Boston’s Top 10 : Performing Arts Venues

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  1. Symphony Hall

    Opened
    in 1900, Symphony Hall is one of the world’s most acoustically perfect
    concert venues (it is a National Historic Landmark) and is the home of
    the internationally renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra. The BSO
    commissions many new works, performs US and world premieres, and also
    frequently welcomes sought-after guest conductors and soloists.




    Concert, Symphony Hall

  2. Wang Theatre

    Capturing
    the gilded and marbled opulence of its muse, Versailles, the 3,600-seat
    Wang ranks among the city’s most beautiful buildings. The Wang hosts
    touring productions from Broadway and London’s West End as well as dance
    and opera productions by local companies.

  3. Hatch Shell

    The Esplanade’s biggest attraction is this semi-enclosed concert venue. Every July 4th the Boston Pops orchestra rings in Independence Day here. Free Friday Flicks brings family faves such as The Wizard of Oz to the screen, while dance and music events occur almost nightly during summer.

    • The Esplanade

    • 617 635 4505




    Hatch Shell

  4. Boston Center for the Arts

    Home
    to four resident theater companies, four stages (including Boston’s
    first new theater in 75 years), and a gallery, the BCA is the
    cornerstone of the South End arts scene. The artists who perform and
    exhibit here present work as provocative as you might find in New York.

  5. Sanders Theatre

    Located in Harvard’s splendid Memorial Hall,
    this theater has hosted many luminaries over its 120 plus years. Great
    performers of the past century have graced its intimate stage, including
    mime artist Marcel Marceau, and Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and
    Ralph Wardo Emerson were among its early audiences.

    • 45 Quincy St, Cambridge

    • 617 496 2222

  6. New England Conservatory, Jordan Hall

    Dozens
    of local orchestral and choral ensembles call the NEC’s Jordan Hall
    home. Built at the turn of the 20th century and renowned for its
    intimacy and beautiful acoustics, the space was recently added to the
    National Registry of Historic Landmarks. The New England Conservatory
    presents 600 free concerts a year, and hosts ticketed events by other
    music organizations.

  7. Loeb Drama Center

    Harvard’s
    Loeb Drama Center trains the university’s performing arts students and
    houses one of New England’s best theater companies, the American
    Repertory Theatre. The ART presents unorthodox stagings of Shakespeare,
    work by up-and-coming playwrights, and spirited plays for children.

  8. ImprovAsylum

    Expect
    a party just as much as a performance at this North End favorite.
    Public participation is an integral part of the Improv’s frenetically
    paced productions, which usually leave the audience applauding
    raucously.

    • 216 Hanover St

    • 617 263 6887

  9. Berklee Performance Center

    Berklee,
    the world’s largest independent music college, boasts this premier
    venue. The great acoustics ensure that some of the most highly
    distinguished jazz, folk, and world musicians play here.

  10. Somerville Theatre

    Extensive
    renovation has returned this Davis Square landmark to its original,
    ornate glory. When it isn’t hosting some of the country’s finest jazz,
    world music, and underground rock acts, the Somerville packs audiences
    in for great value, second-run movies.

    • 55 Davis Sq, Somerville

    • 617 625 5700