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Berklee Summer in the City


Presented by Natixis Global Asset Management

As the weather warms up, join Berklee students, alumni, and faculty for a free outdoor music series held in neighborhoods throughout Metro Boston and beyond. The series culminates with the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival on September 28.


“Summer in the City is one of our very best contributions to the local community – the world’s next great artists performing throughout Boston all summer long. You can be among the first to see their careers take flight,” said Berklee President Roger H. Brown. Past performers have included Esperanza Spalding, Dopapod, and the Stray Birds, to name a few.


Summer in the City concerts bring neighborhoods to life with free programs of pop, rock, jazz, Latin, blues, flamenco, and Celtic music. The Boston-area concerts take place in destinations throughout the city from the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Institute of Contemporary Art, the Boston Harbor Islands, and the Boston Common’s newly renovated Brewer Fountain Plaza to communities with strong cultural identities ranging from Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, East Boston, and the South End.


Click on one of the locations on the left to find a concert near you.

Amethyst

Shakespeare Stage, 4:00 p.m.Free

Created in the fall of 2012 by vocalist and composer Raquel Rivera, Amethyst brings together six of Boston’s up-and-coming musicians for a project that effortlessly combines pop, jazz, and Latin influences into a magnetic new sound.

The unique voice of each member enriches improvisational arcs throughout every performance. Playing Rivera’s originals, as well as collaborative arrangements, this group delivers accessible interpretations of human feeling. 

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Berklee College of Music, City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department, Fenway Civic Association

Swingin' in the Fens: Jelani Bauman Quartet

Ramler Park, 6:30 p.m.Free

This year’s Swingin’ in the Fens free outdoor concert will feature the Jelani Bauman Quartet, a jazz ensemble that draws on the New Orleans culture and heritage of Berklee alumnus Jelani Bauman.

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Paulo Stagnaro Quartet

Brooklyn Public Library, 7:00 p.m.Free

Paulo Stagnaro, a rising Latin and jazz percussionist and composer, is quickly establishing both a national and international reputation. 

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We Avalanche / The Dwells

Kendall Square, 12:00 p.m.Free

Heavily influenced by noise, pop, and old-time, We Avalanche sounds like your favorite band that forgot how to play their instruments. The Dwells are cosmic Americana, born on the Fourth of July. Together, Paige Califano and Matthew Bean are a vocal swirl, drenched in memorable lyrics and infectious songwriting.

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Francisco Ruiz

Atlantic Wharf, 12:00 p.m.Free

Hailing from Ecuador, talented singer Francisco Ruiz is fluent in a wide range of styles including pop, salsa, and reggaeton.

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Oblio

Kendall Square's Cambridge Center Plaza, 12:00 p.m.Free

Led by guitarist and composer Asher Kurtz, Oblio combines modern jazz, world music, indie-folk, and rock.

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Clifton Williams

Brewer Plaza, 12:00 p.m.Free

At 21 years old, Clifton Williams is an accomplished pianist who has been invited by the U.S Ambassador to Vienna to perform a series of concerts in Vienna, Austria and Paris, France. He attends Berklee College of Music on a presidential scholarship.

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The Western Den

Club Passim, 1:00 p.m.Free

The Western Den blends folk roots with ambient effects to create music that is both powerful and lyrically sound. 

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Clifton Williams

Brewer Plaza, 5:00 p.m.Free

At 21 years old, Clifton Williams is an accomplished pianist who has been invited by the U.S Ambassador to Vienna to perform a series of concerts in Vienna, Austria and Paris, France. He attends Berklee College of Music on a presidential scholarship.

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We Avalanche and The Dwells

Institute of Contemporary Art, 6:00 p.m.Free

Heavily influenced by noise, pop, and old-time, We Avalanche sounds like your favorite band forgot how to play their instruments. The Dwells are cosmic Americana, born on the Fourth of July. Together, Paige Califano and Matthew Bean are a vocal swirl, drenched in memorable lyrics and infectious songwriting.

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Jen Starsinic

Charlestown Navy Yard, 6:00 p.m.Free

Jen Starsinic is an old-time fiddler, singer, and award-winning songwriter who won second place in the 2011 BMI John Lennon Scholarship Award for her song “It Fell.”

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Berklee Roots Road Show

Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, 6:00 p.m.Ticketed

Experience a smorgasbord of fantastic performances from students in the newly created American roots music program.

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Eduoardo Mercuri

Wakefield Library, 6:00 p.m.Free

 

With his new quartet, the guitarist Eduardo Mercuri explores his personal approach to modern Brazilian music. Alongside Gustavo D’Amico on saxophone, Do-Young Kim on bass, and Juan Alejandro Saenz on drums, Mercuri mixes jazz textures with contemporary Brazilian music, bringing a new and fresh sound to both genres. Regardless of its short existence, the group is already signed with Berklee’s Jazz Revelation Records and has performed at the Berklee Performance Center and other venues around the Boston area.

 
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Berklee College of Music, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department

Tito Puente Latin Music Series: Maria Mulata with Esther Rojas

O'Day Park , 7:00 p.m.Free

A native of Colombia, María Mulata is one of the most promising and versatile performers in a new wave of artists representing South American music.

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Clifton Williams

Brewer Plaza, 12:00 p.m.Free

At 21 years old, Clifton Williams is an accomplished pianist who has been invited by the U.S Ambassador to Vienna to perform a series of concerts in Vienna, Austria and Paris, France. He attends Berklee College of Music on a presidential scholarship.

Read more

Berklee Roots Road Show

Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, 3:00 p.m.Ticketed

Experience a smorgasbord of fantastic performances from students in the newly created American roots music program.

Buy ticketsRead more

Siv and Maddie

Greenway Boston, 6:00 p.m.Free

Siv and Maddie is a Boston-based acoustic folk duo whose music is inspired by Norwegian folk and Americana music.

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Gabriela Lencka

The Speigeltent, 2:00 p.m.Free

Gabriela Lencka—an actress, singer-songwriter, and videographer—incorporates all of her passions and expresses herself best as a performer with a tasty mix of styles.

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Eduardo Mercuri Quintet

Spectacle Island, 1:00 p.m.Free

With his new quintet, the guitarist Eduardo Mercuri explores his personal approach to the Modern Brazilian Music.

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Alex Gable and Pasado de Moda

City Hall Plaza, 1:00 p.m.Free

Pasado de Moda brings about a dialogue among regional folk music from South America, the Middle East, and the Balkans; contemporary pop music; and acoustic jazz.  

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