Discover the Arts at Boston University This Year
Encounter art, music, theatre, opera, workshops, lectures, and more at Boston University this year
BU Arts Central
Discover art, music, theatre, opera, workshops, lectures, and much more at Boston University! Scroll to find upcoming featured events, and check back as new ones are added throughout the year. These signature events are a sample of the wide world of the arts this year, and the full list can be found on the BU Calendar. Experience the heart of the arts here at BU.
Featured Arts Events
Boston Printmakers 2026 North American Print Biennial
September 2 – November 21, 2026
808 Gallery
A broad array of contemporary prints and artist books, spanning traditional to contemporary and integrated media approaches. A companion show, Throughlines: Contemporary Works in Print, features work from artists on the Boston Printmakers Board and BU’s MFA in Print Media and Photography program students.
Between the Bylines
September 2 – December 10, 2026
Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery
Between the Bylines, curated by Susan Bright, investigates one crucial issue – that of absence. It looks at who gets represented in the newspaper and how that representation takes shape.
It takes as its medium one that is disappearing, inviting the audience to contemplate issues of subjectivity, trust, and control in press coverage.
2026 Fall Arts Fair
September 4, 2026
George Sherman Union Plaza
Join the BU Office for the Arts, BU arts programs, academic units, and Boston area arts organizations – from ICA/Boston to Boston Symphony Orchestra to Innovate@BU – on the GSU Plaza to explore all that BU and Boston have to offer! Look for discounts, special offers, internship opportunities, and more! The BU Office for the Arts will be giving away two free tickets to an art event off campus.
The Seven Deadly Sins
October 9 – 11, 2026
Studio ONE
Presented by Boston University Opera Institute and School of Theatre as part of the 2026 Fringe Festival. Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s provocative collaboration blends biting satire, cabaret, and unforgettable music in a theatrical journey through ambition, morality, and the price of success. This daring Fringe Festival production invites audiences into an intimate exploration of one of the twentieth century’s most compelling musical dramas.
Living Jazz
October 17 – 18, 2026
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
Fusing spoken text, voice and a wide variety of theatrical movement approaches with embodied images inspired by the the Smithsonian Institution’s acclaimed anthology, Seeing Jazz. Living Jazz takes place in an abandoned Jazz Club where the spirits of the afterlife convene to re-activate physical stories and remembrances of how their former life moved them and how the elements of jazz—rhythm, improvisation and call and response– exist within them.
Vinkensport
October 23 – 25, 2026
Studio ONE
One of two 2026 Fringe Festival operas. A motley assortment of contestants participate in a Belgian folk competition that pits chaffinches (and their owners) against each other in a battle to see who has the most melodious bird, and draws out deception, deep-seated rivalries, painful loneliness, and blossoming romance. David T. Little, composer • Royce Vavrek, librettist • Allison Voth, music director • Lauren Lenz, stage director • Ian Henscheid (CFA’27), conductor
MFA Artists Open Studios
October 24, 2026
808 Commonwealth Ave
Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University present a cross-campus/city open studio day for a unique opportunity to go behind the scenes, meet working artists, and celebrate Boston’s vibrant student art community.
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
November 5 – 7, 2026
Studio ONE
Set amidst a stormy political campaign in 1960s Greenwich Village, Lorraine Hansberry’s funny and poignant play, directed by Jasmine Brooks (CFA’18), examines morality, ethics, interracial relationships, drugs, rebellion, conformity, global responsibility, and the fragility of love. Part of the 2026 Fringe Festival.
White Phoenix
November 5 – 22, 2026
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
By Yide Cai, directed by Dmitry Troyanovsky. An epic family drama that spans decades and continents, told by two actors in one room. Li CunYi is a Chinese orphan who makes a promise to reunite with his sister who is adopted by an American family. As CunYi grows into adulthood in China, he becomes involved with the daughter of a powerful political family, who both aids and manipulates the search for his sister.
Theater(re) by Durang
November 8 – 14, 2026
CFA 105
An evening of comedic short plays by the acclaimed playwright Christopher Durang, directed by Jim Fagan III.
- Wanda’s Visit
- Medea, Phyllis and Xenobia
- Women in a Playground
- The Actors Nightmare
- Diversions
Boston University Symphony Orchestra & Choirs Perform Works by Elfrida Andrée
November 9, 2026
Tsai Performance Center
Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Music presents the BU Choirs and Orchestra performing the world premiere of Suffrage Cantata and other works by Elfrida Andrée: Minuet, Varför och därför Overture in G Minor, Svanen & Til Näktergalen.
Jessica of Venice
November 12 – 22, 2026
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
By Rachel Beth Greene, directed by Josh Glenn-Kayden. A group of Orthodox Jewish schoolgirls discover a banned copy of The Merchant of Venice and become fascinated with Jessica, the rebellious runaway daughter. Most enamored of all is the discontented Shaina, who dreams of a big world just beyond her community. JESSICA OF VENICE asks what it takes to rip yourself from the home that made you, and what – or who – you destroy on your way out.
Violet
November 18 – 22, 2026
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
This multi-award-winning musical follows a scarred woman who embarks on a cross-country bus trip to be healed by a minister… discovering the true meaning of beauty along the way.
Based on the short story “The Ugly Pilgrim” by Doris Betts • Music by Jeanine Tesori • Book & Lyrics by Brian Crawley • Directed by Shira Helena Gitlin (CFA’27) • Music Direction by Harry Castle
Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo
December 5 – 6, 2026
808 Gallery, Howard Thurman Center
BU School of Visual Arts hosts the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo, New England’s premiere event dedicated to the exciting and accessible art form of independent comics and graphic novels. MICE hosts hundreds of independent comics artists, small press publishers, hands-on workshops, and inclusive panel discussions.
Roswell
February 18 – March 7, 2027
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
By Gabrielle Franklin, directed by Taylor Stark. Lauryn – government operative, veteran, almost astronaut – has been working to bring aliens back to Roswell. With a brilliant but marginalized physicist, she identifies a human medium whose body can be used as a container for the alien’s entrance: Guadalupe, whose family is facing eviction. This sci-fi thriller explores what it means to feel foreign in a place where you should be at home.
Parallel Play
February 25 – March 7, 2027
Boston Playwrights’ Theatre
By Fintan Bracken, directed by Carla Mirabal Rodríguez. Rebecca drops by her twin sister Ruth’s house for an impromptu visit – which is, of course, totally unrelated to the fact that Ruth just returned from the hospital after attempting suicide. But when she finds Ruth shacked up with an eccentric stranger she met on her trip to the psych ward, Rebecca stays longer than she planned. A play about what it means to be alive, and what it means to keep going – or not.
BU Spotlight in New York City
March 30, 2027
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
This annual concert presented by Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Music features the winners of the annual BU Spotlight competition. The concert at Carnegie Hall features a select group of student performers who showcase their expressive and technical gifts through a variety of short works written by some of the world’s great composers. Tickets available soon.
Boston University at Symphony Hall
April 2, 2027
Boston Symphony Hall
This special evening at Boston’s historic Symphony Hall, one of the world’s most renowned concert venues, features not just one, but three of Boston University’s ensembles: the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Chorus. Tickets available soon.
Past Events
Right to the City
June 9 – August 8, 2026
Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery
Right to the City is an international movement combating the political, cultural, and environmental repercussions of inequitable land and property (re)development. Over the last decade, advocate and photographic ethnographer Dominic Moulden (Hon.’25) has traversed shorelines, capturing the global resistance against displacement. Curated by academic Ky Vassor, Right to the City serves as a call to action, uplifting ways we can all safeguard the fundamental human right to a healthy place called home.
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.
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 Playwrights’ Theatre is the home of new plays in Boston. “We have a deep investment in Boston and Boston-adjacent artists, especially alumni and current students of Boston University’s graduate Playwriting Program, whose plays will be found in each and every BPT season. We look for projects that center vital questions in the lives of those who live, work, and play in our region.”
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 Boston University Office for the Arts 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. BU Office for the Arts hosts a variety of arts events for BU students and the broader Boston community.
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.
The annual Boston University Fringe Festival, now in its 30th 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.
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. Learn more about this season at Booth, and the full School of Theatre slate of works, at bu.edu/cfa/theatre/season.
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.
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.
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.
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.”