The first mainstage concert of the Boston Early Music Festival was also the North American debut of Mozart’s own violin and viola.

Being a smoker is an increasingly lonely path in America, and particularly on college campuses, where a growing list of schools are taking a no-tolerance stance toward cigarettes.

Philanthropy at the most generous time of the year.

Build a flexible, festive wardrobe with these holiday separates.

The struggle to predict — and preserve — the architectural landmarks of tomorrow.

Hallie Ephron offers reviews of “Once Upon a Lie’’ by Maggie Barbieri; “Shoot the Woman First’’ by Wallace Stroby; and “Drawn into Darkness’’ by Nancy Springer.

Selectmen have conditionally appointed two police officers to fill vacancies on the force, according to Town Administrator Michael McCue. Both men — Brian T. Timulty of Braintree and Manuel J. Valenzuela of New Bedford — are veterans, McCue said. Timulty served in the Army and Valenzuela was in the National Guard. After medical screenings, the two will attend the next Police Academy in Plymouth and then be sworn in as full-time officers. “We welcome these two men to our department and hope they have a long successful career here,” Selectman Chairman Frank Hegarty said in a press release.

Area residents are invited to participate Saturday in the annual Holiday House Tour sponsored by the Westborough Woman’s Club. The fund-raising tour will feature five beautifully decorated homes. Refreshments will be available from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Congregational Church, at Church and West Main streets, and the homes will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 , and can be purchased at the church on Saturday, or in advance by calling 508-654-3762 .

Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich have to send a message to the Browns’ Jason Campbell that he’s in for a long, cold day.

Feature stories by their numbers.

As Martin Walsh prepares to take over at City Hall, he has made joint appearances with Mayor Thomas Menino to study the art of leading citizens in carols and countdowns.

Offering ever greater levels of luxury amenities and exclusivity, theater owners hope to lure more customers away from their Netflix, movies on-demand, and giant HD TVs.

December means winter, and it’s here, whether we like it or not.

The approach to the cumbersomely titled show relies primarily on a straightforward reproduction of the original, albeit delivered with an affectionate wink.

Although Krzhizhanovsky wrote fiction throughout his life, none of it was published — it was, in fact, censored by the Soviet state.