The Culture Show Podcast

GBH News
  • 4.6 (18)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Culture Show Podcast

A Boston-based podcast that thrives in how we live. What we like to see, watch, taste, hear, feel and talk about. It’s an expansive look at our society through art, culture and entertainment. It’s a conversation about the seminal moments and sizable shocks that are driving the daily discourse.  We’ll amplify local creatives and explore  the homegrown arts and culture landscape and tap into the big talent that tours Boston along the way. 

  1. 10 HR. AGO

    December 11, 2024 - Musicians of the Old Post Road, John Derian, and Hanukkah at the MFA

    The chamber ensemble Musicians of the Old Post Road is celebrating  the holiday season with “Christmas Far and Wide,” a concert of  festive 18th-century yuletide music from across the Western Hemisphere, making stops in Ireland, France, England. Poland, Mexico and more. They have two upcoming performances, one on December 14th at Trinity Lutheran in Worcester and another performance on December 15th at Old South Church in Boston. They both kick off at 4:00 PM. The co-Artistic directors, Suzanne Stumpf and Daniel Ryan join The Culture Show for an overview. Suzanne Stumpf is a flutist. Daniel Ryan is a cellist. We’re also joined by violinist and violist Sarah Darling. To learn more about the upcoming concerts go here. From there we’re joined by designer John Derian.  He has a passion for vintage illustration, particularly 18th and 19th century imagery of the natural world. He joins us to talk about his latest book, John Derian Picture Book II. This Friday he’ll be in Roslindale Square at Joanne Rossman purveyor of the unnecessary & the irresistible for a book signing event, which kicks off at 4:00. To learn more go here. Finally, In what has become an annual tradition, the Jewish Arts Collaborative brings the Greater Boston community together to celebrate Hanukkah at the Museum of Fine Arts  for “Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights”. Thousands of people gather each year for the annual celebration. And with MFA’s opening of its first gallery dedicated to Judaica  last year, there’s even more depth, tradition and culture in the celebration. The Festival of Lights happens tomorrow, December 12th.  Laura Mandel, Executive Director of JArts and Simona Di Nepi, Curator of Judaica at the Museum of Fine Arts, join The Culture Show for a preview. To learn more about the event go here.

    50 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    December 10, 2024 - A Betty White forever stamp, They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh, and Georgia O'Keeffe and Henry Moore at the MFA

    The United States Postal Service has announced a 2025 postage stamp honoring actress Betty White.The stamp, based on a 2010 photo of White, is a work by Massachusetts artist Dale Stephanos. As an illustrator his clients include “Rolling Stone,”  “Mad Magazine” and “The New York Times.” His work is exhibited in galleries across the country. Dale Stephanos joins The Culture Show to talk about his work, what it’s like to work with the USPS and how he managed to honor Betty White’s  animal rights activism into the stamp’s illustration. From there we talk to John Flansburgh, one half of the iconic alt-rock duo They Might Be Giants. TMBG have charmed audiences with their eclectic, genre-bending style for decades. They’ve released countless albums, contributed music to TV shows such as “Malcolm in the Middle,” and wriggled their way into the public consciousness with songs like “Doctor Worm” and “Birdhouse in your Soul.”  They Might Be Giants will be bringing their “Big Tour” to Boston with a pair of shows this Saturday and Sunday, December 14th and 15th, at the Orpheum Theatre. To learn more go here. Finally we head to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for an overview of their exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore. The co-curators of  the exhibition, Courtney Harris and Erica Hirshler join The Culture Show to talk about this major exhibition, which is on view through January 20, 2025.

    50 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    December 9, 2024 - Christine Ebersole, the NEC Chamber Singers, and Katy Rodden Walker

    Two time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole joins The Culture Show to preview “I'll Be Home For Christmas.”  By way of Broadway in Worcester, Christine Ebersole and Grammy Award winning pianist Billy Stritch will celebrate the holidays together in a show that  features the greatest hits of their twenty year partnership going all the way back to “42nd Street” on Broadway when they first met. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is onstage Wednesday, December 11th at 7:30 at the Jean McDonough Arts Center / BrickBox Theater,  20 Franklin Street, Worcester, MA 01608.  From there it;s a  holiday celebration at New England Conservatory by way of their family-friendly choral and winds concert showcasing popular holiday tunes, seasonal sweaters, Santa hats, and a singalong. The concert  features NEC Chamber Singers, NEC Symphonic Winds, and Navy Band Northeast, led by conductors  Erica J. Washburn, William Drury, and Lt. David Harbuziuk. Erica J. Washburn,  Director of Choral Activities at the New England Conservatory, and members of NEC Chamber Singers join The Culture Show for a preview. The concert is tonight at 7:30 at Jordan Hall. They will also be performing at Mechanics Hall on December 11th, 12:00-1:00. To learn more about upcoming NEC concerts go here. Finally artist Katy Rodden Walker joins The Culture Show  to talk about “Community BLOOMS.” a community focused art and science project that raises awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans, waterways, and food chains, and the natural phenomena of jellyfish blooms. It’s on view at New Bedford Whaling Museum through April 21, 2025.

    50 min

  4. 5 DAYS AGO

    December 6, 2024 - Week in Review: Boston's free Sunday museum program, Spotify Wrapped, and Notre Dame

    Today on The Culture Show Edgar B. Herwick III, James Bennett II and Lisa Simmons go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review. First up, this week Mayor Wu announced that the city is expanding its pilot program giving Boston students free access to select arts and culture institutions.  Starting in January, it’ll be offered to all Boston students, with more free days and even more institutions participating.  From there, famed writer Steven King is sending his independent radio stations to the Dead Zone. After 41 years of operating them, he’s giving Maine the silent treatment, citing sustained financial losses. And, it’s a renaissance in Paris. After going up in flames, Notre Dame Cathedral is set to reopen this Sunday  after undergoing a five-year restoration.

    50 min

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    December 5, 2024 - The Pipes of Christmas, a missing mural, and a Mariah Carey tribute

    For over 25 years The Pipes of Christmas has been a cherished holiday event, performing concerts that celebrate  the Christmas season and the Celtic spirit. Next Thursday at Old South Church they will be making their Boston debut in a concert honoring Brian O’Donovan, and the holiday tradition he created: A Christmas Celtic Sojourn. Lindsay O’Donovan, the wife of Brian O’Donavan. She was central to A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, on the stage and behind the scenes. Lindsay O’Donovan, The Pipes of Christmas Executive Producer Bob Currie and vocalist and musician, Madelyn Monaghan join The Culture Show. To learn more about the concert go here. From there James Bennett II joins The Culture Show to talk about his recent reporting on a missing masterpiece at the Boston Public Library and one of John Singer Sargent’s controversial works. Finally, Just in time for the holidays, Berklee College of Music’s Signature Series presents  “Singers Showcase: One Sweet Day–The Music Of Mariah Carey. It is an immersive, highly produced event showcasing the craft and artistry of Berklees students who are breathing new life into the Mariah Carey canon. The event features  special musical guest Taylor Deneen, who graduated from Berklee in 2021. Taylor Deneen and Anthony Burrell, an Associate Professor of Dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Mariah Carey’s former creative director, choreographer, and dancer consultant, join The Culture Show. The performances are December 5th and DEcember 6th at 8:00 at Berklee Performance Center.To learn more and to get tickets go here.

    50 min

  6. DEC 4

    December 4, 2024 - Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on the newly launched Boston Family Days, Front Porch Arts Collective, and J.D. Scrimgeour

    Today, Mayor Michelle Wu  announced Boston Family Days, an expansion of the successful BPS Sundays pilot program, which gave Boston Public Schools students and their families free access to several cultural institutions throughout Boston. With today’s announcement, Mayor Wu has expanded this free access experience to include all Boston school-aged children K-12 and their families and three new cultural institutions. Mayor Wu joined The Culture Show to talk about this expansion. From there, Front Porch Arts Collective is back with another serving of “Holiday Feast.” Christmastime episodes from four Black-led TV comedies of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s — “A Different World,” “Amen,” “Family Matters,” and “The Jeffersons” — are performed live in staged readings. Actor Maurice Parent  and Dawn M. Simmons,  a Co-Producing Artistic Director of Front Porch Arts Collective, joinThe Culture Show. Finally J.D. Scrimgeour joins us to talk about his vision as Salem’s inaugural Poet Laureate. He’s an English professor at Salem State, and  the author of five collections of poetry, which includes Banana Bread and Lifting the Turtle. As a dedicated advocate for the arts, he helped establish the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in Salem and he directs the Salem Poetry Seminar, helping future poets.

    50 min

  7. DEC 3

    December 3, 2024 - Boston Pops' Keith Lockhart, Christina Tosi, and New England Botanic Garden's Night Lights

    Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart joins The Culture Show for an overview of the Holiday Pops, which kicks off a series of concerts this Thursday December 5th. This year offers everything from the annual performance of  “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,”  to  “Home Alone” in Concert  to a  New Year’s Eve Celebration  with Bernadette Peters. To learn  about  the  Holiday Pops season go here. From there, James Beard Award-winning chef Christina Tosi joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book, “Bake Club: 101 Must-Have Moves for Your Kitchen,”  a collection of down-to-earth, sweet and savory recipes inspired by the  online community “Bake Club” that Tosi created during the pandemic. She will be at the Brattle Theatre tonight for a book event presented by Harvard Bookstore. To learn more go here.  Christina Tosi is a New York Times best-selling author, founder of Milk Bar and host of “Bake Squad." Finally, Grace Elton, CEO of New England Botanic Garden joins The Culture Show to talk about their annual holiday display, "Night Lights: Color Cascade"  which is  on view through January 5th. To learn more, go here.

    50 min

  8. DEC 2

    December 2, 2024 - Jeff Hiller, the Concord Museum's Holiday House Tour, and Catherine Allgor

    HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere,”  drops us into Manhattan, Kansas where we meet Sam, a woman who has recently moved back to her hometown to care for her dying sister, and Joel, a colleague at her new workplace who, she learns, was in the high school choir with her. The Peabody Award-winning series is  wrapping up with its last episode streaming on HBO December 8th. Actor Jeff Hiller, who stars as Joel Anderson, joins The Culture Show to talk about this beloved series. From there Lisa Krassner, Executive Director of the Concord Museum. joins The Culture Show, to talk about their annual tradition: The Concord Museum’s  Holiday House. It’s this Saturday, from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM. To  learn more go here. Finally Catherine Allgor leads the way on another edition of Countdown to 2026. This month she focuses on colonial women and the role they played on the eve of the American Revolution. The books Allgor recommends this month are Mary Beth Norton’s “Liberty’s Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750-1800”  and “Abigail Adams” by Woody Holton. Catherine Allgor joins us every month for “Countdown to 2026.” She  is President Emerita of the Massachusetts Historical Society, an author, historian and visiting scholar with the Department of History at Tufts University.

    50 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

A Boston-based podcast that thrives in how we live. What we like to see, watch, taste, hear, feel and talk about. It’s an expansive look at our society through art, culture and entertainment. It’s a conversation about the seminal moments and sizable shocks that are driving the daily discourse.  We’ll amplify local creatives and explore  the homegrown arts and culture landscape and tap into the big talent that tours Boston along the way. 

Information

  • Creator
    GBH News
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    268
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    ©2023 WGBH Educational Foundation
  • Show Website
    The Culture Show Podcast

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