Newton Cultural Alliance

New Art Center presents Teen Build Your Art Portfolio class
2026-05-11 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-05-18 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-05-25 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-01 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-08 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-15 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-22 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-29 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) and 10 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.

The Allen Center presents Kathryn Gearon Artist Reception
2026-05-12 18:30 - 20:30 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Join us for a lovely reception to view and enjoy Kathryn Gearon’s paintings, on view in The Allen Center galleries April and May of 2026. Providence native Kathryn Gearon is a painter, teacher and an advocate for the arts. She has been painting for over 20 years, and received her BFA from Rhode Island College in 2001, and a MFA from The Museum School of Fine Arts at Tufts, in 2018. She has exhibited her work extensively in galleries and public venues throughout Southern New England.
About Standing Still:
“My practice is rooted in drawing and painting, yet it is the process that drives the work. Moving between abstract painting, sculpture, and installation, I explore landscapes in all their forms — urban, geographical, imagined, and emotional — as well as the environmental forces that shape them. These layered terrains become metaphors for the equally complex architectures within us: neural pathways, networks of memory, and the lingering imprints of generational influence. Urban spaces, with their weathered walls and shifting surfaces, are a constant reference point. They are palimpsests — marked by grime, graffiti, and rust — where each layer obscures the last while laying the foundation for what is to come. This continual cycle of erasure and renewal parallels the way memory, experience, and history accumulate in the human mind. I see remembered mark-making as a form of storytelling — each gesture a fragment of narrative that connects the past to the present. In this way, my work weaves together personal and collective histories, exploring how generational legacies shape identity while also carving out space for autonomy and self-definition. Through processes of layering, obscuring, and revealing, I consider which marks are allowed to remain visible and which become invisible yet essential, forming the substrate for future gestures. My work invites reflection on how the landscapes we inhabit — both external and internal — are in a constant state of transformation, shaped by time, environment, and the unseen forces of the past.” -Kathryn Gearon
Kathryn Gearon online: https://www.kathryn-gearon.com/

The Allen Center Presents Brush & Lens: Artist Talk with Peter Vanderwarker and Sam Belisle
2026-05-14 18:30 - 20:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Join us for a compelling lecture demonstration on the dynamic interplay between painting and photography— and go behind the scenes with two of Newton’s most celebrated artists, Peter Vanderwarker and Sam Belisle, for a rare glimpse into their creative processes. All attendees will be entered to win one of two signed Peter Vanderwarker prints. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Click here to register.

Commonwealth Chorale presents Spirit, Passion, Defiance – Let’s Tango!
2026-05-16 19:00 - 21:00
Spirit, Passion, Defiance – Let’s Tango!
Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 7 PM
Alberto Ginastera: Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah
Various: Tango works with tango orchestra and dancers
Martín Palmeri: Misa a Buenos Aires (“Misatango”)
with strings, piano, bandoneon, and tango dancers!
Laura Beth Couch, mezzo-soprano
Alex Roitman, bandoneon

Cherry Street Music Presents Ari & Mia
2026-05-16 19:00 - 21:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Sister duo Ari Friedman (cello & voice) and Mia Friedman (fiddle & voice) bring their chamber-folk magic to the stage in a special CD release celebration! Hailed as “strikingly beautiful, distinctive and exhilarating” (No Depression), Ari & Mia weave original compositions with Southern and Northeastern fiddle traditions and the early American songbook into something entirely their own. Don’t miss this wonderful Cherry Street Music performance at The Allen Center!
Click here for tickets.

Commonwealth Chorale presents Spirit, Passion, Defiance – Let’s Tango!
2026-05-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Michael Driscoll School Auditorium, 725 Washington Street, Brookline, M, 02446, United States
We end our 50th season with a bold Latin American program: Palmeri’s electrifying Misatango pulses with tango rhythms and passion, while Ginastera’s Lamentations evokes spiritual exile and sorrow. Dancers and a tango ensemble add visual and musical fire, concluding a season rich in reflection, intensity, and jubilant expression. Featuring soloists Laura Beth Couch, mezzo-soprano and Alex Roitman, bandoneonist.
Conducted by Artistic Director Dr. Michael Driscoll
General Admission $40; Students $10; EBT/WIC Cards – Free at Door

Newton Cemetery & Arboretum presents Artist Talk with Kasey Kaufman
2026-05-17 14:00 - 15:30 | Newton Cemetery and Arboretum, 791 Walnut St, Newton, Massachusetts, 02459, United States
Meet this years’ Artist in Residence at Newton Cemetery & Arboretum, Kasey Kaufman. Kasey will talk about her residency and the inspiration for her project, The Memory Quilt, which will be on display. The talk will take place in the Chapel. Parking is available in the adjacent parking lot.
Suggested donation: $15 ~ Register in advance ~ Space is limited!
Click here to register.

Pro Arte presents A German Requiem
2026-05-17 15:00 - 17:00 | Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
A GERMAN REQUIEM

May 17, 2026

3:00PM

Cary Hall

1605 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA, USA

DIRECTIONS

Musical Program

JONATHAN BAILEY HOLLAND The Nature of Lost Time (world Premiere)
JOHANNES BRAMS Ein deutsches Requiem, Op. 45

TICKETS

Don’t miss this special event in May with conductor Kevin Leong, the Concord Chorus, and the Masterworks Chorale! Pro Arte joins soprano Carley DeFranco, baritone Dana Whiteside, and 150 voices in Johannes Brahms’s transcendent Ein deutsches Requiem. The concert also features the world premiere of a new work by American composer Jonathan Bailey Holland, a recent Guggenheim Fellow and the current dean of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click the ticket link above or visist Masterworks Choral’s website.

Cherry Street Music presents Allison Eldredge & Pei-Shan Lee
2026-05-17 15:00 - 17:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Honor the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death with an extraordinary evening of classical music! Cellist Allison Eldredge and pianist Pei-Shan Lee perform his celebrated cello sonatas — works renowned for their emotional depth, technical brilliance, and bold, innovative structures that offer a profound window into Beethoven’s humanity and genius. This performance is part of The Allen Center’s Cherry Street Music concert series with artistic director Allison Eldredge.
Click here for tickets.

Strawberry Festival 2026
2026-05-28 18:30 - 21:30 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL 2026

The Newton Cultural Alliance is happy to announce this year’s 12th annual Strawberry Festival on Thursday, May 28th from 6:30 – 9:30 pm. This year’s Strawberry Festival reveals Newton’s best-kept secrets and the hidden gems of our community. You can expect tasting events with wine and chocolate, signature cocktails, fabulous music, a raise the paddle event, and a silent auction. Mark your calendars for the year’s most anticipated social soiree! Please view our Strawberry Festival website for single tickets and corporate sponsorship opportunities.

Get Your Strawberry Festival Tickets Here

The Carroll Center for the Blind presents 14th Annual Walk for Independence!
2026-05-30 09:00 - 12:00 | Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst, 100 Carlson Ave, Newton, M, 02459, United States
Join Us for the 14th Annual Walk for Independence!
The 14th Annual Walk for Independence is happening Saturday, May 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst (100 Carlson Avenue, Newton, MA)!
This free event invites you to walk to raise funds for vision loss and celebrate our community coming together to improve the lives of people with vision loss. Attendees will complete a 1, 2, or 3-mile walk around the Mount Ida campus, followed by activities for all ages!
Event Timeline:
– Registration: 9:00 a.m.
– Walk Kick-Off: 10:00 a.m.
– Post-Walk BBQ & Activities: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Event Highlights:
– Free BBQ & Popcorn
– Accessible Activities
– Assistive Technology Demonstrations
– Event Emcee: Sam Seavey, founder of The Blind Life
– And more!
Learn More & Register Today: carroll.org/walk

New Phil presents Family Concert: Family Faves
2026-05-31 15:00 - 16:30 | First Baptist Church in Newton, 848 Beacon St, Newton, MA, 02459, United States
Family Concert: Family Faves
May 31, 2026

Program to be announced. Concert includes an Instrument Petting Zoo, kids crafts, and more!

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First Baptist Church

Get Tickets
$10 – $20

Cherry Street Music Presents The Black Feathers
2026-06-06 19:30 - 21:30 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Back by popular demand, Welsh folk duo The Black Feathers return to The Allen Center’s Cherry Street Music concert series. Serenading audiences with original songs that feel both modern and ancient, you won’t want to miss these globe-trotting, talented troubadours. This Linda Plaut Festival of the Arts program is generously supported by Spark Newton in partnership with The City of Newton.
Click here for tickets!
