Newton Cultural Alliance

New Art Center presents Teen Build Your Art Portfolio class
2026-07-13 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-07-06 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-29 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-22 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-15 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-08 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-01 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-05-25 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) and 11 more dates | 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.

Suzuki School of Newton presents Pianos Galore Concert
2026-05-03 17:00 - 18:30 | Newton Presbyterian Church, 75 Vernon St., Newton, MA, United States
Suzuki School of Newton piano students present a group concert of classical repertoire.

Suzuki School of Newton Graduation Concert
2026-05-03 12:00 - 18:00 | The Shops at Chestnut Hill, 199 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, United States
Suzuki School of Newton harp and violin students performing a variety of music.

Blue Heron presents Machaut Weekend
2026-05-01 19:30 - 21:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Machaut Weekend
May 1-3, 2026
Join us for a three-day festival featuring the poetry and music of 14th-century Europe’s greatest poet and composer, Guillaume de Machaut (d. 1377). We’ll explore the courtly chansons that are the heart of his work, sample his polytextual motets, sing the celebrated Messe de Nostre Dame by candlelight in Emmanuel Church’s gothic Lindsey Chapel, and finish up with a cabaret concert of songs by Machaut and the next generation, the bewitchingly smoky Ars subtilior.
Calendar of Events
Opening Festivities: Keynote, Performance & Sing-Along
Friday, May 1, 2026, 7:30 pm
The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, West Newton, MA 02465
Tickets: $11.50–$32.50
Our celebration of Machaut begins with a keynote talk by one of the world’s leading scholars of 14th-century music, Anne Stone (CUNY Graduate Center), performances of pieces in several of the genres represented in Machaut’s oeuvre, and a sing-along of the Kyrie from the Messe de Nostre Dame.

Historic Newton presents Revolutionary Newton
2026-03-28 10:00 - 16:00 | Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave,, Newton, MA, 02458
Historic Newton celebrates the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution! Join us in exploring what life was like in 18th-century New England. Reenactors will scatter the museum exhibits and grounds to create an immersive experience of revolutionary life. Guests can participate in hands-on period-specific activities and listen to reenactors debate politics, describe daily life, reminisce on military service, and much more. A scavenger hunt will guide visitors through interactive spaces where they can ask questions and engage with the exhibits and the people who once occupied them. View special 18th-century artifacts from the collection on display for the first time this decade. Shop new and exclusive merchandise and see what your local museum can do for you! This event is free and open to the public.

Karen Walwyn at The Allen Center
2026-03-22 15:00 - 17:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Karen Walwyn
Sunday, March 22nd, 3:00 pm, The Allen Center
Steinway artist Karen Walwyn returns to The Allen Center for a lecture recital on the incredible life and works of Florence Price and more.

Karen Walwyn
Dr. Karen Walwyn, Concert Pianist, Composer and an Albany Recording Artist, is the first female African American pianist/ composer to receive the Steinway Artist Award. She is Area Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Howard University and is in constant concert demand nationally and internationally for her repertoire from Frédéric Chopin to Florence Price, as well as for performances of her own works for solo piano, choir and instrumental ensemble. Some recent concerts include appearances in Johannesburg, Barcelona, Tenerife, Salzburg, London, and Nice. Nationally, Walwyn has performed throughout the contiguous United States, Hawaii, West Indies and the Virgin Islands.

Commonwealth Chorale Auditions
2026-03-17 17:30 - 18:45, 2026-03-10 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 altos, tenors and basses. The 2025-2026 season marks Commonwealth Chorale’s 50th Anniversary and has been filled with special performances.
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 March 10th and 17th 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 free 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

Orli Shaham at The Allen Center
2026-03-16 19:30 - 21:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Orli Shaham
Monday, March 16th, 7:30 pm, The Allen Center
A special opportunity to hear internationally acclaimed Steinway artist Orli Shaham up close at The Allen Center. This will be a truly incredible evening of music you won’t want to miss!

Orli Shaham
A consummate musician recognized for her grace, subtlety, and brilliance, the pianist Orli Shaham is hailed by critics on four continents. The New York Times called her a “brilliant pianist,” The Chicago Tribune referred to her as “a first-rate Mozartean, ”and London’s Guardian said Ms. Shaham’s playing at the Proms was “perfection.”
Orli Shaham has performed with many of the major orchestras around the world, and has appeared in recital internationally, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. She is Artistic Director of Pacific Symphony’s chamber series Café Ludwig in California since 2007 and was Artist-in-Residence at Vancouver Symphony (USA) 2022-24.
In 2025-26, Orli Shaham and Pacific Symphony release an album of American chamber music, including commissions by Margaret Brouwer and Avner Dorman, alongside works by Reena Esmail, Viet Cuong and others. Her 2024 set of the complete sonatas by Mozart received critical acclaim worldwide. Shaham’s discography includes over a dozen titles on Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Canary Classics and other labels.
Orli Shaham is on faculty at The Juilliard School and is a co-host and creative for the national radio program From the Top. She founded the interactive children’s concert series Orli Shaham’s Bach Yardin 2010, and is chair of the Board of Trustees of Kaufman Music Center.

Highland Glee Club presents Enchanted
2026-03-14 15:00 - 16:30 | Newton Highland Congregational Church, 54 Lincoln St, Newton Highlands, MA, 02494, United States
The Highland Glee Club Men’s Chorus and Music Director Sarah Robinson Seeber welcome you to our exploration of the mists, mysteries, and mysticism of the medieval and renaissance times, via chant and chant-inspired music- along with special guest artists, Lilium et Rosa women’s vocal quartet.
Saturday, March 14, 2026. 3:00 pm Doors open at 2:30 pm. Newton Highlands Congregational Church, 54 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands, MA.
General admission $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Children free of charge.

Commonwealth Chorale presents Comfort, Awe, and Hope
2026-03-08 16:00 - 18:00 | Second Church in Newton, 60 Highland St., West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Our March program brings Mozart’s Requiem in a new critically acclaimed edition by Howard Arman, paired with two stirring psalm settings by Brazilian composer Nunes Garcia—highlighting themes of mercy, judgment, and eternal rest. We will be joined by a professional orchestra.
Soloists: Maria Whitcomb, soprano, Laura Beth Couch, mezzo-soprano, Mathew McGinnis, tenor, and William Farrell, baritone.
Conducted by Artistic Director Dr. Michael Driscoll.
General Admission: $40; Students: $10
Purchase tickets online at https://commonwealthchorale.com/tickets or at the door.

Yuki Yoshimi at The Allen Center
2026-03-08 15:00 - 17:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Yuki Yoshimi
Sunday, March 8, 3:00 pm
Yuki Yoshimi brings an afternoon of Mozart, Bartók, and Schumann (program subject to change) to The Allen Center. Yoshimi gained national recognition after winning First Prize at the 86th Music Competition of Japan, becoming the youngest winner at age 17. He wowed us at The Allen Center Holiday Party and returns to the Great Hall stage to play the Steinway concert grand piano (thank you, M. Steinert & Sons) for a wider audience. This program is not to be missed!

Yuki Yoshimi
Yuki Yoshimi is a Tokyo-born pianist who first discovered the piano at the age of five and has pursued it passionately ever since. He is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music, where he studied with Hisako Ueno and Kei Itoh, and continued his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music under Alexander Korsantia.
Yoshimi gained national recognition after winning First Prize at the 86th Music Competition of Japan, becoming the youngest winner at age 17. His accolades include a Silver Medal at the Manhattan International Music Competition and semifinalist appearances at the Queen Elisabeth, Naumburg, and Gina Bachauer International Piano Competitions. He has appeared in recital at major venues across Japan and performed with leading orchestras in Japan and Europe.
