Ena Kantardžić and Sylvie Mayer: I promise, mute body

Studio 170 Artist Residency|Artist Talk/Panel and Closing Reception A closing reception to celebrate the culmination of&nbsp;I promise, mute body&nbsp;by Ena Kantardžić and Sylvie Mayer. This event includes an artist talk/panel discussion involving the two artists and the choreographer and their dancers, which will occur at 3PM. The artists will discuss their practices, their philosophies, and their observations on time and performance as a result of the Studio 170 Residency.

Goethe-Institut Boston

Concert IV: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

The Lydian String Quartet, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Boston, will present the complete string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven in a series of 8 concerts over two years, culminating with the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death in Spring 2027. Each concert will present two Beethoven quartets framing contemporary works that demonstrate Beethoven’s lasting influence and providing new context for listening and understanding these canonical works in today’s world. Please get your tickets here: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lydian-string-quartet-beethoven-concert-4-tickets-1715959534159?aff=oddtdtcreator">The Lydian String Quartet: Beethoven+ Concert 4 Tickets, Fri, May 29, 2026 at 7:30 PM | Eventbrite</a> Beethoven+ (2025–2027) IV. Op. 18 No. 2 Reena Esmail (b. 1983) – Zeher (Poison) (2018) Op. 132  Beethoven’s Op. 18 No. 2 is a brilliant demonstration of the young composer attempting to make a name for himself in the Vienna of Mozart and Haydn. In contrast, with its celestial Heiliger Dankgesang central slow movement, Op. 132 represents late Beethoven at his most passionate and profound, transcending traditional form and content. In this program, the Heiliger Dankgesang, Beethoven’s “song of thanksgiving to God for recovery from an illness, in the lydian mode” is the antidote for Indian-American composer Reena Esmail’s Zeher (Poison), her personal response to “the feelings of frustration, defeat, and feeling of complete and literal voicelessness” experienced during an illness. Zeher was commissioned by Brooklyn Rider as a contemporary response to Beethoven’s Op. 132 for their album Healing Modes. About the Lydian String Quartet From its beginning in 1980, the Lydian Quartet has embraced the full range of the string quartet repertory with curiosity, virtuosity, and dedication to the highest artistic ideals of music making. In its formative years, the Lydians were awarded top prizes in international string quartet competitions, including Evian, Portsmouth and Banff, culminating in 1984 with the Naumburg Award for Chamber Music. In the years to follow, the quartet continued to build a reputation for their depth of interpretation, performing with "a precision and involvement marking them as among the world's best quartets" (Chicago Sun-Times). From the acknowledged masterpieces of the classical, romantic, and modern eras to the remarkable compositions written by today's cutting-edge composers, the Lydian Quartet approaches music-making with a sense of exploration and personal expression that is timeless.

The Lydian String Quartet, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Boston, will present the complete string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven in a series of 8 concerts over two years, culminating with the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death in Spring 2027. Each concert will present two Beethoven quartets framing contemporary works that demonstrate Beethoven’s lasting influence and providing new context for listening and understanding these canonical works in today’s world. Please get your tickets here: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lydian-string-quartet-beethoven-concert-4-tickets-1715959534159?aff=oddtdtcreator">The Lydian String Quartet: Beethoven+ Concert 4 Tickets, Fri, May 29, 2026 at 7:30 PM | Eventbrite</a> Beethoven+ (2025–2027) IV. Op. 18 No. 2 Reena Esmail (b. 1983) – Zeher (Poison) (2018) Op. 132 Beethoven’s Op. 18 No. 2 is a brilliant demonstration of the young composer attempting to make a name for himself in the Vienna of Mozart and Haydn. In contrast, with its celestial Heiliger Dankgesang central slow movement, Op. 132 represents late Beethoven at his most passionate and profound, transcending traditional form and content. In this program, the Heiliger Dankgesang, Beethoven’s “song of thanksgiving to God for recovery from an illness, in the lydian mode” is the antidote for Indian-American composer Reena Esmail’s Zeher (Poison), her personal response to “the feelings of frustration, defeat, and feeling of complete and literal voicelessness” experienced during an illness. Zeher was commissioned by Brooklyn Rider as a contemporary response to Beethoven’s Op. 132 for their album Healing Modes. About the Lydian String Quartet From its beginning in 1980, the Lydian Quartet has embraced the full range of the string quartet repertory with curiosity, virtuosity, and dedication to the highest artistic ideals of music making. In its formative years, the Lydians were awarded top prizes in international string quartet competitions, including Evian, Portsmouth and Banff, culminating in 1984 with the Naumburg Award for Chamber Music. In the years to follow, the quartet continued to build a reputation for their depth of interpretation, performing with "a precision and involvement marking them as among the world's best quartets" (Chicago Sun-Times). From the acknowledged masterpieces of the classical, romantic, and modern eras to the remarkable compositions written by today's cutting-edge composers, the Lydian Quartet approaches music-making with a sense of exploration and personal expression that is timeless.

Studio 170 Artist Residency|Open Studio with dance performance I promise, mute body, featuring works by Ena Kantardžić and Sylvie Mayer, will be open to the public alongside a live, durational dance rehearsal in response to the exhibition. Choreographer Mary Ann Mayer will be guiding a group of performers, Luke Hatzis, Addison Husband, Izabella Latessa, Sawa Machida, and Ben Nir, in collaborating with the site and engaging in improvisational investigation of the paintings and sculptures. The result will be a performance and rehearsal in one—a revelatory process for observation. The responsive nature of this will involve the audience, who will occupy the space alongside the dancers and artists. Attendees are welcome to come and go as they please throughout the 5-hour open rehearsal, taking time to view the exhibition and its variable emergence.&nbsp;

Path of Awareness – Sounding Chinatown

Path of Awareness is an artistic walking format that explores how space is experienced through conscious movement and listening. Developed for Chinatown in Boston, this edition responds to the neighborhood’s layered architecture and the presence of Interstate 90, whose continuous infrastructural sound shapes the area’s atmosphere. Through a steady, moderate pace and deliberately open listening, participants expand their auditory field beyond the habitual filtering of everyday life. The walk invites attention to subtle acoustic shifts: reverberations between buildings, the masking and revealing of voices, the rhythm of traffic, and the sound of one’s own footsteps meeting pavement and concrete. Shoes become instruments; walking becomes a dialogue with architecture. The site-specific route turns the path itself into the destination. Thresholds—between quiet and noise, enclosure and exposure—emerge as lived spatial moments. Listening while walking reveals that infrastructure is not only seen but also heard, felt, and embodied. Since 2012, more than 25 Path of Awareness works have been realized worldwide, including in Berlin, Linz, New York, Tehran, Mexico City, and Marseille. Sounding Chinatown continues this evolving practice at a critical moment of urban transformation. Check out the rest of the Walking Festival of Sound events on their website <a href="https://www.wfos.net/">Walking Festival of Sound 2026</a> We encourage you to book tickets in advance of the events. This way we can stay in touch in case of udpates or changes to the program. All events are free, although spots are limited. Presented in cooperation with Walking Festival of Sound, semantic matter lab, Harvard ArtLab and Loeb Fellowship.

Chandler/Tremont Plaza

Foreign Correspondent Unplugged: Covering Democracy: Media, Politics, and Public Opinion on both Sides of the Atlantic

Join the American Council on Germany and the Goethe-Institut for an installment of our Foreign Correspondent Unplugged series, which delves into current political debates on both sides of the Atlantic. Political debates in both Germany and the United States are increasingly shaped not only by elections and policy decisions, but also by the narratives and interpretations that emerge in the media. As polarization deepens and political movements evolve, journalists and opinion writers play a crucial role in helping the public make sense of fast-moving political developments. Join two accomplished voices from their respective national media landscape for a conversation about politics, public discourse, and the changing role of journalism.&nbsp;Nadine Lindner, an award-winning correspondent for&nbsp;Deutschlandradio&nbsp;known for her reporting on the rise of the Alternative for Germany and political developments in eastern Germany, will be joined by&nbsp;Renée Loth, an opinion columnist at&nbsp;The Boston Globe&nbsp;and former editorial page editor of the newspaper. Drawing on decades of reporting and commentary, they will explore how political journalism and opinion writing shape public understanding of major political trends – from the evolution of party politics in Germany to the forces transforming American democracy – and what audiences on each side of the Atlantic often misunderstand about the other.

Re-mapping the world. Ukraine - from periphery to center stage in world politics?

Winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade Karl Schlögel will join Serhii Plokhy, Director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, in a conversation about the future of Ukraine. Moderated by exiled Russian journalist and author Elena Kostyuchenko, the fate of Ukraine and its relations in Europe will take center stage. Ukraine did not exist for generations on the mental maps of Europeans, including Germans. The takeover of Crimea and the Russian invasion in 2022 radically changed the perception of this long ignored and neglected nation. Much depends now on the resistance and resilience of the Ukrainians - and on the firm support of Europe - and hopefully the United States.

Concert III: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

The&nbsp;Lydian String Quartet, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Boston, will present the complete string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven in a series of 8 concerts over two years, culminating with the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death in Spring 2027. Each concert will present two Beethoven quartets framing contemporary works that demonstrate Beethoven’s lasting influence and providing new context for listening and understanding these canonical works in today’s world. Please get your tickets here: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lydian-string-quartet-beethoven-concert-3-tickets-1715944077929?aff=oddtdtcreator">The Lydian String Quartet: Beethoven+ Concert 3 Tickets, Sun, Feb 22, 2026 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite</a> Beethoven+ (2025–2027) III. Op. 95 Hans Thomalla (b. 1975)&nbsp;–&nbsp;Bagatellen&nbsp;(2015/16) Op. 59, No. 3 Beethoven’s middle quartets represent the extremes of expansion and compression of form resulting in new kinds of musical expression. His three&nbsp;Razumofsky&nbsp;quartets, Op. 59, presented the world with a bold form of instrumental virtuosity new to the realm of string quartet writing. The classical structures of Haydn and Mozart are expanded and given new life in Op. 59 No. 3, from the ambiguous harmonic soundscape of the introduction recalling Mozart’s&nbsp;Dissonance, to the dazzling fugal finale akin to those found in Haydn’s&nbsp;Sun&nbsp;quartets. In contrast, Beethoven’s&nbsp;Serioso&nbsp;(Op. 95), his shortest and most compact string quartet, strips away all excess to present a potently distilled expression. Hans Thomalla’s&nbsp;Bagatellen&nbsp;carries this distillation of expression to new levels with short explorations of musical gestures, harmonies and melodic patterns. About the Lydian String Quartet From its beginning in 1980, the Lydian Quartet has embraced the full range of the string quartet repertory with curiosity, virtuosity, and dedication to the highest artistic ideals of music making. In its formative years, the Lydians were awarded top prizes in international string quartet competitions, including Evian, Portsmouth and Banff, culminating in 1984 with the Naumburg Award for Chamber Music. In the years to follow, the quartet continued to build a reputation for their depth of interpretation, performing with "a precision and involvement marking them as among the world's best quartets" (Chicago Sun-Times). From the acknowledged masterpieces of the classical, romantic, and modern eras to the remarkable compositions written by today's cutting-edge composers, the Lydian Quartet approaches music-making with a sense of exploration and personal expression that is timeless.

FILM: Punching the World - New Films from Germany

In German with English subtitles. Germanz 2025. Presented by the Goethe-Institut Boston. Two brothers navigate a challenging childhood in East Germany as their family falls apart. Their father loses his job while their mother struggles to hold things together. Stuck in the middle, Tobi and Philipp are left to their own devices. In a life which otherwise boasts few bright spots or role models, the only other option is a group of older boys who promise adventure but bring violence and xenophobia. Philipp joins them and, for the first time, he feels a sense of purpose and belonging, even if he has to cross legal and moral boundaries. When a refugee shelter is scheduled to open nearby, the conflicts are about to escalate. Based on the novel of the same name by Lukas Rietzschel. Constanze Klaue’s debut feature film premiered in the Perspectives section at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. Director: Constanze Klaue DCP, 110 min.

Coolidge Corner Theatre

Navid Kermani in conversation with Susannah Heschel

Join us for a special evening featuring award winning German author and public intellectual Navid Kermani in conversation with Susannah Heschel, Professor and chair of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College. In recent years, Kermani has traveled through regions marked by upheaval to document how ordinary people endure, resist, and make meaning. Drawing on these journeys, he will read from his recent writings and reflect on the role of literature in times of crisis. Kermani and Heschel will explore what it means to be a writer in a polarized world marked by war, displacement, and political division? How is the concept of “the West” changing? How might literature, poetry, and religion serve as bridges in fractured societies and foster solidarity? These events bring together acclaimed thinkers from both sides of the Atlantic for a conversation on literature, politics, and spirituality at a moment of profound global change. Presented within the context of the series 'Navid Kermani: In Search of a Common Cause'. With this extensive lecture series, Navid Kermani, the Goethe-Institut in North America and <a href="https://www.vatmh.org/de/">the Thomas Mann House</a> in Los Angeles explore with our local partners how we can build and maintain solidarity among seemingly opposing identities, groups, and geopolitical alliances.

Reading & Discussion - Navid Kermani in conversation with Susannah Heschel

On Literature in Times of Crisis | Part of series -&nbsp;Navid Kermmani: In Search of a Common Cause Free Admission, <a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/sta/bos/ver.cfm?event_id=27202341">please RSVP</a>. Join us for a special evening featuring award winning German author and public intellectual Navid Kermani in conversation with Susannah Heschel, Professor and chair of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College. In recent years, Kermani has traveled through regions marked by upheaval to document how ordinary people endure, resist, and make meaning. Drawing on these journeys, he will read from his recent writings and reflect on the role of literature in times of crisis. Kermani and Heschel will explore what it means to be a writer in a polarized world marked by war, displacement, and political division? How is the concept of “the West” changing? How might literature, poetry, and religion serve as bridges in fractured societies and foster solidarity? These events bring together acclaimed thinkers from both sides of the Atlantic for a conversation on literature, politics, and spirituality at a moment of profound global change. Presented within the context of the series 'Navid Kermani: In Search of a Common Cause'. With this extensive lecture series, Navid Kermani, the Goethe-Institut in North America and&nbsp;the Thomas Mann House&nbsp;in Los Angeles explore with our local partners how we can build and maintain solidarity among seemingly opposing identities, groups, and geopolitical alliances.

FILM: Amrum - New Films from Germany

In German with English subtitles. Germany 2025. Presented by the Goethe-Institut Boston. Amrum Island, Spring 1945. In the final days of the war, 12-year-old Nanning braves the treacherous sea to hunt seals, goes fishing at night, and works the nearby farm to help his mother feed the family. Despite the hardship, life on the beautiful, windswept island almost feels like paradise. But when peace finally comes, it reveals a deeper threat: the enemy is far closer than he imagined. With Amrum, based on the childhood memories of his mentor Hark Bohm, Fatih Akin has created a modern answer to Roberto Rossellini's Germany Year Zero (Italian: Germania anno zero, 1948), which portrayed war-torn Berlin also through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy.  The screenplay was co-written by the late German filmmaker Hark Bohm, who was originally supposed to direct the project based on his own childhood memories and on his novel of the same name, Amrum. Directed by: Fatih AKIN Fatih Akin is an acclaimed German filmmaker known for his powerful international work. He gained global recognition with Head-On (2004), which won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale. His follow-up, The Edge of Heaven (2007), earned the Best Screenplay award at Cannes, as well as European and German Film Awards. In 2017, In The Fade premiered in Cannes, and Diane Kruger won the Best Actress Award; the film later also was honored with a Golden Globe. Akin’s 2022 film Rheingold was a major box-office success in Germany. He returned to Cannes with Amrum (2025), which was met with rave reviews from the international press.

Concert II: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

The&nbsp;Lydian String Quartet, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Boston, will present the complete string quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven in a series of 8 concerts over two years, culminating with the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death in Spring 2027. Each concert will present two Beethoven quartets framing contemporary works that demonstrate Beethoven’s lasting influence and providing new context for listening and understanding these canonical works in today’s world. Please get your tickets here: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lydian-string-quartet-beethoven-concert-2-tickets-1715932854359?aff=oddtdtcreator">The Lydian String Quartet: Beethoven+ Concert 2 Tickets, Sun, Jan 18, 2026 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite</a> Beethoven+ (2025–2027) II. Op. 18, No. 3 Peter Ruzicka (b. 1948)&nbsp;– String Quartet No. 1:&nbsp;Introspezione. Dokumentation&nbsp;(1970) Op. 135 Framed by Beethoven’s earliest completed string quartet and the last major work of his compositional career, this program presents a unique opportunity to witness the development of Beethoven’s musical language. Peter Ruzicka’s&nbsp;Introspezione, a “documentation of mental states during a controlled psychedelic experience” (to quote the score’s preface), offers a hallucinogenic trip through time and space with memories of string quartets by Pfitzner, Webern, as well as Beethoven’s Op. 135 floating through the soundscape. About the Lydian String Quartet From its beginning in 1980, the Lydian Quartet has embraced the full range of the string quartet repertory with curiosity, virtuosity, and dedication to the highest artistic ideals of music making. In its formative years, the Lydians were awarded top prizes in international string quartet competitions, including Evian, Portsmouth and Banff, culminating in 1984 with the Naumburg Award for Chamber Music. In the years to follow, the quartet continued to build a reputation for their depth of interpretation, performing with "a precision and involvement marking them as among the world's best quartets" (Chicago Sun-Times). From the acknowledged masterpieces of the classical, romantic, and modern eras to the remarkable compositions written by today's cutting-edge composers, the Lydian Quartet approaches music-making with a sense of exploration and personal expression that is timeless.

Reflections on the Berlin Biennale 2025

<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reflections-on-the-berlin-biennale-2025-tickets-1865140899639?aff=oddtdtcreator">Admission free, please register.</a> Meghan Clare Considine's&nbsp;talk presents a series of reflections and questions occasioned by the 13th Berlin Biennale, which ran from 14 June to 14 September 2025 in multiple venues across Berlin. Taking the project's framework of fugitivity as a guide, Considine will discuss key artworks, curatorial claims, and critical reception to consider the value, challenges, and responsibilities of the biennial as a form of exhibition-making for today. &nbsp; BIO Meghan Clare Considine is curatorial assistant at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, where she is contributing to exhibitions and publications with Portia Zvavahera, Boston's African American Master Artists-in-Residence Program, Lucy Raven, and Cynthia Daignault, among others. Previously, she held positions at MASS MoCA and the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is interested in questions around performance and embodiment, legibility, and relationships between artistic practices and solidarity movements. She earned an MA from the Williams College and Clark Art Institute Graduate Program in the History of Art in 2023. In September 2025 she participated in the 13th Berlin Biennale's Young Curator's Workshop Fugitive Acts: Art and Politics.

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.

Where

goethe_institut_boston

Experiences

Ena Kantardžić and Sylvie Mayer: I promise, mute body

Concert IV: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

Concert IV: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

Ena Kantardžić and Sylvie Mayer: I promise, mute body

Path of Awareness – Sounding Chinatown

Foreign Correspondent Unplugged: Covering Democracy: Media, Politics, and Public Opinion on both Sides of the Atlantic

Re-mapping the world. Ukraine - from periphery to center stage in world politics?

Concert III: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

Concert III: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

FILM: Punching the World - New Films from Germany

Navid Kermani in conversation with Susannah Heschel

Reading & Discussion - Navid Kermani in conversation with Susannah Heschel

FILM: Amrum - New Films from Germany

Concert II: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

Reflections on the Berlin Biennale 2025