Boston, MA

Boston Pops spotlights modern masters in new season

Published

6 months ago

May 2, 2024

Boston Pops spotlights modern masters in new season

When Keith Lockhart became the Boston Pops conductor in 1995, the orchestra had a pretty obvious fan base and repertoire.

“When I came in, sales at the Boston Pops were over 60 percent group sales,” Lockhart told the Herald. “A lot of (the sales) were 50 people at a time from the Rotary Club in Gilford, New Hampshire.”

Now, to be clear, Lockhart would love for 50 people from the Rotary Club, any Rotary Club, to come see something on the 2024 calendar, which starts May 10. But he’s happy the Pops now reaches a wide-ranging audience with wide-ranging tastes.

“If you looked at who was in the audience and what they were expecting to hear in 1995-96 and now, without looking at the incremental steps over time, the differences are flabbergasting,” Lockhart said.

Maybe because today’s Pops defies expectations. Oh, sure, in every season there’s guaranteed to be nights devoted to Broadway, classic jazz, and blockbuster film scores. But even those standards have been tweaked.

The 2024 season’s Broadway program takes a look at modern masters with numbers exclusively from 21st-century Tony-winning musicals, including selections from “The Band’s Visit,” “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Hadestown,” “A Strange Loop,” and “Hamilton.” They’ll be lots of jazz but it will typically show up in surprising spots (Glenn Miller swing in “The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to V-E Day;” Branford Marsalis’ concerts exploring an overlap between jazz and classical). No “Star Wars” scores, but John Williams will be represented at a “Jurassic Park” night.

“I’m excited about a lot of things, Sutton Foster, Harry Connick Jr, and I’ve worked with them before and they are gold standard performers,” Lockhart said. “But I’m really excited about the ‘Eyes of the World’ program. I love that we are doing our first ever Pride Night concert with Thorgy Thor.”

Lockhart admits he’s not a big “RuPaul’s Drag Race” person, but he’s been wowed by drag queen Thor’s talent — “She’s just stunning, and you’d expect her to be fun and a little over the top, but on top of that she’s a really, really incredible violinist,” he said of the “Drag Race” alum.

All in all, the season is packed with the sublime and odd. There’s a in-concert film screening of “Encanto” with a live soundtrack. Marc Martel & One Vision of Queen join the orchestra for a symphonic blowout of the rock gods’ catalog. And the Gospel Night spectacular Grammy-winning a cappella group Take 6 ends the season.

“Some people want to be challenged, some people want to be entertained, so it’s amazing to me how much we’ve moved away from one-size-fits-all programming and toward something very bespoke,” Lockhart said. “Fortunately, the Pops is a flexible enough vehicle to encompass all these worlds. And I have to say, (these types of seasons) makes it more fun for us.” #

For tickets and details, visit bso.org.

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Boston, MA

Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Two Superstars To Boston Red Sox

Published

9 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Press Room

Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Two Superstars To Boston Red Sox

The Chicago White Sox are expected to field offers for their two best players, Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet, this winter. Both of these stars would net quite the return in a trade. But what if Chicago dealt the two as a package in the same trade?

That’s exactly what Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller has pitched. Miller recently proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Robert and Crochet to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a few top prospects.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 25: Luis Robert, Jr. #88 of the Chicago White Sox bats in a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 25, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

Matt Dirksen/Getty Images

Here’s the deal that Miller proposed:

Red Sox receive: OF Luis Robert Jr., LHP Garrett Crochet
White Sox receive: OF Roman Anthony, SS Franklin Arias. RHP David Sandlin

Anthony, Boston’s top-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, slashed .291/.396/.498 split between two levels of the minor leagues. He’s the crown jewel of the trade as he projects to be a superstar in the big leagues.

Arias, 18, is Boston’s sixth-ranked prospect and one of the top international prospects from the 2023 class. He’s a defensive-minded shortstop who hit very well in pro ball last season.

Sandlin, 23, has solid offerings across the board, but he’s a bit older than the prospects that Chicago wants to add.

Adding both Crochet and Robert would be expensive for Boston, but it would immediately place it in contention for the AL East crown. The Red Sox would also have free agency to continue to add, where they could look to add bullpen help and another starter.

More MLB: Guardians Announce 2024 All-Star Undergoes Elbow Surgery With 6-8 Month Return Timeline

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Boston Jewish Film Festival boosts lineup for 36th year

Published

18 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Press Room

Boston Jewish Film Festival boosts lineup for 36th year

For the 36th Boston Jewish Film Festival, opening Wednesday and running through Nov. 17, bigger is indeed better.

“The scope is bigger than years past,” Artistic Director Joey Katz allowed in a Zoom interview. This BJFF has 20 film premieres. They include eight fiction features, six feature documentaries and eight short films (including the FreshFlix Short Film Competition). Nine films are made by women, seven have LGBTQ+ content. And no fewer than 30 guests will be on hand to exhibit and discuss the wide-ranging material that makes this 36 so distinctive.

Shira Piven’s “The Performance,” Katz said, “is a quintessential opening night film. Based on an Arthur Miller short story, it’s set in 1937 and is about a Jewish tap-dancing troupe who get booked for the Fuhrer. It’s all about identity, passion and what people may or don’t do to achieve success in an artistic endeavor.”

Preceding the film’s screening at the Coolidge Corner’s main movie house, he noted, is something special: A tap dance performance.

“It’s indicative that we’re adding these performances or music to elevate the experience and allow people to immerse themselves in the world where these films are.”

That something extra continues with a dynamic drag show before “Sabbath Queen” at the Brattle. This marks the return of director Sandi DuBowski whose hit “Trembling Before G-d” played the 2001 BJFF.

You’re invited to join Chef Jerrod Perry and Chef Tali Pinnolis and learn how to make your challah. While your challah rises, enjoy an exclusive screening of Sarah Rosen’s 12-minute FreshFlix entry, “How to Make Challah!”

The midfest entry “Yaniv,” Katz explained, “is about a couple of teachers in New York City who get involved in illegal card gambling to pay for their spring musical. It’s a raucous comedy and after the film at Congregation Kehillath Israel, people can learn to play the card game — not for money! But with food, drink and music that is really exciting.”

Following “Yaniv” a conversation with co-writer/director Amnon Carmi and co-writer/actor Benjamin Ducoff, a BU alumnus.

Board president Ken Shulman’s personal favorite is “Pepi Fandango” (at the Center for Arts in Natick, Nov. 11). “He’s close to 90, known as Pepi and with his best friend they do a geriatric road trip, all the way to Spain to look for a certain type of flamenco music he heard when he was in a French concentration camp.

“It’s a fun movie and is preceded by a fandango guitar performance to set the mood by Francesco Barone, who lives in Lexington and teaches at Wayland School of Music.”

Tickets are only available online, at bostonjfilm.org (with credit card only). No refunds or exchanges.

A scene from “Bad Shabbos,” part of the lineup for the 36th Boston Jewish Film Festival. (Photo courtesy Boston Jewish Film Festival)

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Two Boston city councilors express concerns with Council president’s ‘conduct in meetings’

Published

1 day ago

November 4, 2024

Press Room

Two Boston city councilors express concerns with Council president’s ‘conduct in meetings’

Two Boston city councilors have penned a formal letter of concern to the city clerk about the Council president’s “conduct in meetings,” particularly in terms of the “perceived bias” that is said to be shown in her interactions with certain councilors.

Originally Published: November 4, 2024 at 5:59 PM EST

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