The 4th Annual Boston Globe WGBH Boston Summer Arts Weekend

The Boston Globe, WGBH and Citizens Bank are teaming up again to host the 4th annual Boston Summer Arts Weekend. The free outdoor festival will take place on Copley Square in the Back Bay on July 25-26 and will feature special offers from arts organizations around the city and a series of Arts Walks and Talks throughout the week leading up to the festival.

From New Orleans jazz to blues, family acts and Americana, there is something for everyone at this year’s event. Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, winners of the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album of the Year in 2014 for Old Yellow Moon, will headline the festival on Saturday. They’ll be joined on the lineup by New Orleans’ own Dirty Dozen Brass Band, as well as Grammy-nominated and Blues Music Award winner Bettye LaVette and Boston’s own Federator N°1.

The weekend will kick off on Saturday at 11 a.m. with performances designed for the entire family. One of the most buzzed-about bands for families and kids on the East Coast, Karen K & the Jitterbugs, will open the festival, followed by the Ringmaster Clown Remarkable Renaldo and Grammy nominee Zak Morgan.

Blue Man Group will hold the final round for their 2nd annual Boston Drum-Off on the main stage on Saturday, seeking to identify the most creative, most innovative and most insanely talented drummers in Greater Boston.

The winning choral group from WGBH's original local TV series, Sing That Thing!, also will perform during the Saturday primetime lineup. Voted the best of the best among a diverse array of choral ensembles across southern New England, Sing That Thing!'s winner will present their rendition of the original composition, “Qui Canitis Res,” by renowned composer Jim Papoulis, along with several other vocal numbers.

On Sunday, The Handel and Haydn Society will celebrate their Bicentennial as part of Boston Summer Arts Weekend. They’ll perform Beethoven’s epic Symphony No. 9 (“Ode to Joy”) in the heart of Copley Square, sponsored by The Boston Foundation. Following their performance, Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster will take the stage, followed by a headline performance from Grammy Award winning R&B artist Aaron Neville.

"After such a long winter indoors it's great to look ahead to summer and a celebration outdoors of our vibrant arts and music scene," said WGBH president and CEO Jon Abbott. "Boston Summer Arts Weekend brings us together across communities in a celebration like no other, and public media is proud to play a role in it."

In the week leading up to the festival, WGBH, The Boston Globe and Citizens Bank will extend the programming, featuring a series of Boston Summer Arts Weekend Walks & Talks. These events will include a Newbury Street gallery tour and art auction, as well as exclusive talks with artists and authors at venues across Boston. More information on the Walks & Talks will be available soon at www.BostonSummerArts.com

“Once again, the Boston Globe is delighted to work with WGBH and Citizens Bank to bring Boston Summer Arts Weekend to the community,” said Mike Sheehan, Chief Executive Officer of The Boston Globe. “The event brings a lineup of award-winning artistic performances and combines it with performances from organization across the city, giving people the opportunity to experience all that the Boston arts community offers.”

Boston-area arts organizations will offer discounts and unique programming for the public, all of which will be featured in a special guide. All arts and entertainment organizations are invited to list their events in the guide and on the Boston Summer Arts Weekend website free of charge. The guide will be distributed in The Boston Sunday Globe and available online at WGBH.org. To submit a listing, please visit www.BostonSummerArts.com.

“Boston has a rich and diverse culture and we are excited to be part of an event that energizes the city around arts,” said Jerry Sargent, president of Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. “The collaboration with The Boston Globe and WGBH is a great example of how local companies can come together to help enliven and enrich the community where we live and work.”

Boston Summer Arts Weekend is presented by Citizens Bank. Sponsorship opportunities are still available and can be tailored for both small and large arts organizations. For more information about becoming a sponsor of Boston Summer Arts Weekend, contact Ted Petersen at [email protected]. For more information, visit www.BostonSummerArts.com.

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