Pop & Rock
THE BALLROOM THIEVES From a dorm room at Stonehill College in Easton sprang forth this sprightly acoustic trio that has blazed a trail in Americana circles this year, bolstered by appearances at the Boston Calling and Newport Folk festivals. Nov. 19, 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $18, $16 in advance. Royale. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
MY MORNING JACKET On this year’s “The Waterfall,” Jim James and gang take yet another psychedelic spiral into cosmic soul tempered with pop, folk, and orchestral touches. Nov. 20-21, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $46-$56. Orpheum Theatre. 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com
LOVING JEFF BERLIN
A who’s who of Boston’s roots musicians join for this benefit to support local drummer Berlin, who has suffered a series of strokes and now financial setbacks as he recovers. The lineup includes Jimmy Ryan & Hayride, Bow Thayer, Vapors of Morphine, Club d’Elf, the Curtis Mayflower, and Hybrasil, which features Berlin on drums. Nov. 22, 6 p.m. Tickets: $20 suggested donation. The Burren Backroom, Somerville. 617-776-6896, www.brownpapertickets.com
Folk & World
LIZ LONGLEY Berklee graduate Longley, who now resides in Nashville, returns to the area on the heels of a self-titled national-label release that is bringing wider attention to her intimate country-folk-pop mix. She performs as part of the Gardner Museum’s new popular music series, “Rise.” Nov. 19, 7 p.m. Tickets: $27. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 617-278-5156. www.gardnermuseum.org
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KARLA BONOFF AND JIMMY WEBB Both of these singer-songwriters are known for the hits they wrote for others — Bonoff especially for Linda Ronstadt, and Webb, of course, for the string of songs that Glen Campbell made into country-pop standards. Nov. 20, 8 p.m. Tickets: $60. Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley. 877-536-7190. www.bullrunrestaurant.com
THE HONEYCUTTERS
Asheville’s the Honeycutters variously call what they offer “country roots” and “Appalachian honky tonk.” Both work as descriptors for honest-to-goodness country music with shuffle beats aplenty, an abundance of pedal steel guitar, an acoustic turn here and there, and the throaty vocals of singer-songwriter and frontwoman Amanda Platt. Nov. 20, 7 p.m. Tickets: $15. The Burren, Somerville. 800-838-3006. www.brownpapertickets.com
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Jazz & Blues
THE MAKANDA PROJECT WITH MICHAEL GREGORY JACKSON The Boston-based big band’s ongoing exploration of Makanda Ken McIntyre’s music will include a guitarist for the first time: eclectic innovator Jackson, who first came to notice as part of the ’70s New York loft jazz scene. Nov. 21, 7 p.m. Free. Dudley Branch Library, 65 Warren St., Roxbury. 617-442-6186, www.makandaproject.com
PETER PARCEK BAND The incendiary guitar virtuoso was the 2013 New England Music Awards Blues Artist of the Year. His far-reaching approach incorporates influences from the likes of Hubert Sumlin, Django Reinhardt, and Bob Dylan. Nov. 21, 4 p.m. Tickets: $5. Atwoods Tavern, 877 Cambridge St., Cambridge. 617-864-2792, www.atwoodstavern.com
GENE BERTONCINI The famed New York-based guitarist plays a nylon-stringed acoustic instrument with his fingers, putting him in a tiny minority of jazz players. His approach opens up a whole world of harmony and texture. Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $11. Jocko’s Jazz at the Sahara Club, 34 Bates St., Methuen. 603-898-1591, www.jockosjazz.com
Classical
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Andris Nelsons is back on the podium this week, performing Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, and Berg’s Violin Concerto with the soloist Isabelle Faust. Nov. 19-21, Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org
BOSTON PHILHARMONIC The orchestra returns to Wagner under Benjamin Zander’s baton, with soprano Alwyn Mellor joining for a program of excerpts from some of the composer’s best-known operas. Nov. 18 and 22 in Sanders Theatre, Nov. 21 in Jordan Hall. 617-236-0999, www.bostonphil.org
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APOLLO’S FIRE + AMANDA FORSYTHE Soprano Amanda Forsythe has recently recorded her first solo album, devoted to Handel arias, with the Cleveland-based Baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire. Nov. 20, 8 p.m., First Church in Cambridge. 800-314-2535, www.apollosfire.org
Theater
SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNINGUnder the direction of Dawn M. Simmons, with a standout performance by Cloteal L. Horne, a skilled ensemble delivers vivid portraits of African-American women working in a Memphis hair salon as World War II ends. For a few of the characters in Katori Hall’s play, the war’s end signals the imminent return of husbands and boyfriends; for all, life is about to change. Through Nov. 21. Lyric Stage Company. 617-585-5678, www.lyricstage.com
CASA VALENTINAThomas Derrah heads a strong ensemble in Scott Edmiston’s production of Harvey Fierstein’s diffuse but clever and poignant play, set in 1962, about cross-dressers who gather in the Catskills for mutual support. Through Nov. 28. SpeakEasy Stage Company. At Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts. 617-933-8600, www.speakeasystage.com
DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID Emerson College student Jesse Lynn Hart stars as Ariel, with Jared Troilo as Eric and Shana Dirik as the dastardly Ursula, in the stage musical based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen and on the 1989 animated film. Directed by Stacey Stephens, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Sater and Howard Ashman, and a book by Doug Wright. Nov. 27-Dec. 6. Fiddlehead Theatre Company, at Strand Theatre. 617-514-6497, www.fiddleheadtheatre.com
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Dance
THIS IS TANGO NOWTony-winning tango artists Fernanda Ghi and Guillermo Merlo, along with musician Alfredo Minetti, bring their company of dancers and musicians for the world premiere of “CARMEN . . . de Buenos Aires.” Blending tango and flamenco, the production features a score that mines the melodies of Bizet’s opera classic. Nov. 20-22, $36-$40. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
THE FESTIVAL OF YOU & US & WE & THEMThe Dance Complex hosts three days of dance and all-ages arts activities, from sample dance classes in a range of styles to a series of mini-concerts. Nov. 20-22, $5-$25 (some events free). Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org
TONY WILLIAMS BALLET & SYMPHONY NOVAThe two organizations collaborate for an intimate evening of dance and live music, with choreography by Williams, Gianni Di Marco, Marsha Parrilla, and Janelle Gilchrist and dancing by members of Williams’s fledgling company and Danza Orgánica. Nov. 21, $25. Tony Williams Dance Center, Jamaica Plain. 617-524-4381, www.tonywilliamsdancecenter.com
Galleries
DECOYS AND DEVICES Printmaker Terry Conrad and photographer Danny Goodwin apply DIY tactics making images and objects that lead viewers down unexpected rabbit holes. Conrad builds Rube Goldberg-style presses to push his process; Goodwin reframes duct tape as icon. Through Dec. 19. New Art Center, 61 Washington Park, Newtonville. 617-964-3424, www.newartcenter.org
BOSTON PRINTMAKERS 2015 NORTH AMERICAN PRINT BIENNIAL This estimable juried show spotlights strong graphic work made with traditional and new printmaking technologies. On Thursday at 6 p.m. there’s a gallery talk with artists Julia Talcott and Lois Tarlow. Through Dec. 12. Lunder Arts Center, Lesley University, 1801 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-349-8800, www.lesley.edu/college-of-art-and-design/galleries/
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BLAKE FITCH: DRESS REHEARSAL Fitch photographs young girls’ passion for princesses, examining what that signifies for feminine identity. Princesses in full regalia and their families are invited to a Princess Party on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Elsa from “Frozen” will be there. Nov. 20-Dec. 22. Miller Yezerski Gallery, 460 Harrison Ave. 617-262-0550, www.milleryezerskigallery.com
Museums
LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK: BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE 1933-1957 A show about the many forms of creativity inspired by this small, experimental, and hugely influential liberal arts college in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Includes work by Robert Rauschenberg, Ruth Asawa, Anni and Josef Albers, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Robert Motherwell, Jacob Lawrence, Elaine and Willem de Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, and others. A rich program of performance events rounds out the show. Through Jan. 24. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-478-3100, www.icaboston.org
ROSA BARBA: THE COLOR OUT OF SPACE Sculptures, installations, text pieces, and publications feature in this first US survey of the acclaimed Italian artist based in Berlin. Includes a new film, “The Color Out of Space,” featuring images from an observatory in Troy, N.Y. Through Jan. 3. List Visual Arts Center, MIT. 617-253-4680, listart.mit.edu
COLLECTING AND SHARING: TREVOR FAIRBROTHER, JOHN. T. KIRK, AND THE HOOD MUSEUM OF ART Fairbrother, a well-known curator, and Kirk, a scholar of early American decorative arts, have donated many works to the museum. The show is organized by theme. Through Dec. 6. Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, N.H. 603-646-2808, www.hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu
Comedy
EUGENE MIRMANIf you’ve finally finished listening to “I’m Sorry (You’re Welcome),” the nine-volume comedy album Mirman released in October, you may have time to see the absurdist comic live. Nov. 19, 8 p.m. $20. Paradise Rock Club, 967 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8804, www.thedise.com
CAMERON ESPOSITOThe former BC theology student is working on a book slated to come out next year, in addition to breaking into film and her two podcasts. Nov. 19, 8 p.m. $12. Brighton Music Hall, 158 Brighton Ave., 617-779-0140, www.crossroadspresents.com
COMIC VS. COMICSean Sullivan hosts this Boston Roasting Competition, pitting local comics against each other. Nov. 19, 10:15 p.m. $10. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
Family
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS See Edaville become a winter paradise with rides, lights — and a chance for a photo with Santa. Nov. 20-Jan. 1, 4-9 p.m. $29. Edaville USA, Pine Street, Carver, 508-866-8190, www.edaville.com
Family 5K Pre-Turkey Trot Race with your kids, or have them enjoy supervised games while you run/walk. Please bring a canned good or vegetable to donate. Nov. 21, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Pope John Paul II Park Reservation, Dorchester, 617-542-7696, ext. 2115, www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/events.html
Benefit Concert
PBS Kids musician SteveSongs performs to support Acton Barn Cooperative Nursery School.
Nov. 21, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $13-$16. Parker Damon Building, 11 Charter Road, Acton, 978-952-2551, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2413921
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Dec. 4 Dirty South at Royale, Boston www.ticketfly.com
Dec. 5 City and Colour at House of Blues www.livenation.com
Dec. 6 Miley Cyrus at House of Blues www.livenation.com
Vince Staples at Middle East Downstairs www.ticketnetwork.com/default.aspx
Dec. 7 Kid Cudi at House of Blues www.livenation.com
Dec. 10 Deerhunter at Royale, Boston www.ticketmaster.com