Newton Cultural Alliance

New Art Center presents Teen Build Your Art Portfolio class
2026-03-30 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-03-23 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-03-16 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-03-09 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-03-02 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-02-23 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-02-16 17:30 - 19:30, 2026-02-09 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | 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.

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.

The Allen Center presents From Scotland To America
2026-03-07 19:30 - 21:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
From Scotland to America
Saturday, March 7th, 7:30 pm, The Allen Center
The Allen Center presents a spirited evening of Scottish and American traditional tunes reimagined by Boston’s fiddling finest, Kathleen Parks, Jenna Moynihan, and friends. Expect an evening of high-energy music and camaraderie. This program, curated by none other than the irreplaceable Newton resident/former Berklee VP and authority on Scotland and its musical traditions, this program promises fun, excitement, and extraordinary music making! For this performance, The Allen Center will transform into a pub setting with appropriate food and beverage available.

Kathleen Parks
Kathleen Parks is a fiddler, singer, and songwriter known for her groove-driven sound and playful improvisational spirit. Rooted in Celtic and American traditions, her virtuosic fiddle and soulful vocals blend Pop, Folk, Jazz, and Americana into performances that feel both unexpected and familiar. She is a founding member of Twisted Pine, whose 2024 release Love Your Mind features Kathleen’s original songs and co-writes, and of the duo Kat & Brad. Kathleen has shared the stage with artists including Paula Cole, Aoife O’Donovan, The Punch Brothers, Jerry Douglas, and Sierra Hull. She appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2017 and was featured on the cover of Fiddler Magazine in 2022.

Jenna Moynihan
Jenna Moynihan is moving to become one of the best traditional fiddlers of her generation, teaching at multiple fiddle camps across the US and touring internationally. What’s making Moynihan so successful is both her masterful ability as a lead fiddler and also her fine sensibility to the power of the old tunes. She’s remarkably subtle at drawing out the melody of a tune, and at recognizing how each tune fits best into the acoustic grooves of her fiddle. Jenna is from Lakewood, New York, and is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. She performs in a duo with Scottish harpist, Mairi Chaimbeul, Seamus Egan Project, and The Hanneke Cassel Band, and has performed with The Milk Carton Kids, Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards, Darol Anger & The furies, Old Blind Dogs, and as a soloist at Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops. Jenna is an Assistant Professor in the String Department at Berklee College of Music.

The Allen Center presents From Scotland to America
2026-03-07 19:30 - 21:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
From Scotland to America
Saturday, March 7, 7:30 pm
The Allen Center presents a spirited evening of Scottish and American traditional tunes reimagined by Boston’s fiddling finest, Kathleen Parks, Jenna Moynihan, and Friends. Expect an evening of high energy music, and camaraderie.

Newton Presbyterian Church presents Planet in Sound: From Antarctica to Home
2026-03-07 19:00 - 20:00 | Newton Presbyterian Church, 75 Vernon St., Newton, MA, United States
About

Admission is free and we welcome donations!
Planet in Sound: From Antarctica to Home invites you on a musical journey across our planet’s most breathtaking landscapes, from the vast, frozen silence of Antarctica to the warmth and intimacy of human expression. Through music inspired by nature, earth, and belonging, this concert transforms the planet into a living soundscape, reminding us that even the most distant places are deeply connected to our inner world.
Praised by Sing Tao Daily for “bringing the audience into a different sound world with her vibrant tones,” pianist Anran Qian is a versatile and compelling artist whose performances have taken her across Asia, Europe, and North America. Joined by guitarist and composer Dr. Alberta Khoury, an Australian-born musician celebrated for her powerful artistry and praised by The New York Times as “a seven-minute tour de force,” the duo brings together two vivid musical voices united by imagination, depth, and storytelling.
Together, they create a concert experience that is both expansive and intimate: where ice meets earth, sound becomes landscape, and music becomes a bridge between the planet we explore and the home we carry within.

Frequently asked questions

What is the parking situation on site?

Our building has a parking lot available on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is also plenty of free street parking nearby.

Will you be hosting more concerts like this in the future?

Yes, we will be hosting more concerts like this in the future. The ArsNova concert series features a total of four concerts in the 2025-2026 season, and we invite you to subscribe to our mailing list at our concert venue to receive further updates.

How can I donate to support the ArsNova concert series?

We offer several convenient methods for donations to support the ArsNova concert series. You can contribute through donation boxes available at each concert venue, scan our Venmo QR code on site, or opt to offer a donation by check. Your donations will support artists and keep the series running!

About ArsNova Concert Series
Welcome to the ArsNova Concert Series, a celebration of music that bridges the gap between renowned classics and underrepresented gems. Our mission is to create a meaningful connection between talented musicians and our vibrant local audiences. We believe in the power of music to inspire, uplift, and bring communities together, and we invite you to be a part of this enriching experience.
Whether you’re a lifelong classical music enthusiast or a curious newcomer, the ArsNova Concert Series offers something for everyone. Come and experience the magic of live music in an intimate and welcoming setting.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Newton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Organizer

Newton Presbyterian Church

Newton Baroque presents Bringing it Home with Brescianello
2026-02-27 19:30 - 21:30 | Nathaniel Topliff Allen House, 35 Webster St., Newton, M, 02465, United States
Newton Baroque presents music of the Stuttgart Court.
Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello (ca. 1690 to 1758) grew up in Bologna and spent much of his career at the courts of Munich and Stuttgart. His Concerti a tre are richly imaginative trio sonatas that combine the intimacy of chamber music with the brilliance of concerto-style violin writing. Each work functions like a concerto for two violins, unfolding without the support of a full orchestra.
Like many Italian musicians who were recruited to German courts in the eighteenth century, Brescianello is not widely known today. In his own time, however, he was highly respected, particularly for his violin concertos. These works offer a vivid glimpse into the cosmopolitan musical life of the German courts and showcase a distinctive voice at the crossroads of Italian virtuosity and German refinement.
More information available at https://www.newtonbaroque.org/

Suzuki Preschool of Newton Open House
2026-02-26 16:00 - 17:30 | Suzuki School of Newton, 1615 Beacon St, Waban, MA, 02468, United States
Our classrooms will be open and set up with arts and crafts projects you and your children to engage with. There will also be a violin demo by one of our violin group classes from the Music School, so please be sure to stop by and hear our students play!

West Newton Cinema presents Behind the Screen: All God's Children
2026-02-22 13:00 - 15:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
In an unprecedented attempt to heal centuries of racism and antisemitism, and combat the rising racial and ethnic tension in their Brooklyn communities, the largest reform synagogue and the oldest black Baptist Church attempt to unite their congregations and bring about peace, by becoming family. Shot over five years by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ondi Timoner, ALL GOD’S CHILDREN follows her sister, activist Rabbi Rachel Timoner, and her Congregation Beth Elohim’s partnership with Reverend Dr. Robert Waterman of Antioch Baptist Church as their faith is put to the test, and both congregations struggle not to let their differences drive them apart. Though it’s a fraught partnership, they refuse to walk away, no matter how hard it gets, and ultimately emerge with an inspiring model for how other communities might build bridges across religious, economic and class divides to foster enduring, powerful partnerships.
PANEL DISCUSSION FOLLOWS
REVEREND ELIJAH GIPSON-DAVIS
The Rev. Elijah Gipson-Davis, a native of Riverdale, Georgia, was ordained into the Gospel ministry at the New Macedonia Baptist Church. An anointed preacher, talented scholar, and skilled administrator, he currently serves as the Minister of Administration and Assistant to the Pastor at the Myrtle Baptist Church of West Newton, Massachusetts. Rev. Elijah shares academic interests in religion, specifically African American and North American religious history, gender and sexuality, congregational studies, Christian education, and liturgics.
RABBI TIFERET BERENBAUM
Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum received Rabbinic Ordination and a Master’s in Jewish Education from Hebrew College in 2013, after spending a year in Israel as part of her studies. Rav Tiferet served congregations in Milwaukee, WI and Mt. Holly, New Jersey, then returned home to Boston and TBZ in 2019. Always desiring to continue to learn, she is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.
MODERATED BY: JAYMIE SAKS
Jaymie is the Director of Development at 2LifeCommunities and served for more than a decade as executive director of Boston Jewish Film (BJF) and was chief operating officer of the Jewish Women’s Archive.

Lydian String Quartet at The Allen Center
2026-02-19 19:30 - 21:00 | 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.

West Newton Cinema presents Night Fight
2026-02-19 19:00 - 20:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Night Fight is a hybrid documentary, nonfiction framed with creative, cinematic storytelling directed and edited by Khary Saeed Jones. The film emerges from a harrowing incident in 2017 when Jones was followed by a racist vigilante along back roads in rural Canada. Over time, that encounter cast a long shadow over his life, prompting a deep, introspective journey to understand not just what happened, but how it shaped him.
Rather than a conventional documentary, Night Fight weaves together Jones’s personal reflections, self-portrait video fragments, and interviews with academics, artists, and writers about racial violence, memory, and psychological impact. The narrative oscillates between the literal journey back to the site of the incident and an emotional, internal journey toward meaning and healing.
Described as a candid, nuanced, and deeply personal film, Night Fight confronts systemic and interpersonal racial violence and discrimination. It engages with the challenge of sharing an internal reality that is both singular and emblematic of broader collective experiences.
Join us for a post-film discussion with the filmmaker Khary Jones.
Khary Saeed Jones is an award-winning filmmaker, editor, and Professor of the Practice in Drama, Film, and Performance Studies at Tufts University, where he teaches screen storytelling and mentors students in both documentary and scripted projects. Jones holds an MFA in Film Directing and an MA in English from Columbia University, as well as a BA in English from Morehouse College.
His work as a writer-director explores the tensions between fiction, memory, and lived experience, and has screened at major festivals and cultural venues including Sundance, SXSW, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and ICA Boston.

West Newton Cinema presents Mary Pickford's Sparrows: Live Music Accompaniment
2026-02-15 14:00 - 16:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
Join us for a screening of Mary Pickford’s, SPARROWS (1926) with live musical accompaniment.
ABOUT THE FILM:
Molly, the eldest child at a baby farm hidden deep in a swamp, must rescue the others when their cruel master decides that one of them will be disposed of.
LIVE MUSIC
BRUCE VOGT
Bruce Vogt is a Canadian pianist who has devoted a distinguished career to performing and teaching. He has toured cities and towns of all sizes throughout North America, Europe, and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician. He has mentored generations of young artists in his role as professor of piano at the University of Victoria, and has lectured widely, leading master classes, workshops, and adjudicating for festivals.
Bruce has sustained an interest in exploring the many conversations to be found between music and film, literature and painting. This has evolved into an unusual side hustle: improvising accompaniments for the great films of the silent era. He has developed a robust career in this multimedia sphere bringing sound to many masterpieces — by Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, Griffith, Sjöström, Von Sternberg and many others. In movie theaters across Europe, Asia, and North America, he has provided for audiences a greater intimacy with these films, transforming the silence of the medium into another sphere.

Pro Arte presents Salon Series: Czech Please!
2026-02-08 15:00 - 17:00 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Salon Series: Czech Please!
Sunday, February 8, 3:00 pm
Escape the February doldrums for an afternoon at The Allen Center with Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. Take a trip to Prague, with Anton Reicha’s Wind Quintet in D, composed in 1818. Reicha, a friend of Beethoven, was one of the first composers to popularize this ensemble. Enjoy this chamber music concert series, which features the bass clarinet in Janacek’s Mladi (Youth), a charming piece filled with Moravian folk melodies and unbridled joy.

West Newton presents Behind the Screen: Sinners
2026-02-08 13:00 - 15:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
SINNERS is a genre-defying period horror drama written and directed by Ryan Coogler, set in 1932 Mississippi during the Jim Crow era. The story follows twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore, portrayed by Michael B. Jordan in dual roles, who return to their hometown to open a juke joint for the local Black community, only to find that an ancient, supernatural evil threatens their celebration and their lives. The film blends Southern Gothic, blues music, historical memory, and supernatural horror, creating a richly layered narrative about community, survival, and cultural expression.
POST SCREENING PANEL DISCUSSION
Our panel will explore the film’s fusion of music, history, and horror, considering how SINNERS engages with African-American cultural traditions, the symbolic role of blues music in confronting evil, and the artistic choices that make the film a singular cinematic experience.
JAKE BLOUNT, A.M.
Musician, Scholar, and Music Consultant on SINNERS;
Specialist in Traditional African-American Music and Afrofuturism
Jake Blount is an award-winning musician and scholar whose work bridges performance, research, and advocacy. He specializes in African-American traditional music and Afrofuturist approaches, and his recordings have appeared on best-of lists from NPR, The New Yorker, and Rolling Stone. Blount served as a music consultant on SINNERS and his work often interrogates the cultural and historical roots of American music.
JOEL LARUE SMITH, Ph.D.
Associate Teaching Professor, Tufts, Pianist, Composer, Arranger
Joel LaRue Smith has been the Director of the Tufts Jazz Orchestra (formerly the Big Band) and Jazz Activities at Tufts University since 1996. He is also a pianist and composer known for moving seamlessly between jazz, classical, gospel, and Afro-Cuban repertoire. He has performed globally at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Royal Albert Hall, and has received numerous awards including ASCAP’s distinguished George and Ira Gershwin Award.
BILL LOWE, Ph.D.
Composer, Performer, Educator; Leader of Signifyin’ Natives
Bill Lowe is a distinguished bassist trombonist, tuba player, composer, and educator with decades of experience in creative music. His ensemble Signifyin’ Natives explores African-American musical traditions through improvisation and collaboration, and Lowe has performed and taught extensively throughout the United States and internationally.

Spark Newton presents Jazz Concert with George Russell, Jr. and Friends!
2026-02-07 19:30 - 21:00 | War Memorial Auditorium, 1000 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, 02459, United States
Please note the venue has changed for this event to Newton City Hall’s war memorial auditorium. Get ready to groove at the George Russell, Jr. and Friends, Free Jazz Concert! This in-person event brings together some amazing jazz talents for a night full of smooth tunes and good vibes. Whether you’re a jazz lover or just looking for a chill evening, come join us and enjoy the rhythms live at The Allen Center. It’s all about music, friends, and a great atmosphere. Beverages available for purchase before and during show. Don’t miss out—see you there!
In the event of a sell out, we will have a waitlist for any unclaimed tickets. Any unclaimed reserved tickets will be released five minutes before showtime.

West Newton Cinema presents An Evening with John Sayles
2026-02-07 16:00 - 18:30 | West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington Street, West Newton, MA, 02465, United States
West Newton Cinema Reads & Newtonville Books present:
The iconic filmmaker John Sayles reading from and discussing his new novel, The Crucible, along with his classic film, City of Hope, with Here & Now’s Robin Young.
Join director John Sayles as he reads from his new novel, The Crucible, following a screening of his riveting film, City of Hope (1991).
In The Crucible, Henry Ford—the Elon Musk of his day—aims to rule both an automotive empire and the rambunctious city of Detroit. In an epic tale ranging from the Prohibition Era to the Second World War, featuring violent labor disputes, misbegotten jungle expeditions, a tragic race riot, and the gestapo tactics of Ford’s private army, Sayles does what he’s become famous for: shows us, through multiple perspectives, the country in which we live.
In City of Hope, an old apartment complex stands in the way of a major commercial development. Its owner, Joe, feels pressure to torch it, and Joe’s estranged son, Nick, soon becomes a pawn in the game. Following the arrest of two teenagers, idealistic city councilman Wynn finds himself torn between what he thinks is right, and what his Black constituents want.
Sayles and Young will walk us through this incredible cast of characters and the themes that make both The Crucible and City of Hope so crucial to understanding our current moment. Their talk will follow with a signing in the lobby, with books for sale courtesy of Newtonville Books.
John Sayles is an independent filmmaker, screenwriter, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and once for the National Book Award. He has written eight novels, including, most recently, Jamie MacGillivray and To Save the Man.
Robin Young is a host of Here and Now, the nationally syndicated radio program produced by WBUR. A Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Robin has been a correspondent for ABC, CBS, NBC, and the Discovery Channel. She is a former guest host of The Today Show and one of the first hosts on Boston’s ground-breaking television show, Evening Magazine.

The Colgate 13
2026-02-06 19:30 - 21:30 | The Allen Center, 35 Webster St, WEST NEWTON, MA, 02465, United States
Get ready to be blown away by the incredible harmonies and vocal talents of Colgate 13 A Cappella at The Allen Center!

The Colgate 13 is Colgate University’s premier all-male a cappella ensemble, renowned for its rich harmonies, dynamic performances, and deep musical tradition. The group is the longest running all-male undergraduate collegiate a cappella group in the United States. Founded in 1942, the group has spent more than seven decades delighting audiences with a signature sound that blends classic vocal jazz, contemporary hits, folk, pop, and timeless standards.
Comprised of 13 undergraduate singers selected through a highly competitive audition process, The Colgate 13 is known not only for vocal excellence, but also for its infectious energy, warmth, and connection with audiences of all ages. Their concerts are engaging, family-friendly, and often infused with humor, storytelling, and heartfelt musical moments that make each performance feel personal and memorable.
Beyond campus, The Colgate 13 tours nationally and internationally, performing at schools, libraries, community venues, retirement communities, hospitals, athletic events, private parties, and alumni gatherings. Whether on a grand stage or in an intimate setting, the group brings professionalism, polish, and joy, making them a favorite among hosts and audiences alike.
A Colgate 13 isn’t just a performance, it’s an experience rooted in tradition, camaraderie, and a genuine love of singing together! We can’t wait for you to experience them at The Allen Center.
The Allen Center has limited seating capacity- a seating reservation is required for this event! Follow the Eventbrite link below.
