎶&nbsp;Featuring:&nbsp;DeShaun Gordon-King (flute) &amp; Steph Davis (marimba/gyil) 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦&nbsp;Family-friendly | Interactive | Engaging

Conservatory Lab Charter School

"I Said What I Said"

Join Castle of our Skins for&nbsp;“I Said What I Said,”&nbsp;a concert presented at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bethelame.org/">Bethel AME Church</a>&nbsp;celebrating Black artistry through music and spoken word. Presented in partnership with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.celebrityseries.org/productions/castle-of-our-skins-wind-quintet/">Celebrity Series’&nbsp;Solo(s) Together</a>&nbsp;project, this event highlights the power of individuality and community in the face of historical and contemporary challenges. The program features: World Premieres&nbsp;of “Sketches from The Movement” by Brian Raphael Nabors, celebrating resilience and freedom through the lens of the Civil Rights Movement. Works by&nbsp;Mason Bynes,&nbsp;Fred Onovwerosuoke,&nbsp;William Grant Still, and&nbsp;Damien Geter, exploring themes of heritage, healing, and creative expression. Poetry by&nbsp;Carmin Wong, Castle of our Skins’ Shirley Graham Du Bois Creative-in-Residence for 2024-2025, offering profound reflections on agency and self-expression. Through a dynamic blend of solo and ensemble performances, “I Said What I Said” invites audiences to engage with music and words that resonate personally and universally.

Bethel AME Church,  Jamaica Plain

Castle of our Skins BSU Fellowship presents: Renaissance 

Join us for the grand finale of Castle of our Skins’ 4th Annual BSU Intercollegiate Fellowship, where talented Black student musicians from Boston-area music institutions will co-curate and perform a concert inspired by the theme of Renaissance. Featuring works by African diasporic composers, this event celebrates a new generation of artists as they showcase their creative growth and collaboration following two weeks of intensive exploration with each other. Don’t miss this unique celebration of cultural revival and artistic expression! Accessibility Info: <ul><li>Lift access available for a patron in a wheelchair or for patron with mobility issues (must otherwise descend nine steps to reach the level of the theatre)</li><li>Accessible box office: a patron in a wheelchair can comfortably reach the vent to pass items back and forth, and to communicate via the microphone</li><li>Wheelchair/accessible needs positions available</li><li>Accessible restrooms are located on the lower level, same level as theatre</li><li>Assisted Listening Devices are only available when a presenting company equips the theatre with an FM hearing enhancement system (This is rare; ask per performance)</li><li>ASL-interpreted and Audio-described performances are only offered when a presenting company makes arrangements for such a performance (This is rare; ask per performance)</li></ul>

Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theater

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

castleskins

Experiences