This year, the art world’s ability to rally and produce engaging and vital works has been a constant glimmer of hope amidst global turmoil. With the revived Friday Five, we bring you our weekly choice of the top five things to check out in the near future—highlights from all over, as well as from the Flynn. And as you enjoy, please consider supporting these artists and arts organizations. Every donation counts. We hope these diverse works from all corners of the art world ignite your curiosity, fuel your imagination, and help strengthen and energize our community.
In addition to these weekly selections, we also keep a more comprehensive rolling list of ongoing and upcoming happenings at our ONLINE ARTS GUIDE.
This Christmas season, the Flynn has teamed up with the MacMaster-Leahy clan and invited the world into their home, to witness their music, life, and preparation at Christmastime. Mostly music—with musicians Mac Morin (piano), Mark Kelso (drums), Remi Arsenault (bass), and Elmer Ferrer (guitar) stopping by for a few numbers—it will also include candid moments around the kitchen, decorating the tree, and other bits of holiday chaos!
A portion of each ticket purchased through this unique link at HomePlay.Live goes to support the Flynn. The pre-taped show is available December 12 at 8 pm EST through December 31. Tickets can be purchased and redeemed any time within that period.
Pianist/composer/educator extraordinaire Marcus Roberts has come through Burlington a number of times over the years with his acclaimed, long-running trio. Now, he presents a different facet of his incredible musicianship with a solo piano virtual performance, on demand through December. A quintessential musician's musician, Roberts crafts a set that expresses the full range of his instrument, covering a mind-boggling array of idioms—gospel, blues, swing, ragtime, and familiar jazz standards, plus a pristine take on a holiday staple ('tis the season, after all)—all gelled together by his intelligence and his fluid, intuitive technique. With just Roberts and his signature Steinway on stage, this is a pure showcase for his range and his chameleonic playing. It's the most fun you can have while getting schooled on 20th-century American music. Like the man himself, this program is witty, warm, welcoming, and dazzling.
This performance will stream through the Flynn website. The pre-taped show is available December 20 at 7 pm through December 31. Tickets can be purchased and redeemed any time within that period.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis continues a beloved New York tradition that plays to sold-out audiences every December. Big Band Holidays is renowned for showcasing some of the most exciting and charismatic players and vocalists on the scene. This virtual edition of Big Band Holidays welcomes Rubén Blades, Catherine Russell, Kurt Elling, and Ashley Pezzotti.
Featuring soulful, big band versions of classics like Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, and Brazilian Sleigh Ride, Big Band Holidays is an uplifting program with holiday cheer for jazz fans of all ages. It’s the most wonderful time of year in the House of Swing!
Catch the premiere performance on December 19 at 7 pm or watch on-demand through December 26. A portion of each ticket purchased through this unique link at the JLCO site goes to support the Flynn.
This full two-set show from the lobby of the Palace Theatre was filmed during the rehearsals leading up to the band’s Drive In Fall Tour. The footage makes its premiere on Friday, December 11 at 8:30 pm.
All ticket holders will have access to a full replay of the show on Mandolin through Thursday, December 17 at midnight EST. A portion of every ticket and ticket bundle sold will be donated to the Palace Theatre in Albany, NY.
The timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge comes to thrilling new life as Tony Award-winner Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife, Gentleman’s Guide…) plays over 50 roles in a virtuosic, master class of a performance that must be seen to be believed.
The show premiered at L.A.’s Geffen Playhouse in 2018 and has been filmed for streaming this year as a benefit for regional theaters across the country whose own holiday programming has been upended by the pandemic. Proceeds are distributed to participating partner theaters according to ZIP code.
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