What Makes It Great? With Rob Kapilow: George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue 

As the 100th Anniversary year of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue comes to a close, Rob Kapilow—author, pianist, composer, conductor, and NPR contributor—returns to highlight the rarely heard original version, written for piano and jazz big band.&nbsp; In this What Makes It Great? performance, Kapilow shares how Gershwin’s compositional choices set the work apart. In teaching audiences to listen to works, not simply hear them, he demonstrates how rhythmic, harmonic, and stylistic moments can defy expectations and delight audiences. Kapilow illustrates what made Rhapsody in Blue both an immediate sensation in its time and an enduring, era-defining piece of American art.&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale August 20 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=MW80OWhpZ3A4dHRsZjMyajBkdDYyc2I2aHIgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!</a>&nbsp;

NEC's Jordan Hall

Reggie Harris & Alastair Moock, vocalists, with Boston City Singers: Race and Song: A Musical Conversation

Race and Song was born in 2020 out of a deep bond and nearly 30-year friendship between veteran musicians and storytelling troubadours Reggie Harris and Alastair Moock. Together in musical conversation, the two musicians from different backgrounds explore complex issues of race, class, gender, and history. They frame their lived experiences through music for a program that’s as entertaining as it is educational. &nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=NDM1YTg1c3M3bnE5NXRtNnFpbzgycGZxZmwgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!&nbsp;</a>

Salvation Army Kroc Center 

Stringfest with Rasa String Quartet    featuring youth ensembles from Boston Music Project, City Strings United, and Project STEP  

Boston’s Rasa String Quartet finds their niche in the musical space where classical and East Asian folk traditions intersect. In this Stringfest concert, the Rasa Quartet coaches and performs alongside young string players from Boston Music Project, City Strings United, and Project STEP. &nbsp; &nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=NjNhOTUzdHE0aGI0NHN2cG9tNGYxcWlpOTIgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!&nbsp;</a>

Anthony Williams' 'Urban Nutcracker'

Anthony Williams’&nbsp;URBAN NUTCRACKER, the modern Boston-centric&nbsp;holiday classic, returns to the Shubert Theatre for the&nbsp;2024&nbsp;holiday season! This classic&nbsp;dance theatrical will showcase winter scenes set in present-day downtown Boston, blending the rhythms of Duke Ellington with the classical music of Tchaikovsky. Anchored by classical ballet, the performances also include a broad range of dance forms such as tap, hip hop, flamenco, and jazz. <a href="https://www.bochcenter.org/events/detail/urbannutcracker?utm_source=THeBostonCalendar&amp;utm_medium=Campaign&amp;utm_campaign=UrbanNutcracker2024">BUY TICKETS NOW.</a> “Urban Nutcracker” brings its lively LGBTQ+-inclusive version of the production for its fifth year on December 20 featuring Boston drag artist Patty Bourrée.&nbsp; Featuring new and original cast members, "Urban Nutcracker” can be enjoyed by the whole family, and all ages! Acclaimed Flamenco artist Nino de los Reyes makes his “Urban Nutcracker” debut alongside longtime favorites such as tap phenomenon Khalid Hill, fresh from his performance in the holiday movie, Spirited; former Boston Ballet dancer Gianni DiMarco as Drosselmeyer; Boston native Joe Gonzáles, a member of the New York based Complexions dance company; the talented Boston-based ballerina Ruth Whitney; and Isiah “MoveLikeZay” Beasley, the Hip-Hop wonder, dances as the Soldier Doll. Bollywood dance is again incorporated into the Prologue, and the second year of a partnership with the Fédération Régionale de Danse de la Guadeloupe brings young dancers from the French island of Guadeloupe to Boston. Ticket Prices: $29-$125 <a href="https://www.bochcenter.org/events/detail/urbannutcracker?utm_source=THeBostonCalendar&amp;utm_medium=Campaign&amp;utm_campaign=UrbanNutcracker2024">BUY TICKETS NOW</a>. SCHEDULE:<ul><li>Saturday, December 14 at 2:00 PM</li><li>Saturday, December 14 at 7:00 PM</li><li>Sunday, December 15 at 1:00 PM</li><li>Sunday, December 15 at 5:30 PM</li><li>Thursday, December 19 at 7:00 PM</li><li>Friday, December 20 at 7:00 PM (LGBTQ+ Inclusive Performance)</li><li>Saturday, December 21 at 2:00 PM</li><li>Saturday, December 21 at 7:00 PM</li><li>Sunday, December 22 at 1:00 PM</li><li>Sunday, December 22 at 5:30 PM</li></ul>

Boch Center Shubert Theatre

The Kingdom Choir 

London’s Kingdom Choir captured the world’s attention when they sang at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. With just one performance, the gospel choir wowed a global audience, and achieved a new level of fame and renown. As they perform all over Britain and the world, the group’s foundational values shine through, keeping them committed to each other and to sharing their talents with delighted audiences.&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale August 20 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=MXRjMzd1YzU4NDUyMDllcW5hODdzbjZyczEgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!&nbsp;</a>

Berklee Performance Center

Yulianna Avdeeva, piano (Cambridge, MA) 

Pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, a Chopin Competition gold medalist with a flourishing career throughout Europe, makes her eagerly anticipated Celebrity Series debut, offering a bold and audacious program featuring short works by Liszt and Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata.  Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.  <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=MDhrZXU0bjdya2Mxa2MyYmpyNnNxN2QxYWkgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar! </a>

Pickman Concert Hall, Longy School of Music (Bard College) 

Yulianna Avdeeva, piano (Groton, MA) 

Pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, a Chopin Competition gold medalist with a flourishing career throughout Europe, makes her eagerly anticipated Celebrity Series debut, offering a bold and audacious program featuring short works by Liszt and Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata.&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=M2Y3NW1pOWg1YzFnZjhqYnE2cmFhNTYydDkgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!&nbsp;</a>

Groton Hill Music Center, Meadow Hall 

Malpaso Dance Company 

Cuba’s most in-demand contemporary dancers return to Boston with a vibrant program showcasing the company’s commitment to working with international choreographers while also nurturing Cuban artistry.&nbsp; Friday, January 17 at 8:00pm&nbsp; Saturday, January 18 at 2:00pm&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=MW1jdTgwb21sNGhmcWE0MXZxZ2lxdThrOTUgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!</a>&nbsp;(January 17) <a href="Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!</a> (January 18)

Emerson Paramount Center’s Robert J. Orchard Stage 

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 

Impeccably tight and always in the pocket, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis returns, after a sold-out performance at Symphony Hall in 2024, to lend their old-school class and effortless polish to covers of jazz standards, 20th-century classics, originals by Marsalis and other band members, and more.    Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.  <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=NGZjZW51MXNsY2h2aWVtcjBsMGZoZmhzOHYgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!</a>

Symphony Hall

Dafnis Prieto Sí o Sí Quartet 

Cuban-born drummer Dafnis Prieto returns to Celebrity Series with his dynamic Sí o Sí Quartet. Prieto—a Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Fellow—is known for blending Cuban percussion instrumentation, rhythms, and textures with the classic jazz drum kit, providing a distinctive pulse for the foursome’s “ecstatic and intelligent” (AllAboutJazz) contemporary post-bop explorations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale on October 29 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=NHF2bGo3bDBrMjAzODVmdHBwdTRsdjJvajMgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!</a>&nbsp;

Berklee Performance Center 

Jamie Barton, Matthew Lipman, & Tamar Sanikidze 

In a Celebrity Series first, the thrilling combination of a mezzo-soprano, a violist, and a pianist share the stage for a program featuring Romantic-era classics and culminating in the Boston premiere of a Celebrity Series co-commission by Joel Thompson written for the ensemble.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=MzdzdHNka29wNnNzZTMzMmVrcGdkaXIzYXMgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!&nbsp;</a>

NEC’s Jordan Hall 

Jad Abumrad: How to Talk to a Human 

Jad Abumrad, creator and former co-host of NPR’s Radiolab, returns to Celebrity Series with his latest project, How to Talk to a Human, an innovative, lively, and timely presentation about the art and science of interviews and tough conversations.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=NWRyNG4yaHNkMjVsNmQ1MXFkcnJkN2pvMzcgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!&nbsp;</a>

Sanders Theatre (in Memorial Hall, Harvard) 

Meklit 

Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian American vocalist, songwriter, composer, and former refugee known for her electric stage presence, innovative sound, and cultural advocacy. Meklit refracts American funk, soul, indie pop, and jazz through traditional Ethiopian styles, incorporating complex polyrhythms and propulsive grooves with her soulful, melismatic vocals. The result is an irresistible sound that is entirely her own.&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=MXRtc2o3Mm9kOWQybWJuYnNvMzh2cW01cWsgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!</a>&nbsp;

Seong-Jin Cho, piano 

Pianist Seong-Jin Cho returns to Celebrity Series with an all-Ravel program following his sold-out debut in 2023. Cho’s affinity for Ravel’s works—encompassing orchestral appearances, a forthcoming recording, and this recital tour—promises a performance full of depth, mastery, and commitment.&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=NXIybTZoc2R2dWFqNm5mbzluMmQzMGdyN3AgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!&nbsp;</a>

Caleb Teicher and Conrad Tao: COUNTERPOINT 

Counterpoint is the latest collaboration between pianist and composer Conrad Tao and choreographer and tap dancer Caleb Teicher, last seen together on the Series in More Forever (2020). In this dynamic duet performance, the artists engage in a mesmerizing dialogue of harmonic, theatrical, and rhythmic interplay, bridging their disparate traditions and creating a collective experience that fires the imagination and opens the heart.&nbsp; Friday, February 7 at 8pm&nbsp; Saturday, February 8 at 2pm and 8pm&nbsp; Tickets will go on sale October 29 at noon.&nbsp; <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=M3FjMjhvaWR2a2ZwNzE0aTE1MTFrYzk5b3MgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!&nbsp;</a> (February 7, 8pm) <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=NW9sMWFqajdkODVpM2YzNjRodDAwOHNqbHYgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!</a>&nbsp;(February 8, 2pm) <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/event?action=TEMPLATE&amp;tmeid=MXEydWhiYmNraGxzcjJzZThmZGZrNGJiOWMgY2VsZWJyaXR5c2VyaWVzMTkzOEBt&amp;tmsrc=celebrityseries1938%40gmail.com" target="_blank">Click here to add this event to your Google Calendar!</a>&nbsp;(February 8, 8pm)

Boston Arts Academy Theatre

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

Discover kid-friendly fun in Boston, Massachusetts, and surrounding areas! Enjoy hands-on exhibits at the Boston Children’s Museum, explore the New England Aquarium, and visit the Franklin Park Zoo. Find parks, playgrounds, and seasonal events perfect for families across Massachusetts.

Top 20 kid-friendly things to do in Boston, MA

Kid-friendly things to do in Boston

Kid-friendly events

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.