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Four smiling people in the center of a colorful graphic with the words "The Culture Show" written beneath them
Weekdays from 2 to 3 p.m.

GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen and a rotating panel of cultural correspondents and co-hosts provide an expansive look at society through art, culture and entertainment, driving conversations about how listeners experience culture across music, movies, fashion, TV, art, books, theater, dance, food and more. To share your opinion, email thecultureshow@wgbh.org or call/text 617-300-3838.

The show also airs on CAI, the Cape, Coast and Islands NPR station.

Come see The Culture Show LIVE at the  GBH BPL Studio  every Friday at 2pm, and streaming on  GBH News YouTube .

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Listen to previous shows

  • Two time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole joins The Culture Show to preview “I'll Be Home For Christmas.” By way of Broadway in Worcester, Christine Ebersole and Grammy Award winning pianist Billy Stritch will celebrate the holidays together in a show that features the greatest hits of their twenty year partnership going all the way back to “42nd Street” on Broadway when they first met. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is onstage Wednesday, December 11th at 7:30 at the Jean McDonough Arts Center / BrickBox Theater, 20 Franklin Street, Worcester, MA 01608. From there it;s a holiday celebration at New England Conservatory by way of their family-friendly choral and winds concert showcasing popular holiday tunes, seasonal sweaters, Santa hats, and a singalong. The concert features NEC Chamber Singers, NEC Symphonic Winds, and Navy Band Northeast, led by conductors Erica J. Washburn, William Drury, and Lt. David Harbuziuk. Erica J. Washburn, Director of Choral Activities at the New England Conservatory, and members of NEC Chamber Singers join The Culture Show for a preview. The concert is tonight at 7:30 at Jordan Hall. They will also be performing at Mechanics Hall on December 11th, 12:00-1:00. To learn more about upcoming NEC concerts go here.Finally artist Katy Rodden Walker joins The Culture Show to talk about “Community BLOOMS.” a community focused art and science project that raises awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans, waterways, and food chains, and the natural phenomena of jellyfish blooms. It’s on view at New Bedford Whaling Museum through April 21, 2025.
  • Today on The Culture Show Edgar B. Herwick III, James Bennett II and Lisa Simmons go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, this week Mayor Wu announced that the city is expanding its pilot program giving Boston students free access to select arts and culture institutions. Starting in January, it’ll be offered to all Boston students, with more free days and even more institutions participating. From there, famed writer Steven King is sending his independent radio stations to the Dead Zone. After 41 years of operating them, he’s giving Maine the silent treatment, citing sustained financial losses.And, it’s a renaissance in Paris. After going up in flames, Notre Dame Cathedral is set to reopen this Sunday after undergoing a five-year restoration.
  • For over 25 years The Pipes of Christmas has been a cherished holiday event, performing concerts that celebrate the Christmas season and the Celtic spirit. Next Thursday at Old South Church they will be making their Boston debut in a concert honoring Brian O’Donovan, and the holiday tradition he created: A Christmas Celtic Sojourn. Lindsay O’Donovan, the wife of Brian O’Donavan. She was central to A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, on the stage and behind the scenes. Lindsay O’Donovan, The Pipes of Christmas Executive Producer Bob Currie and vocalist and musician, Madelyn Monaghan join The Culture Show. To learn more about the concert go here.From there James Bennett II joins The Culture Show to talk about his recent reporting on a missing masterpiece at the Boston Public Library and one of John Singer Sargent’s controversial works.Finally, Just in time for the holidays, Berklee College of Music’s Signature Series presents “Singers Showcase: One Sweet Day–The Music Of Mariah Carey. It is an immersive, highly produced event showcasing the craft and artistry of Berklees students who are breathing new life into the Mariah Carey canon. The event features special musical guest Taylor Deneen, who graduated from Berklee in 2021. Taylor Deneen and Anthony Burrell, an Associate Professor of Dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Mariah Carey’s former creative director, choreographer, and dancer consultant, join The Culture Show. The performances are December 5th and DEcember 6th at 8:00 at Berklee Performance Center.To learn more and to get tickets go here.
  • Today, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Boston Family Days, an expansion of the successful BPS Sundays pilot program, which gave Boston Public Schools students and their families free access to several cultural institutions throughout Boston. With today’s announcement, Mayor Wu has expanded this free access experience to include all Boston school-aged children K-12 and their families and three new cultural institutions. Mayor Wu joined The Culture Show to talk about this expansion.From there, Front Porch Arts Collective is back with another serving of “Holiday Feast.” Christmastime episodes from four Black-led TV comedies of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s — “A Different World,” “Amen,” “Family Matters,” and “The Jeffersons” — are performed live in staged readings. Actor Maurice Parent and Dawn M. Simmons, a Co-Producing Artistic Director of Front Porch Arts Collective, joinThe Culture Show.Finally J.D. Scrimgeour joins us to talk about his vision as Salem’s inaugural Poet Laureate. He’s an English professor at Salem State, and the author of five collections of poetry, which includes Banana Bread and Lifting the Turtle. As a dedicated advocate for the arts, he helped establish the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in Salem and he directs the Salem Poetry Seminar, helping future poets.
  • Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart joins The Culture Show for an overview of the Holiday Pops, which kicks off a series of concerts this Thursday December 5th. This year offers everything from the annual performance of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” to “Home Alone” in Concert to a New Year’s Eve Celebration with Bernadette Peters. To learn about the Holiday Pops season go here.From there, James Beard Award-winning chef Christina Tosi joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book, “Bake Club: 101 Must-Have Moves for Your Kitchen,” a collection of down-to-earth, sweet and savory recipes inspired by the online community “Bake Club” that Tosi created during the pandemic. She will be at the Brattle Theatre tonight for a book event presented by Harvard Bookstore. To learn more go here. Christina Tosi is a New York Times best-selling author, founder of Milk Bar and host of “Bake Squad."Finally, Grace Elton, CEO of New England Botanic Garden joins The Culture Show to talk about their annual holiday display, "Night Lights: Color Cascade" which is on view through January 5th. To learn more, go here.