Newton Cultural Alliance

Lydian String Quartet at The Allen Center
2026-01-15 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
An Open Rehearsal
The Naumberg Award-winning Lydian String Quartet, recently named Ensemble in Residence at The Allen Center, will deliver the four open rehearsals with 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. Buy Tickets.

NAA presents Rhythm of Color at The Allen Center
2026-01-14 08:00 - 2026-03-26 17:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
EXHIBITION & AWARD CEREMONY: The Allen Center, The Rhythm of Color
Welcome to the RHYTHM of COLOR!

End the year with a splash of color! Join the NAA for this annual Allen Center Expo! Let your creative side go wild. Explore your inner color any way you like.
Exhibition: January 14 – March 26
Award Presentation: Rescheduled to Wednesday, March 19 7-9 pm, weather dependent
ABOUT THE JUROR
Santiago Hernandez is a Cuban-born visual artist and musician based in Boston, MA. Although trained in traditional techniques of working from observation, his work has evolved to reflect graphic design, architectural rendering, geometric abstraction, and music. Santiago currently teaches Fine Arts at Lesley University College of Art & Design and at Mass College of Art & Design. In addition, he performs as a jazz drummer and percussionist throughout the Boston area with his trio Detour Ahead.

Commonwealth Chorale Auditions
2026-01-13 17:30 - 18:45, 2026-01-06 17:30 - 18:45 | First Baptist Church in Newton, 848 Beacon St, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Commonwealth Chorale seeks singers of all voice types who have strong vocal and sight-reading skills. We are especially looking for tenors and basses. The 2025-2026 season marks Commonwealth Chorale’s 50th Anniversary and will be filled with special performances.
In March, we will perform a new arrangement of Mozart’s beloved Requiem by English composer Howard Arman along with two Psalm settings by 19th-century Brazilian composer Jose Maricio Nunes Garcia. In May, we conclude our celebration with Martín Palmeri’s tango-influenced Misa a Buenos Aires (“Misatango”). The program will also feature tango works with tango orchestra and tango dancers! We conclude with Argentinian Alberto Ginastera’s Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah, written while Ginastera was living in the USA after being targeted by the Perón regime for supporting civil liberties.
Auditions will be held by appointment on January 6th and 13th from 5:30 to 6:45. Auditions are held at our rehearsal location at First Baptist Church, 848 Beacon Street in Newton Center, a few minutes’ walk from the Newton Center stop on the “D” Green Line. There is also plenty of parking behind the church and on adjacent streets.
We have scholarships to reduce costs for singers 30 and under! See website for details: https://commonwealthchorale.com
To apply for an audition, click here: https://commonwealthchorale.com/join-us

New Art Center presents Teen Build Your Art Portfolio class
2026-01-12 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-01-05 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-12-29 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-12-22 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-12-15 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-12-08 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-12-01 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-11-24 17:30 - 19:30 | New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newton, MA, 02460, United States
Teen Build Your Art Portfolio class // All Levels // GR 8-12 // Mondays with Mattea Weinberg
This all-levels class is perfect for teens looking to build strong skills and prepare a competitive portfolio for college art programs. Students will draw from life, experiment with materials, and create meaningful, finished pieces—all with the support and guidance of an experienced instructor. Whether applying to art school or simply wanting to grow as an artist, this class offers the structure and feedback teens need to succeed.

Boston Ballet School presents Open Studio Week
2026-01-10 - 2026-01-16 | Boston Ballet School, 153 Needham St, Suite N101, Newton Highlands, MA, 02464, United States
January Open Studio Week
Parents of children ages 16 months to 6 years* are invited to join us for Open Studio Week January 10–16 at our Boston, Brighton, Brookline, and Newton studios. You and your child can get a firsthand experience of our classes, connect with our faculty, learn more about our curriculum, and tour our state-of-the-art studios.
Date: Saturday, January 10–Friday, January 16
Time: 9am–12:45pm, actual time based on level
Locations:
Newton Studio – 153 Needham Street, Newton, MA 02464
Boston Studio – 19 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116
Brighton Studio – The Presentation School Community Foundation Center: 640 Washington Street, Brighton, MA 02135
Brookline Studio – 1431 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446
January Placement Class
Join us for a free placement class on January 10 at our Newton Studio. This placement class is for students ages 7-18 who are interested in joining our Foundations or Classical Ballet Training. The placement class will allow our faculty to assess your child’s skill level and determine which class will be best for them to further their dance education.
Date: Saturday, January 10
Time: 3:30–4:30pm
Location: Newton Studio – 153 Needham Street, Newton, MA 02464
Follow the event link to RSVP for this FREE event!

West Newton Cinema presents Ty Burr's Movie Club: Her
2026-01-08 18:30 - 21:00 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
TY BURR’S MOVIE CLUB is hosted by the nationally recognized film critic Ty Burr.
Each month Ty presents and discusses one of his favorite films with the audience. His selections span the spectrum from classics that have stood the test of time to contemporary films that merit a second viewing.
ABOUT THE FILM
In the near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

Newton Cemetery & Arboretum: Artist in Residence Program - Applications Now Open
2026-01-01 00:00 - 2026-02-14 23:59 | Newton Cemetery and Arboretum, 791 Walnut St, Newton, Massachusetts, 02459, United States
The Friends of Newton Cemetery & Arboretum is delighted to announce that the application period for the 2026-27 Artist in Residence (AiR) Program is now open.
This residency invites an artist to immerse themselves in the Cemetery’s historic landscape, its mission of remembrance, and its role as an accredited arboretum. The selected artist will have the unique opportunity to use the grounds as both inspiration and workspace, creating original work that reflects the beauty, memory, and community embodied in this garden cemetery.
The residency will conclude with a public program and exhibition, offering visitors a chance to experience Newton Cemetery & Arboretum through the artist’s creative lens.
Applications are being accepted through Feb. 14, 2026.
Artists interested in engaging with this meaningful environment are encouraged to apply.

Stefan Jackiw & Friends at The Allen Center
2025-12-18 19:30 - 21:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Stefan Jackiw & Friends: Thursday December 18th, 7:30pm
Violinist Stefan Jackiw with pianist Kevin Ahfat, will present the Prokofiev Violin Sonata in D and duos with clarinetist Yoonah Kim by Schubert and Mozart. Allison Eldredge and Kevin Ahfat will join Jackiw and Kim in the Walter Rabl Piano Quartet. Buy Tickets.

West Newton Cinema presents Director's Spotlight: Drink and Be Merry
2025-12-18 19:00 - 20:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
ABOUT THE FILM
Set at a struggling New York dive bar in the days approaching Christmas, 2019, Chet (Jefferson White), a beleaguered bartender in a state of extended arrested development, must balance taking care of his difficult regulars, who have nowhere else to go, and rely on him for far more than pouring drinks, with his naive desire to muster some Christmas Spirit.
Q&A FOLLOWS THE SCREENING
ADAM VOLERICH
Filmmaker and Podcast Producer
The set is his natural habitat and the crew his family. His films have screened and been awarded at festivals worldwide. His latest short film, MISPRINT, premiered on Omeleto, and his feature directing debut, DRINK AND BE MERRY, is available to rent or buy.
Adam is also the co-creator of the hit film podcast EYE OF THE DUCK on the Morbid Podcast Network for SiriusXM. He also produced and developed the Signal Award Winning and Ambie and Webby Nominated narrative fiction podcasts AMERICAN HOSTAGE (Amazon Originals), starring Jon Hamm (soon to be a TV Show from Shawn Ryan and MGM+), and THE FOXES OF HYDESVILLE (QCODE), starring Carey Mulligan, for Criminal Content.
ETHAN WARREN
Author
Ethan Warren is the author of The Cinema of Paul Thomas Anderson: American Apocrypha, and the forthcoming When I Paint My Masterpiece: The Cinematic Dylan.

Suzuki School of Newton presents Violin & Viola Concert
2025-12-13 17:00 - 18:30 | newton community stage, 15 Walnut Park, Newton, M, 02458, United States
Suzuki School of Newton violin & viola students and faculty present a concert of Suzuki, classical repertoire!

Newton Presbyterian Church presents A Christmas Carol
2025-12-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Newton Presbyterian Church, 75 Vernon St., Newton, MA, United States
Neil McGarry returns to Newton Presbyterian Church for his 12th season performing “A Christmas Carol.” Join us this holiday season in exploring Charles Dickens’ immortal classic. A tale of tragedy, of ghosts, of the audacity of hope and the true spirit of Christmas.
This one-man tour de force is an IRNE-award-winning performance, and not to be missed!
Drinks and light refreshments will be provided.
Tickets Available Here
Newton Presbyterian Church, 75 Vernon Street in Newton, MA

The Newton Family Singers Present “Dancin' on Sunshine: An inter-generational sing-along dance party”
2025-12-07 16:00 - 18:30 | Regis College’s Casey Theatre, 235 Wellesley St, Weston, MA, 02493, United States
What the world needs now is joy, movement, inspiration and some sunshine! And NFS is bringing it with this season’s fun and uplifting show “Dancin’ on Sunshine” featuring music by the Bee Gees, Avicii, Kygo and Whitney Houston including such hits as “We Are Family” and “Walking on Sunshine” to “Vivir Mi Vida” and “Vogue.”
This season we are partnering with our sister choir, Arlington’s Family Folk Chorale, for TWO big shows! We will perform this show twice, so you have double the opportunity get your groove on!
In this time of global uncertainty and upheaval, our goal is to create moments of joy and inspiration for our communities!
Each show will feature both choruses performing together — over one hundred singers together, with you, in unison, dancing, sharing joyful and uplifting music.
Family Folk Chorale show: November 23rd, 2025 4:00pm: Arlington Town Hall, 30 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA
Newton Family Singers show: December 7th, 2025 4:00pm: Regis College, Casey Theater, 235 Wellesley St, Weston, MA
Get your tickets now at https://www.newtonfamilysingers.org/events.html

West Newton Cinema presents Behind the Screen: Hamnet
2025-12-07 14:00 - 17:00 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
HAMNET is a historical drama directed by the Academy Award winning writer/director Chloé Zhao and based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell. The film follows the arc in the relationship between William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes in the wake of the death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet. It tells a powerful story of love and loss, and one that is believed to have inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet.
POST SCREENING DISCUSSION
Our distinguished panelists will explore the film’s cultural and historical context and discuss more broadly the influence of Shakespeare on the arts, having inspired countless works across different mediums and periods. Artists have continually drawn on Shakespeare’s work for inspiration, an enduring legacy that has shaped modern art and culture.
FEATURING:
STEPHEN GREENBLATT, Ph.D.
John Cogan University Professor of Humanities, Harvard University
Greenblatt is the author of fifteen books, including Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics; The Swerve: How the World Became Modern; Shakespeare’s Freedom; Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare; Hamlet in Purgatory; and most recently Dark Renaissance. He is General Editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature and of The Norton Shakespeare. His honors include the 2016 Holberg Prize from the Norwegian Parliament, the 2012 Pulitzer Prize and the 2011 National Book Award for The Swerve, and two Guggenheim Fellowships. He has been elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Philosophical Society, the Italian literary academy Accademia degli Arcadi, and is a fellow of the British Academy.
IN CONVERSATION WITH:
MICHELLE EPHRAIM, Ph.D.
Professor of English at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Ephraim, a Shakespeare scholar, is the author of Green World: A Tragicomic Memoir of Love & Shakespeare, which was awarded the 2023 Juniper Prize for Creative Nonfiction; Reading the Jewish Woman on the Elizabethan Stage; and the co-author of the literary humor book Shakespeare, Not Stirred: Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas. Her latest venture is the award-winning podcast, Everyday Shakespeare, which explores ways that Shakespeare sheds light on our modern problems.

Bay Colony Brass presents “A Yuletide Blizzard of Brilliant Brass”
2025-12-06 19:30 - 21:00 | Second Church in Newton, 60 Highland St., West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Bay Colony Brass presents “A Yuletide Blizzard of Brilliant Brass”
Saturday, December 6, 2025 – 7:30 pm
Second Church in Newton | 60 Highland Street | West Newton, MA
Music director Philip Sanborn leads Newton’s 20-member BAY COLONY BRASS in “A Yuletide Blizzard of Brilliant Brass.” The free, family-friendly concert of Christmas favorites ranges from Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival” to modern arrangements of traditional carols and “Christmas Toons” by Emmy Award-winning composer Anthony DiLorenzo. The concert features an audience sing-along. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Newton Cultural Council, a local council supported by the Mass Cultural Council and the City of Newton.

Newton Presbyterian Church presents ArsNova Concert (Yagmur Soydemir)
2025-12-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Newton Presbyterian Church, 75 Vernon St., Newton, MA, United States
Newton Presbyterian Church
December 6, 2025 @ 7:00 pm
Newton Presbyterian Church 75 Vernon St, Newton Corner, MA 02458, United States

Come and join Turkish flutist Yagmur Soydemir for an inspiring evening of her original compositions!

SSN presents Pianos Galore
2025-12-06 17:00 - 18:30 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Event: Pianos Galore

Description: Suzuki School of Newton piano students performing classical repertoire

Saturday, Dec. 6th, 5-6:30 PM

The Allen Center
35 Webster St. Newton, MA 02465

free event

Highland Glee Club presents Holiday Angelsong
2025-12-06 15:00 - 16:30 | Christ Episcopal Church, 1132 Highland Ave., Needham Heights, MA, 02494, United States
Warm and brighten up your holiday season this year with The Highland Glee Club Men’s Chorus! We proudly present Holiday Angelsong, a program of some of the most beautiful music ever written for the holidays. Palestrina, Franck, Schubert, Praetorius, Mendelssohn, Rubinstein, and our own Dan Wulf! With star tenor Connor Vigeant and special guests mezzo soprano Jessica Erving and violinist Eleanor Markey(2023 HGC Music Award winner). Reasonably priced at $20 in advance ($25 at the door) with children attending free. Plenty of free, easy parking. What’s not to love? Get your tickets today.
Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 3 pm. at Christ Episcopal Church 1132 Highland Ave. Needham, MA
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/angelsong

FUUSN presents Holiday Fair
2025-12-06 09:30 - 14:00 | First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, 1326 Washington St, Newton, MA, 02465, United States
The FUUSN Holiday Fair is a fun, festive event on Saturday, December 6. Join us as the Parish Hall is transformed into a Holiday marketplace. Shop for gifts, toys, homemade baked goods, wreath,s and swags. The Baked Goods table is overflowing with homemade cookies, cakes and sweets, pick up a fresh green wreath, topped with a colorful bow. Buy a ticket for the Quilt Raffle. You might win a handmade quilt. There’s a holiday caroling session open to all who want to join. Come one, come all to the FUUSN Holiday Fair.

AEM presents AEM ONLINE December 6 & 7
2025-12-05 08:00 - 17:00 | MA
Join us for the last sessions of 2025! Viol trios with Rosamund Morley and Laurence Lipnik, Music of the Four Temperaments with Jennifer Carpenter, Historical Harps with Anna O’Connell, and Songs for the Solstice with Emily Eagen. Sign up here!

West Newton Cinema presents Producers Circle: Nine
2025-12-04 18:30 - 20:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Join us for a special evening with filmmakers Jeremy S. Levine and Rachael DeCruz as they share a rough cut and discuss the making of their documentary, “Nine”.
In this contemplative, immersive documentary, we see two men’s parallel lives unfold, separated by generations and bound together by experience. In Act I, Nine interweaves the lives of Gerald and Henry. They are both stuck. Henry’s life in prison is on loop; he works as a janitor, calls his wife Juanita—who stayed with him during his decades of incarceration—and mentors the younger men while playing dominos before starting it all over again the next day. Gerald frantically juggles his day job, his activism, and at night, he digs into the archives of Henry’s case, looking for something—anything—that will help bring his Pops home. Act II centers on Gerald’s campaign to free Henry. Gerald and his team of formerly incarcerated activists strategize on ways to bring Henry home. They work to pass a bill Gerald wrote while still in prison that would radically transform the clemency board. Gerald records emotional video testimonies from men whose lives Henry transformed. He’s worried it’s not enough and that he’s failing Henry. Things come to a head in Act III, leading to Henry’s clemency hearing and his unexpected freedom after 45 years of incarceration.
With quiet attention to details, Nine feels like a cinematic poem. In moments small and large, the film builds a beautiful, lyrical world that explores the resilience and joy that can be found in our most cherished relationships.
Jeremy S. Levine, Director/Producer
Levine’s work explores race, class, and the power of parental bonds through cinematic, formally rigorous films.
Rachael DeCruz, Director/Producer
DeCruz’s work centers on how familial and community bonds fortify people to push back against racist systems.
Producer’s Circle is an opportunity to:
Experience excerpts of a filmmaker’s past work to understand their vision and craftsmanship.
-Engage directly with in-progress productions that need your support.
-Participate in shaping the final stages of a film’s journey, through discussion and financial contributions.
-Foster a Vibrant Film Community. Beyond supporting a single documentary, your participation helps strengthen Boston’s larger documentary scene. By investing in these works-in-progress, you become part of a community pushing the boundaries of independent storytelling, inspiring future filmmakers, and expanding the city’s creative horizons.

AEM presents Practical Musicianship and Music Theory for Early Musicians
2025-12-01 17:30 - 19:00 | MA
with Shira Kammen – vielle, voice, harp

5:30 – 6:45 pm, 11 November 2024

Shira
Kammen **
Violin & Vielle

4 Monday sessions, November 11, 18, 25 & December 2, from 5:30 – 6:45 p.m. ET

Class Description

4th Annual Newton Thanksgiving Farmers' Market
2025-11-25 12:00 - 16:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
On Tuesday, November 25th, we can pick up everything we need for our Thanksgiving feast at the 4th Annual Newton Thanksgiving Farmers’ Market. There’ll be a local farm with fresh produce, pies, pre-made side dishes ready to pop in the oven, bread, cheese boards, appetizers, chocolates, fresh flowers, pantry products, and hostess gifts. Everything except the turkey! Join us at The Allen Center from 12-4 pm in West Newton.
