Marc Chagall and Friends: The Salon des Indépendants // Through Sunday
Marc Chagall has been described as “the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century.” A pioneer of modern expressionism, Chagall’s work is a celebration of his Jewish roots and is a de facto celebration of self-acceptance after surviving Russian ethnic purges by denying his culture and faith. His extraordinary prints and drawings are part of the exhibit Marc Chagall and Friends: The Salon des Indépendants at the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibit also includes works by Modigliani and other contemporaries who lived in the same studio apartment complex as Chagall between 1911 and 1914. Other artists affiliated with the “School of Paris” to which Chagall and Picasso belonged, will be also be on display. Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards St., Springfield. 413-314-6479 springfieldmuseums.org. $13 – $25.
Jeremy Turgeon Quintet Album Release Show // SATURDAY
I had the pleasure of first hearing a live performance by the Jeremy Turgeon Quintet at Valley Advocate Sessions last year. The band’s combination of jazz, soul, and funk is refreshing and guaranteed to get your toes tapping. This Saturday, the quintet will release a new album, What Matters Most at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke that’ll also include jazz-funk fusion group Ginja Low Main on the lineup. Gateway City Arts, 92 Race St., Holyoke, Doors open at 7 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m. $12 advanced/ $15 at the door.
It’s Amy Beach weather! // SUNDAY
There are several opportunities to take in some classical music this coming week, and I’m looking forward to a chamber concert featuring the Juilliard String Quartet cellist (and UMass music faculty member) Astrid Schween. Schween will join pianist Larry Schuipull and violinist Linda Laderach to perform works by Brahms, Shostakovich, and Beach at Mount Holyoke College. And best of all, it’s free! 3 p.m. McColloch Auditorium, Pratt Music Hall, 50 College Street, South Hadley. 413-538-2306. cwrobles@mtholyoke.edu.
