The Berklee Performance Center Spring/Winter Season On Sale Now

The Berklee Performance Center announces another exciting spring season with highlights including accomplished jazz pianist Kenny Werner; Tony Award-winning musical Sweeney Todd presented by Berklee’s Musical Theater Club; and a concert featuring two student ensembles under the artistic direction of renowned trumpeter Terence Blanchard.

December 17, 2015

The Berklee Performance Center (BPC) is proud to announce another exciting spring season. Highlights will include accomplished jazz pianist Kenny Werner, director of Berklee’s Effortless Mastery Institute; Sweeney Todd presented by Berklee’s Musical Theater Club; a concert featuring two student ensembles under the artistic direction of renowned trumpeter Terence Blanchard; and many special international shows including performances by esteemed Berklee faculty and students.

This spring's Signature Series will feature tributes to the music of Bob Dylan as well as to Berklee professor, Hal Crook, among other exciting performances. View the full list of Signature Series concerts.

The BPC is located at 136 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston. For tickets and more information call 617-747-2261 or visit berklee.edu/bpc.

Upcoming Performances

The following is a list of select events for the upcoming spring season. To see all events that are currently selling tickets, view a full schedule of BPC events.

The Three Tenors (Who Can’t Sing) Starring Vic DiBitetto
Friday / January 22, 2016 / 8:00 p.m.
Admission: $35 / $55

The Three Tenors (Who Can’t Sing) stars Vic DiBitetto, now considered the Godfather of comedy. DiBitetto has taken the internet by storm with tens of millions of views, multiple viral videos including "Bread and Milk," and his own television talk show. He tours the country, selling out clubs and theaters along the way.

Joining DiBitetto are two stand-up comics from the neighborhood, Richie Minervini and Fred Rubino. The three performers will bring their incredible stand-up to the stage and then sit down together for hilarious improvisation and audience participation.

Note: The VIP ticket entitles the holder—and only the holder—to participate in the meet-and-greet after the show, including a photo with the tenors. Do not discard it.

So Much Things To Say: The Bob Marley Ensemble with Vivien Goldman
Thursday, January 28, 2016 |8:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 in advance / $12 day of show

The Berklee Bob Marley Ensemble presents So Much Things to Say, a suite of Marley’s music featuring dub readings from renowned writer, broadcaster, educator, and post-punk musician Vivien Goldman, Marley’s key biographer. For this performance, Goldman will reach into her writings, including her insightful, inspiring book Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Album of the Century.

International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella: Northeast Quarterfinal
Saturday, January 30, 2016 | 7:00 p.m.
Admission: $15 with Berklee ID / $20 general admission

Varsity Vocals hosts the only international tournaments that showcase the art of student a cappella singing. Their programs include the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA). Both tournaments are dedicated to providing top-notch a cappella groups with valuable feedback from highly qualified judges. Young vocalists also have the opportunity to showcase their talent to an international audience and develop relationships with each other, cultivating the art of a cappella singing and a lifelong love of music.

Charles Lloyd and the Marvels with Bill Frisell, Reuben Rogers, Eric Harland, and Greg Leisz
Sunday, January 31, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $30 / $37 / $42 / $48

Iconic, innovative saxophonist Charles Lloyd is one of jazz’s living legends. His improvisational talent for cross-pollinating jazz with rock and non-Western styles of music established him as one of the key figures in the development of fusion during the ‘60s and ‘70s. Lloyd recently received an honorary doctorate from Berklee. This very special performance also features the guitar wizardry of Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz, Eric Harland on drums, and Reuben Rogers on bass.

The Winnie Dahlgren Group with Mike Mainieri
Monday, February 1, 2016 | 8:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 in advance / $12 day of show

This tribute concert to Steps Ahead and Mike Mainieri with the Winnie Dahlgren Group, will be led by Berklee faculty member Dahlgren, and special guest saxophonist and professor George Garzone. The jazz fusion music is mainly written by Mike Mainieri and Steps Ahead.

An Evening with Kenny Werner and Friends
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 | 8:00p.m.
Admission: $8 in advance / $12 day of show

Kenny Werner, the artistic director of Berklee’s Effortless Mastery Institute, believes that mastery is available to everyone. An accomplished jazz pianist, Werner uses his life story and experiences to explore the barriers to creativity and mastery of music. His book Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within is one of the most widely read books on music and improvisation, and has helped thousands of musicians around the world unlock their talent and potential. Joining Werner is Ari Hoenig on drums and Johannes Weidenmueller on bass.

Werner frequently presents a lecture and workshop series and leads small-group lessons on effortless mastery. He teaches classes based on the four steps of his book, as well as effortless mastery ensembles and composition.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Wednesday, February 3, 2016 | 8:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 in advance / $12 day of show

Tom Appleman, assistant professor of bass, leads a group of Berklee faculty, students, and guests in a performance of Elton John’s legendary album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The album is about giving up a life of opulence for one of simplicity in a rural setting. Hits include “Bennie and the Jets,” “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” “Candle in the Wind,” and the title cut. Appleman will be singing and playing piano, joined by student bassist Jonathan Elyashiv.

Mack Avenue SuperBand
Thursday, February 4, 2016 | 8:00 p.m.
Admission: $40 / $50 / $60

With a front line that boasts Sean Jones on trumpet, saxophonist Tia Fuller, the Christian McBride Trio, and vibraphonist Gary Burton, this band has no shortage of heavy-hitters. The members of the SuperBand represent a diverse range of generations and styles. It offers a rare opportunity, for instance, to hear NEA Jazz Master Gary Burton engage with a group of younger players with more of a hard-bop focus than he usually encounters in his own more modern-leaning bands.

Lunar New Year Concert
Tuesday, February 9, 2016 | 8:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 in advance / $12 day of show

The Lunar New Year Concert has been hosted by the Chinese Student and Scholar Association annually since 2012. Its main purpose is to celebrate the Spring Festival for Chinese and Asian students. Players from countries including China, Korea, Japan, and Indonesia will perform many different styles of music including pop, rock, jazz, R&B, and traditional Chinese music. Featured musicians include Indo Berks, Skybridge, Sun Beatz, and Jiayun Yu.

Invictus
Thursday, February 11, 2016 | 8:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 in advance / $12 day of show

Invictus is a highly anticipated project in which Berklee faculty pianist Kevin Harris seeks to interpret a message of strength and inspiration by combining interactive spoken word with black gospel, Afro-Latin, and swing music. While incarcerated in Robben Island Prison, Nelson Mandela recited and was empowered by a poem of self-mastery entitled "Invictus." Important aspects of Harris's new and exciting concept will reflect ideas and inspiration that derive from this poem.

Joining Harris for this performance are special guests trumpeter Sean Jones, chair of the Brass Department; bassist Luques Curtis; vocalist Jonathan Hoard; and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, BGJI Zildjian chair in performance.

Metal Guitar Night
Monday, February 22, 2016 | 8:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 in advance / $12 day of show

Metal Guitar Night showcases some of Berklee's most talented metal bands and players. The concert will be filled with fierce, heavy riffage, and shred guitar pyrotechnics are guaranteed.

Sweeney Todd
Wednesday, February 24 and  25, 2016 / 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $12 / $17

Berklee's Musical Theater Club presents Sweeney Todd, the Tony Award-winning musical written by Stephen Sondheim. The show will feature some of Berklee's best musical theater students and a 30-piece orchestra under the musical direction of student Asher Denburg. The production is directed by student Justin Gates.

Terence Blanchard Ensembles Concert with Terence Blanchard
Monday, February 29, 2016 | 8:00 p.m.
Admission: $8 in advance / $12 day of show

This concert will feature two student ensembles performing under the artistic direction of renowned trumpeter Terence Blanchard, a visiting scholar at Berklee. Shamie Royston, an assistant professor in the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department, organized and rehearsed the groups. Both ensembles have focused on composition and performance techniques given by Blanchard and Royston since the beginning of the academic year. As many of the students are not composition majors, they have been challenged to think and write as true composers and to produce new musical ideas within their own performance skills. This concert is a snapshot of their work in progress and features the Terence Blanchard XTet and Jazz in Film Ensemble with Blanchard himself as special guest.