‘Jaja’s African Hair Braiding’ showcases the joys and struggles of immigrants in America
The SpeakEasy Stage's production of the Tony Award-winning play centers hair braiders and their lives over one day in the salon in which they work.
Music & Culture Events
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VirtualExplorers: A New History with Matthew Lockwood
Prize-winning historian Matthew Lockwood looks at the impulse to explore, the travels of Pocahontas, Columbus, Sacagawea, and Captain Cook alongside others who rightfully deserve the title of “explorers” including immigrants and fugitive slaves.
According to Lockwood, people of every background imagine new worlds. The impulse to seek new places is universal to humanity. In his new book, “Explorers,” he unfurls a tapestry of surprising and historically overlooked travelers spanning forty centuries and six continents. His illustrated talk will share the stories of such seekers as David Dorr, born into slavery in New Orleans who embarked on a Grand Tour or Europe and Egypt, and the Viking female voyager Gudrid Far-Traveler, who sailed to North America in 1000 AD; among other pioneers.Partner:American Ancestors -
In Person
The Ulysses Quartet at The Boston Public Library (May 2025)
Join GBH Music's quartet in residence, the Ulysses Quartet, for a performance at the Boston Public Library! -
In PersonVirtual
GBH Music Presents JazzNOW: Gabrielle Goodman in tribute to Ella Fitzgerald
GBH Music and JazzBoston close the 2025 JazzNOW series with a tribute to jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald, featuring acclaimed Boston-based vocalist Gabrielle Goodman. Ella Fitzgerald, celebrated for her groundbreaking scat improvisation, impeccable vocal technique, and definitive interpretations of the Great American Songbook, redefined jazz over her 60-year career, earning 13 Grammys and breaking barriers for women and Black artists. Gabrielle Goodman and her band honor Fitzgerald’s legacy with fresh interpretations of the works that made her "The First Lady of Song." A professor at Berklee College of Music, Goodman is a versatile artist whose career spans jazz, R&B, classical, and gospel. She has performed with legends like Chaka Khan, Nancy Wilson, and Roberta Flack, who calls her "one of the finest singers today." Goodman has released six acclaimed albums, including Travelin' Light and Until We Love on the Verve label, and was paired with Ella Fitzgerald recordings on a compilation album from Verve. She has also performed internationally at major jazz festivals.
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Culture in the News
New book spotlights Madam C.J. Walker’s daughter A’Lelia, who forged her own path
The daughter of America's first Black millionaire became the “joy goddess” of Harlem in the 1920s.
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New report finds a coordinated rise in attempted book bans
Throughout the 2021-22 school year, more than 1,600 book titles were banned, according to a new report by the group PEN America, which advocates for… -
Open Studio: Race in America as seen through artists’ eyes
Open Studio with Jared Bowen takes viewers inside the creative process. -
Book Club: Kevin Nguyen's "New Waves"
Our September pick for "Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club."
GBH Music
More Culture Programs
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Episode 5, Season 3<br> Is Pop-Punk Coming Back?
Explore pop punk’s popularity. FeFe Dobson helps us answer the question, “Why now?”| 12:53 -
Episode 4, Season 3<br> you can say that again, billie, by Evie Shockley
Cassandra Wilson, Elisa New & more read Evie Shockley’s “you can say that again, billie.”| 25:22 -
Episode 26, Season 10<br> "Loomings: Christopher Volpe" and Playwright Lydia Diamond
"Loomings: Christopher Volpe" and Playwright Lydia Diamond on "The Bluest Eye"| 26:46 -
René Pape performs Scene VII of Boris Godunov
René Pape performs a section of the final scene of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov.| 2:29
