Culture in Boston - Performing Arts

Performing Arts

The Washington Street Theatre District, south of Boston Common, contains a number of ornate theatres, including the Boston Opera House, the Cutler Majestic Theatre and The Citi Performing Arts Center. The most prominent professional theater companies are located at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge and at the Huntington Theatre, but small companies and theaters are scattered throughout the city, including at the Boston Center for the Arts and the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston's South End. The Boston Ballet is a world-renowned classical dance company. Street performers can be found in and around Quincy Market near Faneuil Hall. Every summer, the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company offers open-air performances free to the public on the Boston Common.

Boston is also home to a wide array of music - from bands like Boston and Aerosmith - to the world-renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra, the famed Boston Pops, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, the Boston Philharmonic, the Boston Chamber Music Society, Boston Lyric Opera Company, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, OperaBoston, the Celebrity Series of Boston and the Handel and Haydn Society (the oldest choral company in the US). Major venues include Jordan Hall, Symphony Hall, and the Berklee Performance Center, as well as venues at each of the colleges and universities. Several important music schools are located in Boston, including the New England Conservatory for classical and jazz music, the Boston Conservatory for classical music, dance, and musical theater, and the Berklee College of Music for jazz and a variety of contemporary music styles. Every two years, the city hosts the Boston Early Music Festival, an international gathering for people interested in historical music performance.

Pop music manager Maurice Starr launched the careers of popular 1980s boybands New Edition and New Kids on the Block, both of whom were based in Boston.

There are also countless lesser known local musicians, thanks to a thriving underground music scene. In contrast to what might be considered the more "refined" aspects of Boston's culture, the city is also one of the birthplaces of hardcore punk. Boston had one of the leading local ska-punk scenes in the ska revival of the mid-1990s with bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Allstonians, and Skavoovie and the Epitones. The Dropkick Murphys punk rock group have had tie-ins to both Boston professional sports teams, particularly the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins, and to some movie dramas early in the 21st century.

Boston was also the center of a thriving and influential indie rock, college rock, post-punk and new wave scenes throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including bands like The Cars, Pixies, 'Til Tuesday, Throwing Muses, Mission of Burma, The Lemonheads, Human Sexual Response, Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi, Helium, The Pernice Brothers and Swirlies. Bands formed and located in the western part of Massachusetts in the college towns of Amherst and Northampton also had a major impact on the Boston music scene: important bands from western Massachusetts include Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., Buffalo Tom, and many others.

Boston is also known for its Hip Hop scene. Many rappers such as, Guru of the legendary rap duo Gang Starr, Big Shug, ED O.G. & Da Bulldogs, Mr. Lif, The Perceptionists, Benzino, 7L & Esoteric, and Special Teamz made this city famous for its urban music.

Current music venues support a diverse array of live music throughout Boston. Venues support local bands, and showcase national touring acts. Clubs include The Middle East, T.T. the Bears, P.A.'s Lounge, Great Scott, and The Paradise (a larger venue). This scene is supported by local press including The Boston Phoenix and the Weekly Dig, musicians from local colleges including the Berklee School of Music, and more recently Boston-based weblogs and podcasts such as Band in Boston Podcast.