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.

Goethe-Institut Boston

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.

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.

RPM Short Film Festival

Fourteen films in six and a half hours – RPM and the Goethe-Institut Boston present films in three different sections at this short film festival: at 2:00 PM, two films will transfer you to distant landscapes; at 4:00 PM, you can experience short films from Germany; and at 7:00 PM, you can encounter the work of Gunvor Nelson. <img src="https://www.goethe.de/resources/files/jpg1417/smallsong3-formatkey-jpg-w320r.jpg"> 2:00 PM: DOWSING Admission: FREE with RSVP: <a href="https://rpmfestival.ticketspice.com/dec-6-2pm-4pm-rpm-shorts-the-goethe-institut-boston">Dec. 6, 2PM &amp; 4PM, RPM Shorts, The Goethe Institut, Boston</a> Small Songs - Brian Rogers 39' | Digital | Color | 2025 Dowsing - Timothy Feeney 45' | Digital | Double Projector | color | 2025 Total: 84:00   <img src="https://www.goethe.de/resources/files/jpg1417/marcrichter-hugskisses1-formatkey-jpg-w320r.jpg"> 4:00 PM: Hide and Seek – Short Films from Germany Admission: FREE with RSVP: <a href="https://rpmfestival.ticketspice.com/dec-6-2pm-4pm-rpm-shorts-the-goethe-institut-boston">Dec. 6, 2PM &amp; 4PM, RPM Shorts, The Goethe Institut, Boston</a> Hugs &amp; Kisses - Marc Richter 10:48' | Digital | Color | 2025 | Germany Ecstasie - Lily Baldwin 13' | Digital | color | 2025 | Germany Sandia - Mélissa Faivre 7:52' | Digital | Color | 2024 Evening Rounds (Avondronde) - Laura Heinig 6' | Digital | color | 2025 | Germany &amp; Netherlands Trace of a Silent Tear - alive duo 15' | Digital | Color | 2024 | Germany &amp; Finland i.a. (inter alia) - Sidney Mandros 21' | Digital | color | 2025 | Germany Total: 75:00   <img src="https://www.goethe.de/resources/files/png195/gunvor_nelson-formatkey-png-w320r.png"> 7:00 PM: Gunvor Nelson – Call &amp; Response: Relay Admission: FREE with RSVP: <a href="https://rpmfestival.ticketspice.com/dec6-7pm-gunvor-nelson-call-and-response-relay--the-goethe-institut-boston">Dec.6 7PM, Gunvor Nelson - Call and Response: Relay , the Goethe Institut</a> RPM Festival and the Goethe-Institut Boston co-present a special screening program Gunvor Nelson – Call &amp; Response: Relay (The third part of this series), honoring one of the highly acclaimed Avard Garde filmmakers Gunvor Nelson. This program features a total of six films from different decades of her long lasting career. Curated by Sarah Keller, Sara Jordeno, Shira Segal and Wenhua Shi. Moon's Pool 15' | 1973 | Color | SOUND Fog Pumas with Dorothy Wiley | 25' | 1967-68 | B&amp;W | SOUND New Evidence 22' | 2006 | COLOR | SOUND Snowdrift 9' | 2001 | Color | SOUND Field study #2 8' | 1988 | COLOR | SOUND | 16mm Total: 83 mins Followed by a post-screening discussion by Sara Jordeno (Rhode Island School of Design), Sarah Keller (UMass-Boston), Shira Segal (MIT) and Wenhua Shi (RPM Festival).

Helmut Lachenmann @ 90 | New Music Concert | Callithumpian Consort performs compositions by Helmut Lachenmann

The Callithumpian Consort, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Boston, celebrates the 90th birthday of Helmut Lachenmann, one of the most influential and deeply visionary composers of the last 100 years. Lachenmann's "musique concrète instrumentale"&nbsp;created a new and unique sound world using extended instrumental techniques, re-creating the sonic landscape of electronic music with the vividness and intimacy of live performance. This portrait concert will include music that span's Lachenmann's creative&nbsp;life, including Pression for solo cello and temA&nbsp;(an anagram of Atem [breath] and a play on Theme) for trio,&nbsp;&nbsp;as well as two works for solo piano: Ein Kinderspiele ("Child's Play") which uses simple gestures&nbsp;to expressively explore the overlooked resonances of the piano, and Serynade (Serenade, with the Y dedicating the piece to Lachenmann's&nbsp;wife, pianist Yukiko Sugawara), a 30-minute ecstatic vision of devotion and faith. RSVP: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/helmut-lachenmann-90-tickets-1735678774939?aff=oddtdtcreator">Helmut Lachenmann @ 90 Tickets, Fri, Nov 21, 2025 at 8:00 PM | Eventbrite</a> Stephen Drury, piano,&nbsp;has given performances throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America, soloing with orchestras from San Diego to Bucharest. Stephen's repertoire stretches from Bach, Mozart, and Liszt to the music of today. The U.S. State Department sponsored two concert tours that enabled him to take the sounds of dissonance to Paris, Hong Kong, Greenland, Pakistan, Prague, and Japan. He has appeared as conductor and pianist at the Angelica Festival in Italy, the MusikTriennale Köln in Germany, the Spoleto Festival USA, the Britten Sinfonia in England, as well as at Tonic, Roulette, and the Knitting Factory in New York. Drury has also performed with Merce Cunningham and Mikhail Barishnikov in the Lincoln Center Festival, at Alice Tully Hall as part of the Great Day in New York Festival, with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, and with the Seattle Chamber Players in Seattle and Moscow. A champion of 20th-century music, Drury’s critically acclaimed performances range from the piano sonatas of Charles Ives to works by John Cage and György Ligeti. He premiered the solo part of John Cage’s 101 with the BSO and gave the first performance of John Zorn’s concerto for piano and orchestra Aporias with Dennis Russell Davies and the Cologne Radio Symphony. He has commissioned new works from Cage, Zorn, Terry Riley, Lee Hyla, and Chinary Ung. His recordings include music by Beethoven, Liszt, Stockhausen, Ravel, Stravinsky, Charles Ives, Elliott Carter, Frederic Rzewski, John Cage, Colin McPhee, and John Zorn. Drury created and directs NEC’s Summer Institute for Contemporary Piano Performance, and assumed directorship of NEC’s Enchanted Circle concert series in 1997. Praised by&nbsp;OperaWire&nbsp;for her “star energy” and “lethal coloratura,”&nbsp;mezzo-soprano Chihiro Asano&nbsp;is emerging as a dynamic new voice on today’s operatic stage. Her breakout as Ruggiero in Handel’s&nbsp;Alcina&nbsp;(MassOpera) earned the evening’s loudest ovation, with&nbsp;The Boston Musical Intelligencer&nbsp;praising her portrayal as spanning “a gamut of emotions.” A Boston-based artist originally from Japan, Asano holds a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy (2022) and a Graduate Diploma in Vocal Performance (2023) from the New England Conservatory. She is a two-time Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition District Winner (Puerto Rico 2023, Iowa 2025) and the 2025 Midwest Region Second Prize laureate, quickly establishing herself as a compelling interpreter across opera and art song. Recent highlights include Shizue in&nbsp;Shizue&nbsp;(Portland Opera), Naomi in&nbsp;the living room&nbsp;(Boston Opera Collaborative), and Hansel and Cinderella with Boston Lyric Opera’s Opera101 series. She has also appeared with White Snake Opera, NEMPAC, Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, Cambridge Chamber Ensemble, Cappella Clausura, and as a Marlboro Music Festival fellow. Japanese flutist Shion Suzuki is based in Boston and known for her expressive artistry and diverse international experience. A graduate of Tokyo College of Music, she began her musical journey at the age of three, studying piano with her mother, and took up the flute at the age of ten. She later joined the Chiba Prefecture Youth Orchestra, marking the start of her orchestral experience. She has participated in esteemed music festivals, including the Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy, the Texas Music Festival, and&nbsp;Flauti al Castello&nbsp;in Italy. Her musical development has been shaped through masterclasses with flutists including Vincent Lucas, Paul Edmund-Davies, Dieter Flury, Hansgeorg Schmeiser, Lorna McGhee, Aralee Dorough, and Sergio Pallottelli. She has also had the opportunity to perform alongside Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway. Shion has received recognition in competitions including the All Japan Student Music Competition and the Kanagawa Music Competition. In 2024, she was a semifinalist in the Padova International Music Competition (Soloist and Orchestra Division) and received first prize in the New York Classical Music Competition (Master-B Flute Category). Currently, Shion is active both in Japan and internationally. She leads the Flute Quartet SORA and continues to expand her artistic reach through solo and chamber performances. She holds a Graduate Performance Diploma from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she studied with Professor Ann Bobo, and a Professional Studies Certificate in the Contemporary Classical Music Program under Professor Sarah Brady. Hailed as “superb”, “incisive” and “sonorous and panoramic” in The Boston Globe,&nbsp;cellist&nbsp;David Russell&nbsp;maintains a vigorous schedule both as soloist and as collaborator in the U.S. and Europe. He was appointed to the teaching faculty of Wellesley College in 2005 and currently serves as Senior Lecturer and Director of Chamber Music. A strong advocate of new music, Russell has performed with such ensembles as Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Firebird Ensemble, Callithumpian Consort, Ludovico Ensemble, Music on the Edge, Dinosaur Annex, Collage, the Fromm Players at Harvard and entelechron. Recent projects include recordings of works by Eric Moe, Lee Hyla, Tamar Diesendruck, Donald Crockett, Chen Yi and Roger Zahab, premieres of chamber works by Barbara White, Daron Hagen, José-Luis Hurtado, Robert Carl and Gilda Lyons, premieres of works for cello and orchestra by Sam Nichols and Laurie San Martin, recordings of cello concertos by Chen Yi and Lukas Foss, and new works for solo cello by Andrew Rindfleisch, Nicholas Vines, Martha Horst and John Mallia. He is a busy performer in the Boston area, making regular appearances with such ensembles as Cantata Singers and Ensemble, the Worcester Chamber Music Society and Emmanuel Music. He serves as Principal cello of Odyssey Opera and has served as cello faculty at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Russell has recorded for the Tzaddik, Albany, BMOPSound, New Focus, CRI, Centaur and New World Records labels.

Helmut Lachenmann @ 90 | New Music Concert | Sound Icon performs compositions by Helmut Lachenmann

Sound Icon, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Boston, celebrates the 90th birthday of Helmut Lachenmann, one of the most influential and deeply visionary composers of the last 100 years. This concert features Helmut Lachenmann's Guero, for piano solo (1970) in conjunction with percussion and piano works by two of Lachenmann's students Marc Andre and Pierluigi Billone. RVSP: <a href="https://www.goethe.de/ins/us/en/ver.cfm?event_id=26980273">New Music Concert: Helmut Lachenmann @ 90 - Goethe-Institut USA</a> Sound Icon is a sinfonietta committed to performing the most significant progressive works of the past few decades. As a sinfonietta, Sound Icon offers the color palette of a full orchestra with the precision and flexibility of a chamber ensemble. The technical and logistical challenges of contemporary repertoire for sinfonietta often discourage live performance in the United States, however, Sound Icon embraces this music and aims to bring this repertoire to Boston and beyond. Through ambitious programming performed to the highest standards, Sound Icon engages audiences in dialogues about what progressive music is and can be: music that redefines rules, experiences, and expectations.

Concert I: 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-1-tickets-1715766546929?aff=oddtdtcreator">The Lydian String Quartet: Beethoven+ Concert 1 Tickets, Sun, Nov 16, 2025 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite</a> I. Op. 18, No. 4&nbsp; Anders Hillborg (b. 1954) –&nbsp;Kongsgaard Variations&nbsp;(2006)&nbsp; Op. 127&nbsp; Beethoven’s early, dramatic, C minor string quartet (Op. 18, No. 4) showcases the boldness of the young composer’s voice where one can hear the roots of tension between classical form and a very personal kind of emotional expression. The majestic Op. 127, the first of Beethoven’s late quartets, is a culmination of this development where the rigors of classical form are subsumed by an intimate lyricism and profound expression. At the heart of this late masterpiece is a sublime set of variations, an archaic form which Beethoven returned to throughout his life, now elevated to a spiritual dimension. Swedish composer Anders Hillborg brings a similar transcendent quality to his own set of variations for string quartet. Based on a fragment from the Arietta of Beethoven’s last piano sonata, the&nbsp;Kongsgaard Variations&nbsp;inhabit the same expressive world as Beethoven’s late-period variations with a distinctively contemporary voice. 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.

Hans Tutschku Portrait Concert

Join us for a special concert to celebrate German composer Hans Tutschku who is retiring from his position as Fanny P. Mason Professor of Music at Harvard University after 21 years. Hans has been an avid supporter of the Goethe-Institut’s mission to foster international cultural exchange and an important partner over the years. Our first collaboration took place in 2011 with Sound in Space, a festival and competition celebrating the art of Electroacoustic Music and its interpretation, which was geared towards composition students from across North America. Various symposia focused on ground-breaking debates within the German contemporary music scene followed in addition to multiple concerts at the institute. The Goethe-Institut Boston is pleased host this concert and wishes Hans all the best for life after Harvard. Presented in cooperation with the Department of Music at Harvard University RVSP: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hans-tutschku-portrait-concert-tickets-1871985512059?aff=oddtdtcreator">Hans Tutschku Portrait Concert Tickets, Thu, Nov 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM | Eventbrite</a> Concert Program: Einst mit dir for soprano, clarinet, violin and live-electronics 2007, 13:00 min upon the poem "Fenster wo ich einst mit dir" by Stefan George sparks for piano and 8-ch live-electronics 2021, 17:00 min Still Air 3 for oboe, bass clarinet and electronics 2014, 11:30 min voice-unrooted for soprano and electronics 2016, 18:00 min Dedicated to: Tony Arnold Performed by: Tony Arnold&nbsp;– soprano Amy Advocat&nbsp;– clarinet &amp; bass clarinet Ethan Chaves&nbsp;– violin Elizabeth England&nbsp;– oboe Jack Yarbrough&nbsp;– piano

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!

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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.

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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

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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

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Roundups ⭐️

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S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

Concert IV: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

Concert IV: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

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

RPM Short Film Festival

Helmut Lachenmann @ 90 | New Music Concert | Callithumpian Consort performs compositions by Helmut Lachenmann

Helmut Lachenmann @ 90 | New Music Concert | Sound Icon performs compositions by Helmut Lachenmann

Concert I: Lydian String Quartet presents Beethoven+

Hans Tutschku Portrait Concert