(For Immediate Release, Boston—June 25, 2024) Celebrity Series of Boston announces its 2024/25 Arts For All! Neighborhood Arts season today, with nearly two dozen performances taking place throughout Boston and Cambridge neighborhoods. Celebrity Series' signature community engagement program embodies the organizational commitment to bring the arts to everyone and everyone to the arts. Not only does Neighborhood Arts offer free concerts across Boston – it also employs local artists, commissions new works, and connects young people with artist mentors.
Highlights of the Neighborhood Arts season include a special dance event with artists from Wampanoag Nation, a celebration of Day of the Dead with Veronica Robles and her all-female mariachi, and the return of the Solo(s) Together project with all-new commissioned works. Pulse-pounding flamenco, Puerto Rican music, dazzling marimba virtuosity, and contemporary dance round out the season. New this year, after every performance, the audience is invited to share refreshments and conversation with the artists, Celebrity Series staff, and fellow audience members.
Robin Baker, Associate Director of Community Engagement, says, “We invite you to experience the rich tapestry of cultural diversity in the 2024-25 Neighborhood Arts season, showcasing vibrant live performances spanning global flamenco to Indigenous circle dancing. Join us for an inclusive celebration of artistry by renowned performers, free for all to enjoy, forging connections and fostering community spirit throughout neighborhoods in Greater Boston. This season, we're not just spectators; we're participants in a shared experience through the universal language of creativity. Come be a part of something extraordinary.”
All performances are free and open to the public, with general admission seating and no tickets or reservations required. Signing up for reminders is encouraged at celebrityseries.org/neighborhood. All venues are fully physically accessible.
ABOUT CELEBRITY SERIES NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS
Neighborhood Arts programming is anchored in partnerships with Boston-area artists and ensembles, and showcases the rich diversity of their musical offerings. Since 2012, Neighborhood Arts has brought the joy of live performance to people of all ages and abilities through programming primarily centered in Dorchester, Roxbury, the South End, Jamaica Plain, Back Bay, Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Roslindale, as well as East Cambridge and Harvard Square.
Celebrity Series’ Arts for All! community engagement programs, of which Neighborhood Arts is a central component, reach more than 10,000 individuals annually, through master classes with artists in public schools and conservatories, commissioning of new works by award-winning composers to be premiered by local artists and ensembles; hands-on, interactive workshops for youth led by Boston-area artists; community concerts in Boston neighborhoods; free and discounted tickets to performances; and public performance projects.
Partner schools and community organizations in the 2024/25 season include: Ágora Cultural Architects, Arlington Street Church, Arrow Street Arts, Bethel A.M.E. Church, Big Sisters of Greater Boston, Boston Arts Academy, Boston City Singers, Boston City-Wide String Orchestra, Boston Latin School, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston Music Project, Boston String Academy, Bridge to Equity and Achievement in Music (BEAM), Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, City Strings United, Community Music Center of Boston, Conservatory Lab Charter School, Hamilton-Garrett Music & Arts, Hernandez K-8 School, Hurley K-8 School, Jo-Me Dance, METCO Inc., Margarita Muñiz Academy, Midday Movement, Mission Hill Arts Festival, Multicultural Arts Center of Cambridge, Project Step, Roxbury Branch BPL, Sumner Elementary School, Quincy Lower and Upper Schools, Roxbury Community College, Salvation Army Kroc Center, St. Stephen’s B-Ready Program, Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry, Veronica Smith Senior Center, Winship School, and others.
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SUMMER MISSION HILL ARTS FESTIVAL PARTNER PERFORMANCES
Neighborhood Arts is partnering with the Mission Hill Arts Festival for the third year this summer. The theme of this year’s festival is ELEMENTS—the elements of Earth’s personality, its creative approach, elegance, unpleasantness, persistency, humor, sensibility, and more, to encourage a relational approach to our planet.
Zakiyyah
Saturday, July 6 at 6pm
The Yard at the Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02120.
Tickets: $0-$40, through Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mission-hill-arts-festival-tickets-885880340947
Boston native Zakiyyah is an artist-activist who has performed at venues as diverse as the House of Blues to Symphony Hall, and more recently, the United Nations. A classically trained singer and actress, Zakiyyah is skillfully versed in Opera, Hip-Hop, Jazz, R&B, and Gospel.
Ivanna Cuesta: Album Release Concert: “A Letter to the Earth”
Saturday, August 10 at 6pm
The Yard at the Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02120
Tickets: $0-$40, through Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mission-hill-arts-festival-tickets-885933981387
Ivanna Cuesta is a talented and versatile Dominican drummer and composer. After graduating from the Dominican Republic Conservatory, she received a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music. In 2024, Cuesta releases her debut album as a band leader, “A Letter to the Earth,” featuring Grammy winner Kris Davis on piano, Ben Solomon on saxophone, Max Ridley on bass, and Paulina Camou on vocals. The album seeks to encourage a deeper awareness and understanding of the relationship we have with planet Earth.
Yağmur Soydemir
Saturday, August 24 at 6pm
The Yard at the Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02120
Tickets: $0-$40, through Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mission-hill-arts-festival-tickets-886193186677
Classically trained and multi-award winner Yağmur Soydemir is a flutist, composer, arranger, educator, and humanitarian activist from Turkey, who celebrates and honors every moment and experience life offers. With her compelling music, she elegantly blends her cultural roots of Turkish musical traditions, classical western music, and the more contemporary influences from jazz and fusion genres. In February 2023, following the serious earthquakes in Turkey, she organized a project in support of the earthquake victims, titled “Earthquake Relief Project for Türkiye.” The project, co-produced with Berklee professor Kemal Oksal, took a traditional Turkish folk song and arranged it for orchestra, choir, vocal soloists, and ethnic instruments. It was later recorded and released in collaboration with Berklee Productions.
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NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS AT ARROW STREET ARTS OPENING FESTIVAL
Celebrity Series Neighborhood Arts presents a series of lunchtime concerts at the Arrow Street Arts Festival September 9-12 with multi-instrumentalist Mike Block, saxophonist Gregory Groover, cellist Francesca McNeeley, and percussionist Maria Finkelmeier. The full Festival lineup will be announced in mid-July. Learn more at arrowstarts.org.
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2024/25 NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS PERFORMANCES
Fabiola Méndez Quartet: Flora Campesina
Saturday, September 28 at 3pm
Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center, 1234 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury Crossing
Tickets: Free
Fabiola Méndez and her band present new and original music from their latest release Flora Campesina, merging the sounds of Puerto Rican folklore with story-telling lyrics, upbeat grooves, and contemporary sounds.
Edmar Colón Jazz Quartet, featuring Terri Lyne Carrington and Kris Davis
Saturday, October 5 at 3pm
Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center, 1234 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury Crossing
Tickets: Free
Saxophonist, pianist, and composer Edmar Colón returns to Neighborhood Arts with his Quartet, featuring two very special guests: multi-Grammy winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and pianist Kris Davis. This stellar band performs new and original songs by Colón alongside timeless classics from his native Puerto Rico.
John Paul McGee Jazz Quartet: Intertwined: An Afternoon of Gospejazzical
Saturday, October 26 at 3pm
Bethel A.M.E. Church, 86 Wachusett St., Jamaica Plain
Tickets: Free
Pianist and bandleader John Paul McGee makes his Neighborhood Arts debut with his Jazz Quartet. Dr. McGee and his band blend gospel, jazz, and classical music into an entertaining and inspiring style that he calls “Gospejazzical.” Lift your spirits with the John Paul McGee Jazz Quartet!
Veronica Robles Female Mariachi: Día de los Muertos
Saturday, November 2 at 3pm
Arlington Street Church, 25 Arlington Street, Back Bay
Tickets: Free
Veronica Robles returns to Neighborhood Arts to celebrate Day of the Dead/ Día de los Muertos. Traditional Mexican songs pair with newer selections that reflect on the spirit of the holiday. Veronica performs with her groundbreaking all-female mariachi and young artists learning Mexican folkloric dance traditions at Veronica Robles Cultural Center. Don’t miss a Celebrity Series audience favorite, and get ready to sing along! Co-sponsored by Ágora Cultural Architects.
Nino de los Reyes Flamenco Ensemble: Uno más de la banda
Saturday, November 16 at 3pm
Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center, 1234 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury Crossing
Tickets: Free
Flamenco artist Nino de los Reyes returns to Neighborhood Arts with One More of the Band / Uno más de la banda, a new program that brings together music and dance in thrilling ways. Nino, the only dancer to win a Grammy Award for his musical contributions to Chick Corea and the Spanish Heart Band’s album Antidote, makes his steps, claps, and vocalizations an essential part of the music. In this show, the bailador in the spotlight becomes another member of the band.
Reggie Harris & Alastair Moock, vocalists, with Boston City Singers: Race and Song: A Musical Conversation
Saturday, December 7 at 3pm
Salvation Army Kroc Center, 650 Dudley Street, Dorchester
Tickets: Free
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.
Stringfest with Rasa String Quartet
featuring youth ensembles from Boston Music Project, City Strings United, and Project STEP
Saturday, December 14 at 3pm
Salvation Army Kroc Center, 650 Dudley Street, Dorchester
Tickets: Free
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.
Vessel of Voice
Steph Davis, marimba
Maria Finkelmeier, marimba
with Angela Shankar, clarinet
Saturday, February 8 at 3pm
Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second Street, East Cambridge, MA 02141
Tickets: Free
Through solos and duos, Steph Davis and Maria Finkelmeier along with guest artist Angela Shankar explore the resonance and sound spectrum of the marimba with clarinet. From moving spirituals to contemporary classical explorations, the artists share the ways in which the instruments can embody and express many voices and histories.
Solo(s) Together
Celebrity Series’ Solo(s) Together new works project returns in the new season! Launched in 2022 as we considered what it means to be together after the isolation of the pandemic, the project matches composers with Boston-based ensembles to commission and create short pieces with a solo for each player before all the artists once again perform as a group.
The Solo(s) Together project centers a diverse group of creators and musicians from communities historically underrepresented in the chamber and classical music establishment.
Castle of our Skins Wind Quintet
Saturday, March 1 at 3pm
Bethel A.M.E. Church, 86 Wachusett St., Jamaica Plain
Tickets: Free
In partnership with composer Brian Raphael Nabors, woodwind players from Castle of our Skins perform the world premiere of a contemporary work that gives each player a moment to shine: to dazzle you, to move you, to make you think. Also on the program are woodwind ensemble works by composer/conductor/bass-baritone Damien Geter, musician and multimedia artist Mason Bynes, and Ghana-born American composer Fred Onovwerosuoke.
Boston Conservatory Faculty Brass Quintet
Sunday, April 6 at 4pm
Arlington Street Church, 25 Arlington Street, Back Bay
Tickets: Free
Five members of Boston Conservatory at Berklee School of Music’s brass faculty, all extraordinary performers and committed educators, come together to present the world premiere of a Solo(s) Together work by Alice Gomez, commissioned by Celebrity Series, along with other selections for trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. Co-sponsored by Ágora Cultural Architects and Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Trio Oko
Saturday, May 3 at 3pm
Bethel A.M.E. Church, 86 Wachusett St., Jamaica Plain
Tickets: Free
Creating meaningful and joyful human connection through music, Trio Oko highlights their distinctive harp trio instrumentation with the world premiere of a Solo(s) Together work by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, created just for them. Esmail’s Piano Trio features on the program, arranged for Trio Oko by harpist Charles Overton. Other selections honor the spirit of Solo(s) Together, giving performers space to shine, one at a time.
Wampanoag Nation Singers & Dancers
Saturday, March 8 at 2pm & 4pm
Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second Street, East Cambridge, MA 02141
Tickets: Free
This powerful, joyful, family-friendly performance offers a deep opportunity to learn and join the dancers in song and movement. Alongside the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers, the audience is invited to honor the natural world and 12,000 years of ongoing Wampanoag culture. The Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers ask for your participation in this event: please come prepared to dance and sing in the ways that you are able!
Stringfest with Borromeo String Quartet featuring Boston String Academy
Saturday, March 29 at 3pm
Salvation Army Kroc Center, 650 Dudley Street, Dorchester
Tickets: Free
Young musicians from Boston String Academy, one of the top El Sistema-inspired programs in the United States, get an amazing opportunity when the internationally renowned Borromeo String Quartet coaches and performs Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence alongside them in this Stringfest performance.
Nadia Washington Quartet
Saturday, April 26 at 3pm
Arlington Street Church, 25 Arlington Street, Back Bay
Tickets: Free
Powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist Nadia Washington makes her Celebrity Series debut as a headliner with her Quartet after performing in Jazz Along The Charles and Code Listen in the past. Share an afternoon of heartfelt original music that effortlessly traverses jazz, gospel, folk, world, and rock & roll. Nadia’s captivating music and storytelling reconnect audiences to hope and healing for an unforgettable artistic experience. Co-sponsored by Ágora Cultural Architects.
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ABOUT CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON
Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond. Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers—from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more—to Boston’s major concert halls for 86 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives, and build better communities. Through its education initiatives, the Celebrity Series seeks to build a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience—on stages, on streets, in neighborhoods—everywhere.
Celebrity Series of Boston is grateful to our 2024/25 Season Sponsors Crescendo Donor Advised Fund and Susan & Michael Thonis, and to the many individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies whose generosity supports Arts for All! and help fulfill our mission to present performing artists who inspire and enrich our community. Individual and institutional supporters include the Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative, Amy & Joshua Boger, the Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Stephanie L. Brown Foundation, Klarman Family Foundation, George & Lizbeth Krupp, Liberty Mutual Foundation, Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation, Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Mass Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Outside the Box: A Production of the Boston Arts Summer Institute, Eleanor & Frank Pao, Mabel Louise Riley Foundation, Royal Little Family Foundation, Schrafft Charitable Trust, Stifler Family Foundation, Belinda Termeer, Yawkey Foundation, Anonymous (3), and many others.
Arts for All! programs are also made possible by support from the LIVE PERFORMANCE! Arts for All Endowment & Innovation Funds of the Celebrity Series of Boston.
celebrityseries.org
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