Explore BU Arts Central
Your destination for art, music, theatre, opera, workshops, and more at Boston University
BU Arts Central
Your destination for art, music, theatre, opera, workshops, and more at Boston University
Theatrical innovations, immersive exhibitions, guest artists, and operatic odysseys. You can experience the arts in every way with Boston University this year.
Scroll to find upcoming events, and check back as new ones are added throughout the year. Be sure to follow CFA on Instagram, Facebook, and X for the latest news and event postings!
FEATURED EVENTS
Boston University Symphony Orchestra
Tsai Performance Center
September 28, 2024
A historic opening concert of the BU Symphony Orchestra celebrates the inauguration of Boston University’s new president Dr. Melissa Gilliam, the conducting debut of Director of Orchestral Activities Sarah Ioannides, and our talented students launching the 2024-2025 year. The program, embracing diversity and excellence, includes Joan Tower’s powerful “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No.1”, and two symphonic poems that reflect the importance of cultural identity and the beauty of nature. The night also features recent alum Minyung Suh (CFA’22,’24), winner of the 2023 Concerto Competition.
Fringe Festival
Studio ONE
October 4 – 20, 2024
- Entry (or, you think you know me) by S. Thomasin Barsotti
- Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly (BUTI’96,’97)
- Siren Song by Jonathan Dove
The annual BU Fringe Festival, now in its 28th season, is a collaboration between BU College of Fine Arts School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre. Every fall, Fringe produces new or rarely performed significant works in the opera and theatre repertoire, bringing performances and audiences together in unique theatrical settings.
The SpongeBob Musical
Wheelock Family Theatre
October 4 – 27, 2024
Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg, book by Kyle Jarrow, Musical production conceived by Tina Landau. Directed by Nick Vargas • Music Directed by Jon Goldberg • Choreographed by Joy Clark. Plunge into this stunning all-singing, all-dancing, dynamic stage show! When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world!
Visit the Full Events Calendar
There’s something happening every day at BU. In addition to featured events listed above, you can check out the complete calendar of upcoming CFA events as well as opportunities for artists and art-lovers alike to experience all of what Boston University has to offer.
Upcoming Events
Group Crit: MFA Painting and Sculpture 1969 – 2024
808 Gallery
On view through October 20, 2024
Group Crit exhibits over 50 MFA and BFA Painting & Sculpture alumni who are visually, materially, and conceptually articulating themselves in conversation with each other. The exhibition, like a good group crit, is a cross-generational discourse on form and ideas. The work at times agrees with each other and at other times agrees to disagree. Group Crit celebrates these varied perspectives and creates a space for them to be appreciated together.
1998 • Works by Laurie Simmons
Faye G. Jo, and James Stone Gallery
On view through December 7, 2024
1998 is a selection of photographs by artist Laurie Simmons. The title, playfully inspired by Taylor Swift’s 1989 album, references work produced by Simmons in the year 1998 for an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called Metro Pictures. These photographs revisit the miniature elements Simmons introduced in her seminal work of the late 1970s. She is part of The Pictures Generation, a name given to a group of artists who came to prominence in the 1970s, including Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger, and Louise Lawler.
Next Stage Workshops
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
September 22 – 28, 2024
- Manspread by Ava Laroche (CFA’25)
- Pyrrhic Victory by Alexa Connors (CFA’26, CAS’26)
- Llorona, or the Weeping Women by Gaby Tovar (CFA’25)
The School of Theatre New Play Initiative presents a series of workshops, scenes, and plays written and directed by BU students. Curated by School of Theatre Director Kirsten Greenidge, this on-its-feet workshop play experience focuses on different areas of a project in the process of development.
Contemporary Perspectives Lecture: Dawoud Bey & Allison Kemmere
Howard Thurman Center
September 24, 2024
BU College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts presents a conversation between groundbreaking artist and MacArthur Fellow Dawoud Bey and the Director of the Addison Gallery of American Art, Allison Kemmerer (GRS’91). Organized by the MFA Print Media & Photography program as part of the Contemporary Perspectives Lecture Series and the Tim Hamill Visiting Artist Series.
Federico Leopoldo Quintet
Tsai Performance Center
September 25, 2024
BU School of Music welcomes you to an evening of musical exploration that transports you to the vibrant heart of South America, where the rich traditions of Argentine Tango and Colombian Andean Music intertwine. This special program, co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies, invites you to experience the cultural tapestry of these two distinct yet complementary genres, which share a deep connection through rhythm, emotion, and the celebration of life.
Boston University Symphony Orchestra
Tsai Performance Center
September 28, 2024
A historic opening concert of the BU Symphony Orchestra celebrates the inauguration of Boston University’s new president Dr. Melissa Gilliam, the conducting debut of new Director of Orchestral Activities Sarah Ioannides, and our fine students breaking into the 2024-2025 year. The program, embracing diversity and excellence, includes Joan Tower’s powerful “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No.1”, and two symphonic poems that reflect the importance of cultural identity and the beauty of nature. The night also features recent alum Minyung Suh (CFA’22,’24), winner of the 2023 Concerto Competition.
Fringe Festival: Entry (or, you think you know me)
Studio ONE
October 4 – 6, 2024
Play by S. Thomasin Barsotti • Directed by Taylor Stark (CFA’26) • After a personal tragedy, Coye and Whit retreat to a lakeside cottage to rest and recover. There, what begins as a benign vacation morphs into a nightmare as they begin to obsess over strange entries in the cottage’s guestbook–entries that describe their emotional experiences; entries that detail their actual grief; and even entries that appear to have been written by them.
The Spongebob Musical
Wheelock Family Theatre
October 4 – 27, 2024
Based on the series by Stephen Hillenburg, book by Kyle Jarrow, Musical production conceived by Tina Landau. Directed by Nick Vargas • Music Directed by Jon Goldberg • Choreographed by Joy Clark. Plunge into this stunning all-singing, all-dancing, dynamic stage show! When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world
Hidden in the Layers
A + A Gallery • Venice, Italy
October 10 – November 3, 2024
This exhibition showcases new work from a selection of celebrated Boston-based artists working in printmaking, photography, and new media. Hidden in the Layers features two artists, Charles Suggs (CFA’20) and CFA Lecturer Josh Brennan. Other artists featured in the exhibition are Toni Pepe, Deborah Cornell and Lynne Allen, accomplished artists within their field who have mentored both Suggs and Brennan. Pictured: Untitled, 2024, courtesy of Josh Brennan.
Atlantic Exchange
A + A Gallery • Venice, Italy
October 10 – November 3, 2024
This exhibition is a selection of work from students of the Venice Academy of Fine Arts and the Boston University College of Fine Arts. Atlantic Exchange presents the skill and talent of young artists emerging onto the art scene.
Atlantic Exchange runs concurrently with Hidden in the Layers.
Fringe Festival: Dark Sisters
Studio ONE
October 11 – 13, 2024
Opera composed by Nico Muhly (BUTI’96,’97), libretto by Stephen Karam, arranged by Nate Thatcher • Allison Voth, Music Director • Rose Freeman, Stage Director • Dark Sisters follows one woman’s dangerous attempt to escape her life as a member of the FLDS Church. The male founders of the Mormon faith (Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, chief among them) loom large in American history; Dark Sisters puts the women front and center.
Fringe Festival: Siren Song
Studio ONE
October 19 – 20, 2024
Opera in 1 Act composed by Jonathan Dove, Libretto by Gordon Honeycombe and Nick Dear • William Lumpkin, Conductor • Claire Choquette, Stage Director • Siren Song is the bizarre true story of young sailor on HMS Ark Royal exchanging letters with a beautiful and successful model. Over time a romantic and passionate relationship develops, but a meeting proves increasingly difficult to arrange.
Design Week & Design Incubation 11:1
808 Commonwealth Ave.
October 21 – 25, 2024
BU College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts presents Design Incubation 11.1: Boston University. The BU Graphic Design department has partnered with Design Incubation to launch DI’s tenth-anniversary colloquium as part of BUGD Design Week. The 2024 Colloquium will showcase design research in lively, interactive sessions featuring practitioners, creators, educators, and students in a live, in-person event. These sessions will explore creative research, practice, and the adjacent fields that influence their work.
Music Faculty Spotlight Performance
CFA Concert Hall
October 25, 2024
The Boston University College of Fine Arts Faculty Spotlight Concert features a delightful and eclectic mix of solo and chamber music performances by our esteemed applied faculty in Boston University School of Music. This concert is free and open to the public.
Intercollegiate Choral Festival
The Fenway Center, Northeastern University
October 26, 2024
Join the Boston University Singers alongside the choral programs from Boston Conservatory, Northeastern University, and Bridgewater State University for a collaborative, intercollegiate choral festival.
Boston University Symphony Orchestra
Tsai Performance Center
October 28, 2024
This program weaves together themes of fate, nature, and cultural identity. Repertoire includes Verdi, Takemitsu, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Respighi, and Ginastera. Featuring BU Concerto Competition winner trombonist Kevin A. Virgilio (CFA’24). Each piece, in its way, reflects on the forces—whether destiny, nature, or culture—that shape our world from different perspectives.
Moments in Photography
808 Gallery
October 29 – December 3, 2024
Celebrating storytelling through the lens of a camera. Artists Janice Checchio (CFA’07), Jacqueline Ricciardi, and Cydney Scott, all BU photographers, exhibit photographs taken over the course of their careers working as photojournalists. While capturing highlights and conflicts, each artist showcases her own experience preserving a moment.
Kaleidescope • Boston University Choruses and Chamber Orchestra
St. Cecilia Church, Boston
October 30, 2024
Join the BU Choruses and Chamber Orchestra with guests from the Boston Arts Academy for Kaleidoscope, a concert exploring the vibrant spectrum of sound and color in music. Featuring works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Caroline Shaw, Imant Raminsh, John Corigliano, and Felix Mendelssohn, this program showcases a diverse array of musical textures, reflecting an ever-changing interplay of musical color and styles.
Boston University Symphony Orchestra
Tsai Performance Center
November 13, 2024
This Boston University Symphony Orchestra concert features “El Caminante” conducted by William Lumpkin. This performance features Professor David Guzman in the title role, along with Boston University Opera Institute alums Michelle Johnson (CFA’07) and Nina Yoshida Nelsen (CFA’01,’03). This concert is free and open to the public.
Julius Caesar
Studio ONE
November 15 – 17, 2024
Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy directed by Grant Sorenson (CFA’26) revolves around the conspiracy and assassination of the titular character, Julius Caesar, by a group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius.
The play delves into themes of power, betrayal, ambition, and the consequences of political intrigue.
The Rink
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
November 22 – December 8, 2024
Rediscover the magic of Broadway’s original roller skating musical, directed by Gregg Wiggans (CFA’25). For the the first time in 40 years, this rarely produced musical will feature newly restored book and orchestrations. Written by Terrence McNally, music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the innovative story is set on the ragged fringe of New York’s Coney Island. As Anna Antonelli’s roller rink is about to be demolished, it becomes the arena in which mother and daughter examine their past, present, and future. THE RINK is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
Aurora Borealis: A Festival of Light and Dance
Boston University Dance Theatre
December, 2024
Presented in collaboration with the BU Department of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, and devised by artistic Co-Directors: Yo-EL Cassell and Micki Taylor-Pinney, Aurora Borealis: A Festival of Light and Dance is a vibrant exploration of the relationship between light and form with a focus on collaboration and experimentation, featuring multiple dance and movement pieces. All tickets are free, general admission at the door
A Year with Frog and Toad
Wheelock Family Theatre
November 30 – December 21, 2024
Based on the books by Arnold Lobel • Book and Lyrics by Willie Reale • Music by Robert Reale • Waking from hibernation in the Spring, Frog and Toad plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding and learn life lessons along the way. The two best friends celebrate and rejoice in the differences that make them unique and special. Part vaudeville, part make believe… all charm, A Year with Frog and Toad tells the story of a friendship that endures throughout the seasons.
Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo
808 Gallery, Howard Thurman Center
December 6 – 8, 2024
The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) is a festival focusing on independent, small press and self-published comics and cartoons. Hundreds of independent comics artists and small press publishers gather alongside thousands of attendees eager to check out new comics, join in on hands-on workshops, and attend inclusive panel discussions. MICE, hosted by Boston University School of Visual Arts, is a free-to-attend event for comics readers of all ages.
Boston University Chamber Orchestra
Tsai Performance Center
December 10, 2024
Concluding the Fall 2024 semester’s series of orchestral concerts, Boston University Chamber Orchestra conducted by Sarah Ioannides presents a program of comedy, romantic landscapes, and the pioneering American spirit. Repertoire: Rossini, Carreno, Copland, Stravinsky, Shostakovich. This concert is free and open to the public.
Flora & Ulysses
Wheelock Family Theatre
January 13 – February 9, 2025
Written by John Glore • Based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo • Can a little squirrel change the human heart? After getting sucked up by a vacuum cleaner, a (now hairless) squirrel is rescued by Flora Belle Buckman, a 10-year-old self-proclaimed cynic. She names him Ulysses and discovers he has been reborn a superhero. Indeed, this once average squirrel can suddenly understand Flora, fly, and even write poetry. Together they embark on an adventure full of quirky characters and bursting with heart.
Faculty Spotlight Performance
CFA Concert Hall
February 13, 2025
The Boston University College of Fine Arts Faculty Spotlight Concert features a delightful and eclectic mix of solo and chamber music performances by our esteemed applied faculty. Free and open to the public.
Florencia en el Amazonas
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
February 27 – March 2, 2025
Boston University Opera Institute and School of Theatre present this opera by Daniel Catán, conducted by William Lumpkin, with stage direction by Amy Hutchinson. Steeped in the beautiful style of magical realism, the story follows the journey of the legendary diva Florencia Grimaldi and her fellow passengers on a boat ride down the Amazon.
Multiple Formats: Contemporary Art Book Fair and Symposium
808 Gallery
March 21 – 23, 2025
Multiple Formats Contemporary Art Book Fair & Symposium weaves together conversations about artist books and higher education, pedagogical practices involving artist books, artist advocacy, and artist book distribution, collection, and access.
Boston University Spotlight at Carnegie Hall
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City
March 25, 2025
Winners of Boston University School of Music’s annual Carnegie Hall competition showcase their expressive and technical gifts through the infinite variety of short works for soloist and piano accompaniment by the world’s great composers.
CFA School of Music at Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall, Boston
March 31, 2025
This special evening at Boston’s historic Symphony Hall features not just one, but three of Boston University’s ensembles: the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Chorus. Repertoire: Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Rosner’s Symphony No. 8 “Trinity”, Strauss’ Rosenkavalier Suite and Ravel’s Daphnis & Chloe Suite No. 2. With conductors Sarah Ioannides, Daniel Parsley, and Kenneth Amis (CFA’91, BUTI’86,’87).
Corpus Christi
Studio ONE
April 10 – 13, 2025
Written by Terrence McNally and directed by Gregg Wiggans, this is a story that parallels the New Testament’s. McNally’s Christ figure is a character named Joshua, who grows up gay in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the early 1950s, in isolation and torment, an object of scorn. He flees in search of a more accepting environment, gathering along the way a group of disciples who are bound to him by his message of love and tolerance.
Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition
808 Gallery • Stone Gallery
April 2025
Boston University School of Visual Arts showcases the work of graduating students in the five graduate programs: Painting, Graphic Design, Sculpture, Print Media & Photography, and Visual Narrative. Exhibitions typically are held on campus in the galleries at the College of Fine Arts, including the Stone Gallery, 808 Gallery, and Commonwealth Gallery, with satellite shows throughout the School of Visual Arts facilities and beyond.
Desdemona
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
April 16 – 18, 2025
Desdemona & Emilia, both running in Booth Theatre in April, re-examine and reclaim the lives and voices of exceptional women. Desdemona, written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel and directed by Grant Sorenson (CFA’26), deconstructs Shakespeare’s tragedy and the wrongly accused wife of Othello. Vogel’s tongue-in-cheek humor raises serious questions as to the role of women through the ages.
Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi
Tsai Performance Center
April 24 – 27, 2025
Puccini’s Suor Angelica tells the story of a woman who bears a child out of wedlock and is sent to a convent for penance. After seven years, she receives tragic news of her son, which sets in motion a series of dire actions that ultimately result in tragedy, forgiveness, and peace. Gianni Schicchi, considered a comic masterpiece, is a dark satire based on a real story mentioned in Dante’s Inferno and includes the famous aria “O mio babbino caro.”
Emilia
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
April 25 – 27, 2025
Desdemona & Emilia, both running in Booth Theatre in April, re-examine and reclaim the lives and voices of exceptional women. Emilia, written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and directed by Taylor Stark (CFA’26), illuminates the story of poet Emilia Bassano with passion, fury, laughter, and song.
Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition
808 Gallery • Stone Gallery
May 2025
Boston University School of Visual Arts showcases the work of graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts students, in programs including Painting, Graphic Design, Sculpture, and Printmaking. Exhibitions typically are held on campus in the galleries at the College of Fine Arts, including the Stone Gallery, 808 Gallery, and Commonwealth Gallery, with satellite shows throughout the School of Visual Arts facilities and beyond.
The Prom
Wheelock Family Theatre
May 16 – June 8, 2025
Music by Matthew Sklar • Book by Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin • Lyrics by Chad Beguelin • Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, they know that it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue…and themselves. THE PROM expertly captures all the humor and heart of a classic musical comedy with a message that resonates with audiences now more than ever.
Past Events
A Summer Place
Stone Gallery
June – August 2024
Equal parts portrait, landscape, and still life, Breehan James and Nancy Wissemann-Widrig’s paintings are a testament to their deep connection with seasonal, rustic, summer dwellings—Wissemann-Widrig’s on the coast in Maine and James’ in Northern Wisconsin. These acutely-observed rural sites come to life in carefully rendered works, which serve as both an archive of everyday things and a window to nature’s close embrace.
Quarrel
808 Gallery
June – August 2024
In his artwork on view in the 808 Gallery windows on Comm Ave, Matt Murphy played with an interchange between sculpture and painting. Sculptures are real physical objects. Viewers also recognize objects in paintings as real physical objects even though the painting is simply a flat surface covered in paint. In this way, paintings craft an illusion of reality.
BU Fall Arts Fair
GSU Plaza
September 6, 2024
BU Arts Initiative, BU arts programs, academic units, and selected Boston area arts organizations meet with students every fall on the GSU Plaza to showcase and explore all that BU and Boston have to offer in the wide world of the arts.
Silber Way Exhibition
1 Silber Way
September 10, 2024
The Silber Way Exhibition, hosted by BU Arts Initiative, is an annual exhibition presented by the BU Arts Initiative that features staff, faculty, alumni, and current student work, curated by a jury of Boston University staff.
Featured Works
Miss an event or just want to relive the magic? Visit our collection of Featured Works, where you’ll find an in-depth look at recent exhibitions, theatrical productions, operas, concerts, and more.
Series Deep Dive
Explore your favorite venues and mediums.
Boston University’s Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre provides BU students with countless opportunities to experiment, innovate, and take the audience from Commonwealth Avenue to other worlds.
2024 – 2025
- Next Stage Workshops (Manspread • Pyrrhic Victory • Llorona, or the Weeping Women) – September 21 – 28, 2024
- The Rink – November 22 – December 8, 2024
- Florencia en el Amazonas – February 27 – March 2, 2025
- Desdemona – April 16 – 18, 2025
- Emilia – April 25 – 27, 2025
Learn more about this season at Booth, and the full School of Theatre slate of works, at bu.edu/cfa/theatre/season.
The annual Boston University Fringe Festival, now in its 28th season, is a collaboration between the College of Fine Arts School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre. Fringe’s mission is to produce new or rarely performed significant works in the opera and theatre repertoire, bringing performances and audiences together in unique theatrical settings.
Fall 2024
- Entry (or, you think you know me) – October 4 – 6, 2024
- Dark Sisters – October 11 – 13, 2024
- Siren Song – October 19 – 20, 2024
The Opera Institute is an intensive, highly selective two-year performance-based training program for emerging operatic artists. Each year, OI presents large and small-scale works across campus, including two main stage productions and the Fringe Festival.
2024 – 2025 Opera Season
- Dark Sisters – October 11 – 13, 2024
- Siren Song – October 19 – 20, 2024
- Florencia en el Amazonas – February 27 – March 2, 2025
- Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi – April 24 – 27, 2025
Hosted by the MFA programs at Boston University School of Visual Arts, the Tuesday Night Lecture Series brings practicing artists and curators to Boston University to present their work. The series is an integral component of the MFA programs which provide two years of intensive studio practice and artistic community in the heart of Boston University’s urban campus. In addition to a public lecture on their work, visiting artists meet with students for individual and group critiques as well as hands-on workshops.
Every Spring, Boston University School of Visual Arts hosts exhibitions showcasing the work of graduating students in the undergraduate and graduate programs.
Exhibitions typically are held on campus in the galleries at the College of Fine Arts, including the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, 808 Gallery, and Commonwealth Gallery, with satellite shows throughout the School of Visual Arts facilities.
Wheelock Family Theatre is one of the largest professional theaters in Boston with performances having been seen by more than one million people. Its impressive outreach to Boston and Greater Boston schools enables Wheelock Family Theatre to entertain and educate approximately 15,000 visiting schoolchildren every year, living out their mission to “create inter-generational and multicultural productions that provide a shared experience for the whole family. Our productions celebrate the diverse range of families found in the world today and seek to unite them in the shared experience of live theatre.”
2024 – 2025 Season
- The Spongebob Musical – October 4 – 27, 2024
- A Year with Frog & Toad – November 30 – December 21, 2024
- Flora & Ulysses – January 13 – February 9, 2025
- The Prom – May 16 – June 8, 2025
BUAG is a vibrant resource of learning and cultural engagement for BU, the city of Boston, and the surrounding metro area. The galleries, which are free and open to the public, maintain ongoing rotating exhibitions that feature a wide scope of art from all ranges of mediums and artists.
The large ensembles at Boston University, including Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, Wind Ensemble, BU Singers, and Symphonic Chorus, play a central role in the education of the School’s instrumentalists who aspire to professions as chamber musicians, ensemble musicians, teachers, or a combination of all three.
The Boston University Arts Initiative ensures that the arts are fundamental to the student experience by developing and supporting university-wide programs to advance the role of the arts at BU through building community; supporting interdisciplinary arts teaching, learning, and research; and highlighting diverse artists and modes of artistry. BUAI hosts a variety of arts events for BU students and the broader Boston community.