POP Presents: Aardvark Jazz Orchestra

Tuesday, Sep. 09, 2025

53rd Season Opener, Music by Mark Harvey and Duke Ellington

Doors open at 7:00 PM
Show begins at 7:30 PM

Called “stunningly beautiful” (The New York City Jazz Record) and “spellbinding” (The Boston Globe), The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra will open its 53rd season with an exhilarating show called No Walls, Jazz Beyond Category. JazzTimes praised Aardvark’s “lush sonorities and a saxophonic blend worthy of Ellington’s finest reed sections,” while Jazz Podium (Germany) called Aardvark “one of the best jazz ensembles in the world.”

Arts at the Armory Spotlight Series Presents Leyla McCalla on the Performance Hall stage on June 20, 2025.  

Friday, June 20th at 7:00PM

Arts at the Armory Spotlight Series is delighted to bring Leyla McCalla to the Performance Hall stage on June 20, 2025.  

Born in New York City to Haitian emigrants and activists, Leyla McCalla finds inspiration from past and present, pulling from three centuries of history and influences from around the globe. McCalla possesses a stunning mastery of the cello, tenor banjo and guitar and, as a multilingual singer and songwriter, has risen to produce a distinctive sound that reflects the union of her roots and experience. In addition to her solo work, McCalla is a founding member of Our Native Daughters (with Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah and Allison Russell) and alumna of Grammy award-winning Black string band The Carolina Chocolate Drops.

McCalla’s newest album, Sun Without the Heat, is playful and full of joy while holding the pain and tension of transformation. Throughout Sun Without the Heat’s ten tracks, McCalla achieves a balance of heaviness and light with melodies and rhythms derived from various forms of Afro-diasporic music including Afrobeat, Ethiopian modalities, Brazilian Tropicalismo, and American folk and blues.

McCall’s prior album, Breaking the Thermometer, was named one of the Best Albums of the year by The Guardian, Variety, Mojo and NPR Music, and her song “Dodinin” made Barack Obama’s short list of favorites. McCalla was awarded the 2022 People’s Voice Award by Folk Alliance International, an award given to artists who unabashedly embrace social change in their creative work. 

Tickets available now; don’t miss the chance to share in McCalla’s rich, playful music on June 20th! Doors will open at 7:00pm, the music will start at 8:00pm with a soon-to-be announced opener.

Arts at the Armory Spotlight Series Presents Shawn Colvin & Rodney Crowell Together On Stage!

Saturday, June 14 2025

Arts at the Armory’s Spotlight Series Presents Shawn Colvin and Rodney Crowell on June 14, 2025.

Shawn Colvin’s wowed the music scene with her arresting 1989 debut, Steady On. The following spring, Colvin took home the GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, establishing herself as a mainstay in the singer-songwriter genre. In the ensuing 30 years, Colvin has won three GRAMMY Awards, released thirteen superlative albums, written a critically acclaimed memoir, maintained a non-stop national and international touring schedule, appeared on countless television and radio programs, had her songs featured in major motion pictures and created a remarkable canon of work.

Colvin triumphed at the 1998 GRAMMY Awards, winning both Record and Song of the Year for the Top 10 hit “Sunny Came Home,” from the platinum-selling album A Few Small Repairs. In September 2019, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Steady On, Colvin released a newly-recorded version of her landmark debut. Colvin crafted a truly mesmerizing reinvention, performing the album with just her voice and guitar. The Steady On 30th Anniversary Acoustic Edition strips each song to the core, placing Colvin’s songwriting on full display. 

Rodney Crowell is a prolific country musician and songwriter. Native Texan, Crowell is a multi-Grammy Award-winning troubadour with fifteen number one hits. Over the course of his career, Crowell has gracefully blended his own mainstream success as an artist with a prolific catalog of songs cut by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban and more, making him a master among his peers.

With more than 40 years of American roots music under his belt, Crowell has also been cited as the architect of Americana music, extending his genre reach, but owing to the distinctly universal, literary quality of his writing, he has also penned beloved songs for artists as diverse as Bob Seger, Etta James, the Grateful Dead, and countless others.

Don’t miss the opportunity to see two beloved songwriters share the stage at Arts at the Armory on June 14. Shawn Colvin and Rodney Crowell will take turns playing their iconic hits from over the years. Doors will open at 7:00pm, the music will kick off at 8:00PM.

Tickets:

• $100 for Table Seating (seats sold individually)
• $100 for Reserved Seating, concert-style seating in front rows
• $85 for General Admission, concert-style seating located on the main floor and mezzanine

Please purchase tickets on a computer or tablet for detailed seat selection.

Questions? Contact Arts at the Armory at 617-718-2191 or info@artsatthearmory.org

Tickets purchased for Shawn Colvin and Rodney Crowell are non-refundable. All sales are final.

We strive to be a welcoming, accessible community arts space. We are delighted to announce we will join Mass Cultural Council’s Card to Culture program.

Arts at the Armory will offer 10 free tickets (max of 2 free tickets per person) to EBT, WIC and ConnectCareholders for each Spotlight Series performance. Please contact administrator@artsatthearmory.org for more information.