Vista Philharmonic Orchestra – Season Finale

“The Vista Phil experience is superb in all ways… the exquisite concert hall, the quality of the musicians… the whole vibe is warm, inviting, and high-quality. Professionalism at its best.” — Concert Attendee BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”) STRAVINSKY – The Rite of Spring Maestro Bruce Hangen says: Ever since my early days, I’ve liked the combination of Beethoven and Stravinsky. They’re both very muscular and strong in their musical language. Beethoven is all about rhythm translated into melody, and Stravinsky is all about alternating rhythms and contrasting rhythms. Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ is the turning point into the romantic period, for both the composer and music in general. It’s Beethoven’s tribute to Napoleon, though, when Napoleon declared himself emperor, Beethoven scratched out the dedication. Our concert season concludes with another transformational musical landmark, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, which was written in 1913 for the Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. According to conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, this work “redefined 20th-century music, much as Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ had transformed music a century before.”

Concert Hall at Groton Hill Music Center

An Evening with Alex Newell

For Alex Newell, standing ovations just keep coming.” — The New York Times Alex Newell, a Lynn, Mass. native, was named Time’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year, 2023, and made history with their recent Tony Award win for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for their role in “Shucked.” This hit musical has received glowing reviews and praise with Newell’s performance of the song “Independently Owned” being called a showstopper. Newell, who identifies both as nonbinary and gender fluid, is the first out nonbinary actor to win a Tony Award for a performance. Newell’s performances have also granted them the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical. Prior to this, Newell starred as the God ‘Asaka’ in the Broadway revival of “Once On This Island,” which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. Newell has been named in this year’s Variety New Power of New York List, named TIME’s Breakthrough of the Year in 2023, and they were also featured in the 2023 TIME 100 Next list. The TIME’s annual list consists of 100 individuals who are shaping the future of their fields and defining the next generation of leadership. Apart from theater, Newell rose to national attention from the “Glee Project” which led to their series regular role on “Glee,” in which they portrayed the transgender character Unique Adams. On the music side, Newell is signed to Big Beat Records (an Atlantic Records subsidiary). Their song “Kill the Lights” was featured throughout the HBO series “Vinyl.” Newell is also a spokesperson for GLAAD and was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award in 2020 for their work on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” as well.

Groton Hill Music Center

Vista Philharmonic Orchestra featuring Midori

A special evening featuring world-renowned violinist, Midori! “She transfixes audiences, bringing together graceful precision and intimate expression.” MOZART – The Magic Flute, K. 620: Overture STRAUSS – Death and Transfiguration BARTOK – Violin Concerto No. 2 KODALY – Dances from Galanta Maestro Bruce Hangen is thrilled to welcome superstar violinist Midori to our grand Concert Hall stage this evening, one of the most outstanding violinists of our time! “She is one of a few international stars who make a point of playing with orchestras like ours in addition to the major metropolitan centers of the world,” says Bruce. The concert will feature works from the classical and romantic periods as well as symphonic music based on Hungarian folk tunes. After opening with a delightful Mozart opera overture, the Orchestra takes on Strauss. “From a technical point of view,” says Bruce, “orchestras feel challenged by Straus’s writing and like to step up to the plate. While it starts all dark and lugubrious, the piece resolves with an uplifting C major sound at the end.” Bartok’s Second Violin Concerto will be a fitting work for our special guest soloist with its expressive colors and exuberant motion. About our guest soloist: A visionary artist, activist, and educator, Midori explores and builds connections between music and the human experience and breaks with traditional boundaries. She will mark the 40th anniversary of her professional debut this season, celebrating a remarkable career that began in 1982, when she debuted with the New York Philharmonic under conductor Zubin Mehta at age 11. In concert around the world, Midori transfixes audiences, bringing together graceful precision and intimate expression. She has performed with, among others, the London, Chicago, and San Francisco Symphony Orchestras; the Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics; the Mahler Chamber Orchestra; and Festival Strings Lucerne. She has collaborated with such outstanding musicians as Claudio Abbado, Emanuel Ax, Leonard Bernstein, Jonathan Biss, Constantinos Carydis, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniel Harding, Paavo Järvi, Mariss Jansons, Yo‑Yo Ma, Susanna Mälkki, Joana Mallwitz, Antonello Manacorda, Zubin Mehta, Tarmo Peltokoski, Donald Runnicles, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Omer Meir Wellber. In recognition of her work as an artist and humanitarian, Midori serves as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In recognition of her lifetime of contributions to American culture, she is a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors and was celebrated by Yo-Yo Ma, Bette Midler, and John Lithgow, among others, during the May 2021 Honors ceremonies in Washington, DC. Last season’s concert highlights included the premiere of Detlev Glanert’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and her appearance in Carnegie Hall’s benefit Concert for Ukraine. Midori was born in Osaka in 1971 and began her violin studies with her mother, Setsu Goto, at an early age. Midori is the Dorothy Richard Starling Chair in Violin Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and is a Distinguished Visiting Artist at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. She plays the 1734 Guarnerius del Gesù ‘ex-Huberman’ and uses four bows – two by Dominique Peccatte, one by François Peccatte, and one by Paul Siefried.

Vista Philharmonic Orchestra featuring pianist John Novacek

“Novacek earned the lengthy standing ovation that rewarded his performance — he had grappled with a worthy opponent and proved himself its master. He had entered fully into Brahms’s experience of life itself and acted as a lens for its expression.” — The Republican (Springfield, MA) BACH-STOKOWSKI – Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor RAVEL – Rapsodie espagnole BRAHMS – Piano Concerto No. 2 Tonight’s concert features three captivating masterworks that Maestro Bruce Hangen has enjoyed listening to and conducting for many years. He says: “Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 is my all time favorite piano concerto! His music is both classical and romantic — it sits between periods, so there’s a lot to dig into.” Versatile, internationally-known, and Grammy-nominated pianist John Novacek is our soloist. “Ravel is all about senses of color, which I love as a conductor. He really knew how to orchestrate, and his beloved Rhapsodie espagnole features combinations of instruments you don’t find elsewhere. He creates an evanescence of atmosphere.” The concert opens with one of Bach’s “greatest hits,” a work that truly reveals the composer’s genius.  About our guest soloist: Grammy-nominated pianist/composer John Novacek regularly tours the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia as solo recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. He began his current season with an appointment to the Piano and Collaborative Piano faculty of The Mannes School of Music at The New School’s College of Performing Arts. Mr. Novacek’s major American performances have been heard in New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ David Geffen and Alice Tully halls, 92nd Street Y, Columbia University’s Miller Theater, Merkin Concert Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Symphony Space, Washington’s The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Center, and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, while international venues include Paris’ Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Salle Gaveau and Musée du Louvre, London’s Wigmore Hall and Barbican Centre, and Tokyo’s Suntory, Opera City, and Bunkamura halls. Often heard on radio broadcasts worldwide, he has appeared on NPR’s Performance Today, St. Paul Sunday, and, as both featured guest composer/performer, on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. Mr. Novacek took top prizes at both the Leschetizky and Joanna Hodges international piano competitions, among many others. He studied piano with Polish virtuoso Jakob Gimpel at California State University, Northridge, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude. Subsequently, he earned a Master of Music degree from New York City’s Mannes College of Music, studying with Peter Serkin in piano and Felix Galimer and Julius Levine in chamber music. His coaches in composition included Frederick Werle, Aurelio de la Vega, and Daniel Kessner. Mr. Novacek has recorded over 35 CDs, encompassing solo and chamber music by most major composers from Bach to Bartók, as well as many contemporary and original scores.

Bill Frisell FIVE and Ambrose Akinmusire Owl Song

An evening of energy, improvisation, and collaboration with two of America’s most masterful jazz practitioners.  Bill Frisell FIVE featuring Thomas Morgan, Rudy Royston, Tony Scherr &amp; Kenny Wollesen “Avant-garde jazz isn’t known for its gentleness, but Bill Frisell’s compositions are a fine-spun exception.” — Pitchfork Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” Recognized as one of America’s 21 most vital and productive performing artists, Frisell has won copious awards and is also the subject of a new documentary film by director Emma Franz, entitled Bill Frisell: A Portrait, which examines his creative process in depth. Ambrose Akinmusire Owl Song featuring Bill Frisell &amp; Herlin Riley “Ambrose Akinmusire makes music that seems full of contradictions and yet is whole, consistent and coherent.”— London Jazz News Ambrose Akinmusire not only asserts himself as one of the best trumpeters in the world, he’s using his voice to dissect the complexity of black life in America. Yet he isn’t trying to summon gloom, he’s unpacking it all. Through his trumpet comes the breath of a black man who’s seen the best and worst of the country, and harnesses it into gorgeous, shape-shifting art.

Sutton Foster

Sutton Foster is a Tony Award winning American actress, singer, and dancer who was most recently seen on stage as Marian Paroo in the Broadway revival of The Music Man, opposite Hugh Jackman at The Winter Garden Theatre. Her performance earned her seventh Tony award nomination as well as the coveted 2022 Drama League Distinguished Performance Award. As a solo artist, Sutton has toured the country with her hit solo concert which featured songs from her debut solo CD “Wish” as well as her follow up CD, “An Evening with Sutton Foster: Live at the Cafe Carlyle.” She has also graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Feinstein’s, Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series and many others. Sutton released her third solo album, “Take Me to the World,” through Ghostlight Deluxe, June 1, 2018. Last fall, Sutton released her memoir Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life. The page turner is comprised of funny and intimate stories and reflections about how crafting has kept her sane while navigating the highs and lows of family, love, and show business. Sutton Foster holds an honorary doctorate from Ball State University, where she also teaches.

Meadow Hall at Groton Hill Music Center

Alison Brown

Grammy-winning banjo phenom with her band “Like James Taylor’s voice or B.B. King’s guitar, Alison Brown’s banjo is an instrument possessed of a unique sonic signature and an inescapable beauty…. an artist who never ceases to delight.” — Billboard Magazine One of the most multi-faceted minds in roots music, Alison Brown is a Grammy-winning musician, Grammy-nominated producer, former investment banker (with an A.B. from Harvard and an M.B.A. from UCLA), and co-founder of The Compass Records Group which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023. Alison and her band have toured extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad with stops at some of music’s most prestigious venues, including Newport Folk Festival, The Kennedy Center, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, The Cambridge Folk Festival (England), Celtic Connections (Scotland), Dublin National Concert Hall (Ireland), Galway Arts Festival (Ireland) and Verbier Music Festival (Switzerland).  Although Alison began her musical career as a teenager in the Southern California bluegrass scene, she has built a reputation as one of today’s most forward thinking and innovative banjo players. She is known for taking the instrument far beyond its Appalachian roots by blending bluegrass and jazz influences into a sonic tapestry that has earned praise and recognition from a variety of national tastemakers including The Wall Street Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and USA Today. On her new release, aptly titled On Banjo, Alison continues her musical explorations on a set of original compositions that explore the range of the banjo.  The album features an eclectic cast of collaborators including Steve Martin, Kronos Quartet, Sharon Isbin, Anat Cohen, Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan and members of the Alison Brown Quintet.  Alison is the recipient of the USA Artists Fellowship in Music and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association. In 2019, she was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame. She serves on the Board of Governors of the Recording Academy and as co-chair of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize.

Loudon Wainwright III

An intimate evening with an American folk legend! “Mr. Wainwright has proved to be far and away the most candid diarist among the singer-songwriters who…brought confessional poetry into popular song…. (he) wrings more human truth out of his contradiction than any other songwriter of his generation.” – New York Times, Stephen Holden Loudon Wainwright III is an accomplished American singer-songwriter, folk musician, and actor. Well-known for his poetic lyrics, distinct voice, and masterful guitar playing, his witty and insightful songwriting style often delves into personal experiences, relationships, and social observations. Wainwright came to fame when his song “Dead Skunk” became a Top 20 hit in 1972. He had studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon University, but dropped out to partake in the Summer of Love in San Francisco, and wrote his first song in 1968 (“Edgar,” about a lobsterman in Rhode Island). His songs have since been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, his son Rufus Wainwright, and Mose Allison, among others. Wainwright has recorded 27 albums, including his 2009 Grammy-winning High Wide &amp; Handsome. In 2018, Wainwright released Years in the Making, a 42-song treasury of rare and unreleased Loudoniana. This 2-disc, 60-page hardbound audio-biography includes orphaned album cuts, lovingly-made lo-fi home recordings, radio appearances, demos, live performances, and beyond. It features appearances by Kate McGarrigle, Suzzy Roche, Bill Frisell, Van Dyke Parks, Chaim Tannenbaum, David Mansfield, and the Wainwright children Rufus, Martha, Lucy, and Lexie. A talented actor, Wainwright has appeared in films directed by Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby, Christopher Guest, Tim Burton, Cameron Crowe, and Judd Apatow. He was also featured on television in the popular series M.A.S.H., and on Broadway in Pump Boys and Dinettes. More recently, he appeared in the film Pleased to Meet You (with fellow music legends John Doe, Aimee Mann, and Joe Henry), and the television series, Mosaic, directed by Steven Soderbergh. His 2022 release Lifetime Achievement, an album of 15 original songs, established his singular talent as our foremost six-string tragicomedian, not only undiminished, but hitting new heights. Wainwright puts his latest achievement in the context of a lifetime of music making this way: “When I made my first record for Atlantic in 1969, I wanted to make not only a recording, but a document that captures a moment. Now, fifty years later, I guess I still want to make a testament of songs, and I like to think they might last a while.”

The String Queens

“With their diverse repertoire spanning both genres and eras … it is music meant to move people and mountains.” – CBS News-Miami Praised for its authentic, soulful, and orchestral sound, The String Queens is a dynamic trio that creates stimulating musical experiences that inspire diverse audiences to love, hope, feel, and imagine! The three women—Kendall Isadore (violin), Dawn Johnson (viola), and Élise Sharp (cello)—have a strong commitment to artistic integrity and music education. With an array of repertoire spanning from the Baroque era to the Jazz Age to today’s Billboard Hot 100 Chart, TSQ performs versatile programs that take listeners on a rousing musical journey through time and a multitude of musical genres. Based in Washington, D.C., TSQ has been featured in performances at renowned concert halls and venues across America, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the nation’s capital. Notable appearances include a special performance dedicated to Vice President Kamala Harris at the “We Are One” Presidential Inauguration Concert in January 2021 and rendering a spotlight presentation of TSQ’s electrifying arrangement of Harry Styles’s hit song “Golden” for the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament “The Championships, Wimbledon” in June 2021. As an ensemble who frequents the D.C. jazz scene, other headlining performances include multiple appearances at the DC Jazz Festival and the Capital Jazz Fest.

Julian Lage

Master jazz guitarist in a special solo appearance “Lage is a masterful player, alternating careful, detailed lines with bursts of dexterous improvisation…” – The Guardian Jazz guitarist Julian Lage expands his horizons on View With A Room, a collection of 10 compelling original compositions that marks his second release for Blue Note Records. Having established a home base with his brilliant and deeply attuned trio of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King—most recently heard on the guitarist’s acclaimed 2021 Blue Note debut Squint—Lage casts his gaze outward to discover new orchestrational possibilities with the addition of six-string icon Bill Frisell, who adds his inimitable voice to this absolutely stunning album. Hailed as one of the most prodigious guitarists of his generation and “highest category of improvising musicians” (New Yorker), Julian Lage has spent more than a decade searching through the myriad strains of American musical history via impeccable technique, free association and a spirit of infinite possibility. The California – born New York – based musician boasts a prolific resume on his own accord in addition to collaborating with Gary Burton and John Zorn, as well as duo projects with Nels Cline, Chris Eldridge and Fred Hersch, among others.

Vista Philharmonic Chamber Players – 2 Shows!

Under the baton of Maestro Bruce Hangen, the Vista Philharmonic Chamber Players open the 23-24 season with a special performance in Meadow Hall. Principal players from the orchestra will present a varied program of large chamber works by Benjamin Britten, Ernest Bloch, and Claude Debussy, featuring amazing pianist Jenny Tang in a concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach. The evening will conclude on a lighter note with Scott Joplin’s “Entertainer,” performed in the same orchestration as originally published in 1902. Britten  The Sword in the Stone Suite Bach Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Jenny Tang, piano Debussy/Schoenberg Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun Bloch  Four Episodes Joplin The Entertainer TICKETS: $49.72 – $90.60, including fees

Victor Rosenbaum

“The appeal of Rosenbaum’s playing is in his musical temperament, in which fervor and gentleness are happily combined…” – Boston Globe Mr. Rosenbaum’s program will feature music of Mozart, Schubert, and Chopin, and a 2022 work by contemporary composer Lewis Warren Jr. Internationally known pianist and teacher, Victor Rosenbaum, has been a mainstay of Boston’s musical community for more than five decades. He studied with Elizabeth Brock and Martin Marks while growing up in Indianapolis, and went on to study with Rosina Lhevinne at the Aspen Festival and Leonard Shure in New York while earning degrees at Brandeis University and Princeton. Rosenbaum has concertized widely as soloist and chamber musician in the U.S., Europe, Israel, Brazil, Russia, and Asia. A committed chamber musician, he has collaborated with such artists as Leonard Rose, Paul Katz, Laurence Lesser, Arnold Steinhardt, Robert Mann, Joseph Silverstein, James Buswell, Malcolm Lowe, Walter Trampler, and the Brentano, Borromeo, and Cleveland String Quartets. A renowned educator, Rosenbaum’s 16 years as Director and President of the Longy School of Music (1985-2001) transformed the school into a full-fledged degree granting conservatory as well as a thriving community music school. He was on the faculty of Mannes School of Music in New York from 2004-2017, a Visiting Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music, and a guest teacher at Juilliard. During his long tenure on the faculty of New England Conservatory, Rosenbaum chaired its Piano and Chamber Music Departments for more than a decade. Recently retired from NEC, he now devotes his time to guest teaching, master classes, recording, concerts, and an upcoming Artist-in-Residence position in Taiwan this spring.

Walter Smith III

Jazz saxophonist Walter Smith III is widely recognized as an adept performer, “boundary pushing” composer, and inspired educator. He has shared the stage with Roy Haynes, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Joe Lovano, Herbie Hancock, Maria Schneider, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and a host of others, appearing on over 100 recordings released worldwide. Newly signed to Blue Note Records, Smith released his latest album, “return to casual,” on April 7. Smith is joined by guitarist Matt Stevens, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington.

Mark Erelli

Singer/songwriter Mark Erelli turns adversity into finely embroidered rock songs that burn with urgency on his 2023 album Lay Your Darkness Down, written in the wake of his diagnosis with a degenerative retinal disease. Over his two decade-long career, the singer-songwriter-sideman-producer-writer has worked with GRAMMY-winner Lori McKenna, Paula Cole, Marc Cohn, and Josh Ritter along with writing and producing his own material, like 2018’s “By Degrees,” for which he was nominated for Song of the Year at the Americana Honors and Awards.

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.