PICK OF THE DAY
‘The Test of Time’
The music of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and others hooked Judy Collins on lyrics and changed her musical path from classical piano to folk guitar. With a new release titled “Bohemian” and her memoir “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes, My Life in Music,” the folk singer is on her way to her next 50 musical years. 8 p.m. $60. The Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley. 978-425-4311. www.bullrunrestaurant.com
WEDNESDAY
Blues among the greens Lloyd Thayer and his resonator guitar and harmonica will play blues standards and new selections at Sounds of the Garden. Don’t get too comfortable because folks from the Boston Natural Areas Network encourage you to dance (and bring a blanket or chair for down time). 6:30 p.m. Free. Southwest Boston Community Garden, corner of Rowe Street and Cummings Highway, Roslindale. 617-542-7696. www.bostonnatural.org
Air Force send-off There's no better way to close this season’s Boston Parks and Recreation Department Wednesday Night Concerts than with music by the United States Air Force Band of Liberty. One of 10 nationwide Air Force bands, this group stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base has performed for more than 30 years.
7 p.m. Free. City Hall Plaza, Boston. 617-635-4505. www.cityof
boston.gov/parks
Travel tunes Don’t blink or you might miss a country at “Around the World in 80 Minutes.” Boston Lyric Opera joins Boston Landmarks Orchestra at the Landmarks Festival at the Shell concert series. You’ll get a preview of BLO’s upcoming season when they sing excerpts from works by Puccini, Wagner, Mozart, Bernstein, and others. Enjoy your visit to France, Italy, Japan, the United States, and Sri Lanka. 7 p.m. Free. DCR Hatch Memorial Shell along the Esplanade, Boston (rain location is Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St.). 617-542-4912. www.blo.org
What a title Do you suffer from Foreign Accent Syndrome? If you are anxious to know more, head to Williamstown for “WHADDABLOODCLOT!!!” by Katori Hall. When Manhattan rich lady Eden Higgenbotham has a stroke, she comes down with a rare condition that makes her talk with a Jamaican accent. 7:30 p.m. (through Aug. 19). $45. Williamstown Theatre Festival, 1000 Main St., Williamstown. 413-597-3400. www.wtfestival.org
THURSDAY
Into the woods For its first “Shakespeare in Lynn Woods,” Arts After Hours presents “Twelfth Night” in the Lynn Woods Rose Garden and Amphitheater. You’ll walk from place to place to check out Olivia’s palace and Orsino’s manor. The action takes place in Victorian times, and original music is by Gina Naggar. Feste will be your guide, Shakespeare your author. Aug. 9-19 at 8 p.m. $15-$20 (additional $10 for picnic). Lynn Woods, Pennybrook Road entrance off Walnut Street, Lynn. 781-205-4010. www.artsafterhours.com
Museum magic Bring the kids to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for “Neighborhood Nights: Magical Journey,” and when they return to school they’ll show the class how enriched they are. There will be art projects, gallery games, a scavenger hunt, and a performance by Impulse Dance Company. Aug. 9 from 5-9 p.m. Free. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 the Fenway, Boston. 617-566-1401. www.gardnermuseum.org