HubArts.com

Tuesday is the day for WGBH switch

WGBH FM 89.7 goes all news and talk tomorrow, following final approval of its purchase of WCRB FM 99.5 from Nassau Broadcasting. WGBH's new schedule is here; new daytime talk shows for Emily Rooney and Callie Crossley will take over the noon and 1 p.m slots beginning in January. Most important around HubArts HQ, jazz with "Eric in the Evening" will continue Mon-Thurs.

Meanwhile, the station they're now branding as "All Classical 99.5" picks up WGBH's classical programming load. The new, non-commercial 99.5 schedule is here, although expect that to continue getting tweaked. The deal has been a big topic of discussion here and elsewhere, as some WGBH classical fans worry about WCRB's signal strength, while others expect an improvement in WCRB's "dumbed-down" programming. Let us know what you think tomorrow.

Half off Boston Ballet "Nutcracker" tix, today only

For today only the Boston Ballet is offering 50% off tickets to the Nutcracker at the Opera House. The Cyber Monday buy-online deal is available for these dates: Dec. 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17, all at 7:30 p.m. There's a limit of four tix per person, but all levels of tickets are available as long as they last. Use code NUT1DAYW when ordering.

Morning reading (and looking): Pixies pix! Will Dailey!

If you were excited about the Pixies shows at the Wang, Brad Searles has an excellent picture set. If you need new wallpaper or fodder for an art project, he's got a pretty open Creative Commons license on them, too, but it's noncommercial only, so I can't show you one here. (via UHub) ... Meanwhile Ryan's Smashing Life has an interview with Will Dailey, who's up for three Boston Music Awards this week. "For a lot of people the last 8 years has been heart breaking more than anything. That is what 'Peace of Mind' represents to me."

Dropkick Murphys: St. Pat's tix right now

At 10 a.m., tix sales start for the Dropkick Murphys' annual St. Patrick's Day stand, now at the House of Blues, which begins March 12. All tix are $30.50 at www.livenation.com, www.houseofblues.com/boston and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers, www.ticketmaster.com or by phone 800-745-3000. And by the time March rolls around, the band's "Live St. Patrick's Day 2009 CD and DVD will be out.

Two local authors, two local talks

My former Boston Herald colleague Stephanie Schorow, author most recently of  “The Cocoanut Grove Fire," will be talking about its "haunting legacy" at Jamaicaway Books & Gifts on Saturday, the 67th anniversary of the 1942 fire that killed nearly 500 people. Schorow will show newly discovered photos and explore various theories about the cause of the fire, which is officially listed as “of unknown origin.” Saturday 5 to 7 p.m., 676 Centre St., Jamaica Plain. 617-983-2753, www.jamaicawaybooks.com. She's also at the Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell on Dec. 3... And Ethan Gilsdorf, who like me sometime has a byline in the Boston Globe has a few area appearances coming up in support of his "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms". Most sumptuously, he'll appear at Arte Dominum's next "Arts Night" Dinner Event at, appropriately enough, Prose restaurant in Arlington, next Wednesday at 7 p.m. He says you'll hear two "sets" from him and bewined and dined in style, all for the low price of $27. Chef/Owner Debbie Shore's season menu includes things like short ribs with house-made kim chi. Seating is very limited, info is here: www.artedominum.com. He's also at the Concord Free Library on Dec. 3.

Alicia Witt plays here on Black Friday

You may remember her as the tall redheaded drink of water who played Cybill Shepard's teen daughter on a '90s sitcom. She's got something of a movie and TV career, including a stint as a detective on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." But these days the Worcester native seems just as interested in her work at the piano as a singer-songwriter; you can look up her 2009 EP on iTunes. And this Friday night she'll be playing the Thanksgiving Hangover Show at Oliver's at the Cask & Flagon on Brookline Ave. The band Soap Stars follows at 8:45. Here's a taste of Witt at work:

North Shore Music Theatre...revived?

North Shore Music Theatre may be coming back from the grave. The Salem News reports that the owner of Theatre by the Sea in Matunuck, R.I. has signed a purchase and sale agreement with Citizens Bank and hopes to bring musicals back to the Beverly venue by spring. It's a good get if it pans out. William Hanney tells the paper "a leaner operation" is key to running it successfully, but of course its broad community involvement and education programs were a big part of NSMT's value to the community. As previously reported, the bank held onto the property at auction for less than $4 million this fall, and should be in good shape after an expensive renovation followed a 2005 fire.

Tom Cruise, "Sleep No More," other Friday tidbits

Back from jury duty ... In an open letter online, Tom Cruise thanks Boston for the memories, including "unforgettable runs around the St. Charles River."  http://is.gd/4ZTqu. ... David Cole of Providence has won the Rappaport Prize, Greg Cook reports. ... John Kuntz answers the Proust questionnaire for Explore Boston Theater. I'm not a big fan of this feature but Kuntz's is  funny. ... As if mine wasn't enough, here's another long blog post about the A.R.T.'s "Sleep No More," replete with practical advice. ... And finally, here's my column on Merrimack Rep's "Heroes," from this morning's Globe.(Thanks to Georgy Cohen and her Blackberry  for the image to deface.)

2010 Tanglewood plans from BSO

Time is short this morning - jury duty continues - so I'm simply going to give you the press release direct from the Boston Symphony Orchestra with all the plans for next summer's Tanglewood season, including the return of Seiji Ozawa, the jazz fest and two James Taylor/Carole King shows that will sell out so fast it will warp the space/time continuum, as well as ticket info.

(Photo of James Levine and Leon Fleisher at Tanglewood 2009 by Hilary Scott courtesy BSO.)

BSO ANNOUNCES 2010 TANGLEWOOD SEASON

 

JAMES LEVINE LEADS BSO IN MAHLER’S SYMPHONIES 2 & 4, STRAVINSKY’S

SYMPHONY OF PSALMS, AND MOZART’S REQUIEM AND “THE ABDUCTION FROM THE
SERAGLIO”; LEVINE LEADS TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER FELLOWS IN PERFORMANCES
OF MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 3 AND STRAUSS’ “ARIADNE AUF NAXOS”

 

SEIJI OZAWA MAKES A WELCOME RETURN CONDUCTING BSO IN ALL-BRAHMS CONCERT
AND TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER ORCHESTRA IN RAVEL’S “DAPHNIS AND CHLOÉ”

 

THE INCOMPARABLE JAMES TAYLOR RETURNS FOR TWO CONCERTS

WITH CAROLE KING, JULY 3 AND 4

 

ARLO GUTHRIE JOINS KEITH LOCKHART FOR ONE OF TWO BOSTON POPS CONCERTS
CELEBRATING THE ORCHESTRA’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY

 

JOHN WILLIAMS CELEBRATES 30TH YEAR AT TANGLEWOOD WITH

EVER-POPULAR FILM NIGHT

 

BSO CELEBRATES 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER

FEATURING TMC ALUMS IN PERFORMANCES THROUGHOUT THE SEASON;

FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS THE GREAT TMC COMPOSERS

FROM THE PAST SEVEN DECADES

 

TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

 

YO-YO MA BRINGS HIS SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE TO THE KOUSSEVITZKY MUSIC SHED

 

OZAWA HALL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP,

AUDRA MCDONALD, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA,

AND GARRICK OHLSSON IN TWO ALL-CHOPIN RECITALS

A little more Boston arts online at Tripvine

Today AOL launches a new travel brand/site/blog called Tripvine, and I'm the arts & culture blogger for their Boston Insider pages. The official launch is today, but we've been posting items on there for some days now, so check us out. Of course we're aimed primarily at people planning on traveling here from elsewhere, but there are arts, food, family and nightlife bloggers now, and more to come. And for the many HubArts readers who work in the Boston arts community, hey, it's one more place I might write about your event/venue/work. Folks from the Peabody Essex Museum, A.R.T. and others will find your stuff already there.