The Wicked film star brings her powerhouse voice and dazzling talent to our opening night celebration.

Corporate support for Thursday evening's concert is generously provided by BSO Business Partner Bayberry Financial Services.

Creating meaningful and joyful human connection through music, Trio Oko highlights their distinctive harp trio instrumentation with the world premiere of a Solo(s) Together work by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, created just for them. Esmail’s Piano Trio features on the program, arranged for Trio Oko by harpist Charles Overton. Other selections honor the spirit of Solo(s) Together, giving performers space to shine, one at a time.   

When:
Saturday, May 03, 2025 3:00p -
4:30p

Where:
Bethel A.M.E. Church
86 Wachusett St
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Admission:
FREE

Our final concert of the season will feature the incredibly versatile and multi-talented harpist Charles Overton. Equally at home in an orchestra or in a jazz club, his performances have been lauded as spontaneous, dazzling and innovative. Mr. Overton aims to create a musical environment that is accessible, exciting, and resonates deeply with audiences. From lush and romantic works like Andante Religioso by Henriette Renie and Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro, to Eric Satie’s meditative Le Fils Des Etoiles, jazz standards, and a new work by Mr. Overton himself, you will be amazed by the beauty and versatility of the harp. The program will conclude with a new, uplifting Song for the Spirit by Kevin Harris. This Winsor tradition asks the audience to sing along and will be a joyful way to end this sure to be memorable evening!

Performers

Charles Overton, Harp; Rane Moore, Clarinet; Sarah Brady, Flute ; Peggy Pearson, Oboe Gabriela Díaz, Violin ; Katherine Winterstein, Violin Cara Pogossian, Viola ; David Russell, cello

Program

Henriette Renie Andante Religioso

Claude Debussy Arabesque #2

Erik Satie (T.Takemitsu) Le Fils Des Etoiles

Gilad Cohen Trio for a Spry Clarinet, Weeping Cello & Ruminating Harp

Charles Overton Once More

Richard Rogers My Favorite Things, arr. Overton

Morgan Lewis How High the Moon, arr. Overton

Kevin Harris Song for the Spirit world premiere

Maurice Ravel Introduction and Allegro

Presented by: Handsome Tours & Astral People

Astral People & Handsome Tours presents SHABAKA.

Shabaka’s work transcends conventional notions of genre, drawing from a vast palette of cultural influences. While he’s undeniably a pioneering voice in the renaissance of British jazz, his scope is much broader. He has performed classical concertos with world-leading orchestras, led several hugely influential bands (Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming, Shabaka and The Ancestors), and recently released a critically acclaimed solo album, Afrikan Culture – a work of exceptional beauty and urgency, centred around the East Asian instrument, the Shakuhachi, of which Shabaka is a major exponent.

Presented by: Handsome Tours & Astral People

Astral People & Handsome Tours presents SHABAKA.

Shabaka’s work transcends conventional notions of genre, drawing from a vast palette of cultural influences. While he’s undeniably a pioneering voice in the renaissance of British jazz, his scope is much broader. He has performed classical concertos with world-leading orchestras, led several hugely influential bands (Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming, Shabaka and The Ancestors), and recently released a critically acclaimed solo album, Afrikan Culture – a work of exceptional beauty and urgency, centred around the East Asian instrument, the Shakuhachi, of which Shabaka is a major exponent.

Melissa Almaguer is a multidisciplinary tap dance artist, improviser and educator born and raised in Mexico now based in Brooklyn, NY. Inspired by nature, indigenous practices, philosophy, and Afrofuturism she uses tap dance as her instrument to create communal spaces for sonic exploration.

Charles Overton - Harp 
Henry Fraser - Bass 

Pricing

$30
(inclusive of advance phone/web service fee; door price)

Performers

EMMA POWELL, violin

MINA KIM, cello

CHARLES OVERTON, harp

“Three accomplished individuals playing as a seamless ensemble” The Boston Musical Intelligencer

Praised for their "profound communication" and "thoughtful choices of timbre, articulation, dynamic contrast, and balance" Trio Oko the Boston-based trio of musicians met at Tanglewood Music Center in 2016 and united with a mutual belief in the power of music to create meaningful human connections. The ensemble aims to expand the harp trio repertoire by commissioning new works and arrangements. Their intention is to showcase the diverse capabilities inherent to this distinctive instrumentation.

Their Midday Music program of early 20th Century French music weaves together the spirited nuances of Jacques Ibert’s Trio with the elegant lyricism of Henriette Renié’s Trio; both works for violin, cello, and harp.

Trio Oko shared the Japanese dish okonomiyaki (cooked by the master chef, Emma!) in their first rehearsal along with giggles (hence, Oko—) and happily committed to bringing joy to concert halls through their collaborations and friendship.

Tickets: Age 35+: $32 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.