Transitioning into Fall with Boston Arts and Sports
When my favorite season (summer!) starts fading away, I transition into fall by keeping busy with my favorite Boston arts and sports. World-class figure skating, award-winning theater, some of the best musicians on Earth, unique contemporary ballet choreography- here in Boston we have it all! Be sure to scroll down for your favorite Boston entertainment and take note of upcoming performances.
Figure Skating. Late summer and early fall were quite busy at my beloved figure skating venue- Norwood-based Skating Club of Boston. (Take note of The Boston Open happening this weekend of October 1). In August-September the Club hosted two international ISU Challenger events: the Cranberry Cup for singles, followed by John Nicks ISU Pairs Challenge. (I interviewed the Paris event first-place winners Boikova/Kozlovskii and silver medalists Shin/Howe). Our Club has also hosted a US Champs Camp for members of the national team that culminated in the now-traditional Summer Sizzler on August 27 where national team members showcased their new competitive programs. And as a beautiful cherry on top – on the eve of the Summer Sizzler figure-skating fashion lovers were treated to the Style 2027 Fashion Show (at Boston’s the View) with a chance to mingle with national team members while admiring costumes on display surrounded by beautiful Boston Skyline. I suggest you look out for these events on the Club’s website for next August/September!
Boston’s Huntington Theatre launched its 45th season with PURPOSE (through October 10) – a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; directed by Josiah Davis.
It’s first and foremost a family drama, played out on and off the dinner table (with a guest in attendance) with larger than life arguments over the demands, expectations, heritage and proverbial search for purpose. While the family is inspired by the prominent Black political family of Jesse Jackson, the themes felt relevant to me and my “ordinary” middle-class family.
I LOVED the set (by South Korean-born Se Hyun Oh) and the entire 6-member cast was excellent (especially Ezra Knight as Solomon Jasper, the father and Omari K. Chancellor, the younger son and protagonist, narrating his own story). (At our performance last week, the role of Claudine Jasper, normally played by Phyllis Yvonne Stickney was played by Chris Everett).
The action and acting were so engaging that the three-hour production flew by. I initially felt that the last scene was perhaps a bit stretched but my theater aficionado friend managed to convince me that it was actually organic to the father and son characters who finally have each other as the perfect audience. Hurry up and see for yourself! Performances are through October 11 at the Calderwood Pavilion. Use promo code fall10 for 15% off (do check various promo codes on their site, including those for students and patrons under 40).
Next in the Huntington’s season is an adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird by Aaron Sorkin (October 8- November 8) directed by Huntington’s Artistic Director Loretta Grecco. This should be a great way to bring your entire family to the theater to explore the timeless themes and have a meaningful conversation after.
Boston Symphony. In Boston Symphony Orchestra’s season-opening sold-out concert two maestros, Andris Nelsons and Yo-Yo Ma, collaborated to perform Edward Elgar’s monumental Cello Concerto. The fall season continued with Nelsons conducting Mahler’s Seventh (the only Mahler symphony he hasn’t yet conducted with the BSO).
All Rachmaninoff: Andris Nelsons with Seong-Jin Cho is playing on September 30- October 3 and I was lucky to have attended this performance. South Korean-born Seong-Jin Cho is considered one of the great pianists of our time and he delivered! The concert opened with the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which is the composer’s last work for piano and orchestra and closed with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No.2, his famously emotional and melodic piece. I was teary-eyed at a couple of moments as I got lost in this monumental, hour-long work.
The season will continue with Andris Nelsons conducting Beethoven Symphony No. 7 (October 8-10) and Andris Nelsons with acclaimed guest violinist Hilary Hahn and cellist Seth Parker Woods (October 15-17) performing Tchaikovsky and Simon. I am taking my Mom to this one and can’t wait to listen to my all-time favorite melodies from the Nutcracker ballet and opera Eugene Onegin. BSO’s Composer Chair Carlos Simon created a joyful work specifically for Parker Woods and Hahn. (Take note of more of Tchaikovsky’s works performed in January). I will be taking advantage of 30-minute Symphony Hall Pre-Concert Tours (free for ticket holders) prior to the performance.
Check out BSO’s Community Chamber Concerts (tickets are free but must be reserved in advance at bso.org)
And note the very diverse (and very entertaining) Boston Pops programming here (including the December Holiday Pops)
Boston Ballet kicked off its 63rd season early this year – with the FALL EXPERIENCE (September 10-20) – a program of two contrasting contemporary ballets: Cacti (from Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman) and Vertical Road(by UK’s Akram Khan). The company is taking the program on tour to NYC and Paris.
The Nutcracker is next (November 27- December 31) followed by the Winter Experience (February 19-28).
You can use my promo code “Victoria” for $50 tickets for Boston Ballet performances throughout the season ($60 for the Nutcracker) plus fees.
More Fall Ideas:
At the end of the summer I took my family to a Red Sox baseball Game at historic Fenway. We have not become fans of the sport just yet but we enjoyed beautiful historic stadium and some vibes inspired by Heated Rivalry theme night (complete with DJ Harrison and author Rachel Reid in attendance).
The Fall is also a great time for a road trip to the thermal spas in nearby Quebec. The road took us through New Hampshire and Vermont where we admired the vibrant colors of early foliage. On this trip we visited (an urban) Spa Bota Bota in Montreal and Spa Balnea in Bromont’s nature resort. Both are among our favorite beautiful relaxation destinations that are different in surroundings but similar in their water relaxation experience. (hot-cold-relax on repeat although we mostly skip the cold part).
I loved staying in Hyatt Centric Montreal and walking for 20+minutes along the St. Lawrence river to the Bota Bota. And in Bromont, we always choose Hotel Valea Tapestry Collection by Hilton in Bromont (these are our affiliate booking dot com links).
How do you like to transition into fall? Share your experiences.
