PJ HARVEY On last year’s “The Hope Six Demolition Project,” the British shape-shifter turned the world’s political landscape into a jumping-off point for her careful portraits of people affected by policies, with clamorous guitars and saxophone bleats adding to the mood of chaos and questioning. April 17, 7:30 p.m. $55-$75. House of Blues. 888-693-2583, www.houseofblues.com/boston
BRIDGET KEARNEY The bassist for Boston’s jazz-pop heroes Lake Street Dive steps out on her own with her sparkplug solo debut, “Won’t Let You Down,” which showcases her rich alto and twisty songwriting on tracks like the gently garagey “Serenity” and the glittering “Wash Up.” April 18, 8 p.m. $15. Lizard Lounge, Cambridge. 617-547-0759, www.lizardloungeclub.com
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HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF Alynda Segarra is a punk turned street-orchestra player turned artist who’s been thrillingly pushing the boundaries of “American folk” ever outward for 10 years. On her new album, “The Navigator,” she turns her life story and the history of the Latinx diaspora into rich songs that draw on bomba, glam, and a slew of other genres. April 18-19, 7:30 p.m. $20, $17 advance. The Sinclair, Cambridge. 617-547-5200, www.sinclaircambridge.com
Folk & World
LEIF VOLLEBEKK Nordic (twice over — Canadian by birth and residence, Norwegian by heritage) singer-songwriter Vollebekk returns to the area in support of his latest effort, “Twin Solitude,” a collection of gorgeous, spacious, piano-led melancholia that culminates in the funereal, eight-minute marvel “Rest.” April 20, 9 p.m. $12. Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge. 866-777-8932. www.ticketweb.com
SAM OUTLAW/DORI FREEMAN A double shot of tradition-leaning country music. Sam’s name may be Outlaw, but he draws on styles other than the one that Waylon made famous; Virginian Freeman, making her first visit to the area, made one of last year’s finest country records with her self-titled, Teddy Thompson-produced debut. April 21, 10 p.m. $12. Great Scott. 888-929-7849. www.axs.com
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THE GLOAMING An unusual, transatlantic supergroup of sorts, this collaboration of Irish and American musicians has resulted in music that, rooted in the traditional while incorporating other, modern elements, partakes of the both-and-neither in-betweenness of the phenomenon from which the group takes its name. This is the Gloaming’s first visit to Boston. April 22, 8 p.m. $28-$37. Berklee Performance Center. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org
Jazz & Blues
JASON PALMER QUARTET The award-winning trumpeter, composer, and educator helms the house band at Wally’s Café and has played with everyone from bebop titan Roy Haynes to hip-hop hero Common. With guitarist Max Light, bassist Jared Henderson, and drummer Lee Fish. April 20, 7 p.m. $15. Peabody Hall, Parish of All Saints, 209 Ashmont St., Dorchester. www.mandorlamusic.net
SETH RUDETSKY & JUDY KUHN: A BROADWAY CABARET & CONVERSATION Two bright rays from the Great White Way join forces for an evening of songs and stories: pianist, actor, Playbill columnist, and Sirius/XM host Rudetsky and four-time Tony Award nominee Kuhn. April 20, 7:30 p.m. $40. The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Natick. 508-647-0097, www.natickarts.org
MAKANDA SATURDAY NIGHT DANCE PARTY In what has become an annual tradition, the marvelous Makanda Project kicks off Boston’s 2017 Jazz Week with a celebration of the big band dance soirees of the swing era, featuring dancers Mickey Davidson and Brian Davis for inspiration and guidance. (For more information on Jazz Week, visit www.jazzboston.org.) April 22, 8 p.m. Free. Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley St., Roxbury. www.hibernianhall.org, www.makandaproject.com
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Classical
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Andris Nelsons leads a darkly tinged all-Mozart program that includes the “Requiem” and the Piano Concerto in C minor, the latter with the riveting pianist Radu Lupu as soloist. April 20-22, Symphony Hall. 888-266-1200, www.bso.org
BOSTON BAROQUE The period-instrument ensemble rounds out its season with one of Handel’s greatest and most popular operas, “Giulio Cesare,” with the excellent soprano Susanna Phillips in the role of Cleopatra. Mary Birnbaum directs. April 21 and 23, Jordan Hall. 617.987.8600, www.bostonbaroque.org
BOSTON MODERN ORCHESTRA PROJECT The orchestra collaborates with Harvard choruses on Trevor Weston’s “Griot Legacies,” a new take on the African-American spiritual tradition, and Michael Tippett’s “A Child of Our Time,” a modern classic. April 22, 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre. www.bmop.org
ARTS
Theater
RENT The young cast has something to prove and they do in a dynamic production of Jonathan Larson’s rock ’n’ roll reimagining of Puccini’s “La Boheme.’’ Directed by Evan Ensign and choreographed by Marlies Yearby, this “Rent’’ pulses with insurrectionary energy as it takes us through a year in the lives of friends and lovers in the East Village at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Through April 23. Boch Center at Shubert Theatre, Boston. 866-348-9738, www.bochcenter.org
GOLDA’S BALCONY Bobbie Steinbach delivers an impassioned and stirring performance as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, scrambling during 1973’s Yom Kippur War to save a nation of which she was not just the leader but a living embodiment. William Gibson’s solo drama is directed by Judy Braha. Through April 16. New Repertory Theatre. At Mainstage Theater, Mosesian Center for the Arts, Watertown. 617-923-8487, www.newrep.org
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CHILL In her impressive new play, set in her hometown of Brookline, Eleanor Burgess delivers a shrewdly observed portrait of millennials grappling with life’s uncertainties and disappointments while confronting questions about which roads to take — and, inevitably, roads not taken. Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian. Through April 16. Merrimack Repertory Theatre at Nancy L. Donahue Theatre, Lowell. 978-654-4678, www.mrt.org
Dance
MAUREEN FLEMING The gorgeously sensual, provocative artist returns to Boston with the multimedia “B. Madonna.” This meditative production includes 3-D video projections designed by Christopher Odo, text by David Henry Hwang, and music by Philip Glass (performed live by pianist Bruce Brubaker), accordionist Guy Klucevsek, and taiko drummer Kaoru Watanabe. April 21-22. $36-$40. Institute of Contemporary Art. 617-876-4275, www.worldmusic.org
GSS CONCERTS: BALLET SHOWCASE This new initiative by Green Street Studios highlights some of the area’s most active ballet companies and artists in an effort to engage new audiences and increase awareness of the genre’s diversity. Participants include Boston Ballet II, Island Moving Company, Tony Williams Ballet, Tai Jimenez, Kevin Jenkins, and David Sun. April 21-23. $20-$25. Green Street Studios, Cambridge. 857-242-6789, www.greenstreetstudios.org
PENTACLE The New York City-based artist service organization returns for its third Boston-area concert, presenting a group of companies from its roster that give local audiences a taste of what’s happening in contemporary dance around the country, from Miami to Los Angeles to New York. Companies include Janis Brenner & Dancers, The Moving Architects, and Dante Brown|Warehouse Dance. April 21-22. $15-$25. Dance Complex, Cambridge. 617-547-9363, www.dancecomplex.org
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Galleries
WALDEN: WINDOW & MIRROR To mark Thoreau’s bicentennial, Concord Art gathers eight artists (including Andy Goldsworthy, Ellen Driscoll, and Alex MacLean) who engage with nature as the writer did, as an opportunity to witness and reflect. Through May 14. Concord Center for the Visual Arts, 37 Lexington Road, Concord. 978-369-2578, www.concordart.org
ELIZABETH AWALT: SEA CHANGE Painting on canvases and rounds of wood, Awalt recollects her studies — in person and on slides — of underwater worlds in Maine tidal pools and in the Caribbean. Through May 4. Matter & Light Fine Art, 450 Harrison Ave. 857-990-3931, www.matterlightfineart.com
JON IMBER: FIRST DATE The painter, who died in 2014, would scout out scenes — along back roads, in a marsh, in the woods — and sketch them in pastel to take home and make into paintings. This show spotlights some of those energetic, sunny drawings. Through May 3. Alpha Gallery, 460 Harrison Ave. 617-536-4465, www.alphagallery.com
Museums
NEW ENGLAND ON PAPER: CONTEMPORARY ART IN THE BOSTON ATHENAEUM’S PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTION The Athenaeum has long collected New England artists’ work that especially reflects the region. This show highlights drawings, photos, and prints acquired this century. Pictured: Bob Hesse’s “Unquiet City II.’’ Through Sept. 3.Boston Athenaeum. 617-227-0270, www.bostonathenaeum.org
BOTTICELLI AND THE SEARCH FOR THE DIVINE The first significant Botticelli exhibition in North America features 15 of his paintings, many never seen before in the United States, and traces the path from his resplendent work for the Medicis to his austere later style. Through July 9. Museum of Fine Arts. 617-267-9300, www.mfa.org
THINKING ABOUT WATER: ARTISTS REFLECT It’s easy to get caught up in water’s beauty, depth, and translucence, and these artists do, but their work also considers social and environmental issues such as clean water and climate change. Through June 30. Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, 2450 Beacon St. 617-277-0065, www.waterworksmuseum.org
EVENTS
Comedy
WOMEN IN COMEDY FESTIVAL They skipped last year’s fest to ramp up for this year, and now have a packed schedule that features Rita Rudner, Rachel Dratch, Sasheer Zamata, Aparna Nancherla, Lizz Winstead, and a slew of stand-up, improv, sketch, short film, and music. Various venues and times. Check www.wicf.com for details.
COMICS 2 CURE Former “Chappelle’s Show” writer and performer Donnell Rawlings (a.k.a. “Ashy Larry”) tops the bill again this year at this benefit for the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown. April 19, 8 p.m. $30. Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St., Boston. 617-725-2844, www.laughboston.com
BOB SAGET It’s been quite a career cycle for Saget. He started as a comic who worked blue, and then snagged a role on “Full House,” then became known for working blue again, and now he’s on “Fuller House.” April 22, 9:45 p.m. $29-$39. The Wilbur, 246 Tremont St., Boston. 617-248-9700, www.thewilbur.com
Family
FREE MOVIE AT WESTGATE MALL — SING A morning movie may sound odd, but not during April Vacation Week. And a movie adaptation of “American Idol,” with animals, will make the morning worth it. April 18, 11:30 a.m. Free. Westgate Mall, 200 Westgate Drive, Brockton. 508-588-8916 www.shopatwestgatemall.com/event/free-kids-april-vacation-event/2145488228/
MAGIC WAND MAKING Prove you’re not a muggle (or no-maj) by making your own spell-casting wand. Once you’ve made one Ollivander would be proud of, you can watch “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” and practice your swish and flick all night. April 19, 4 p.m. Free. Dighton Public Library, 395 Main St., Dighton. 508-669-6421 www.eventkeeper.com/mars/xpages/D/DIGHTON/ek.cfm
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY AT STONE ZOO What better Earth Day activity is there than learning about conservation with zookeepers and wild animals? Along with learning about the importance of saving the planet, you can interact with animals at the zoo, up close and personal. April 22, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free-$18. Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham. www.zoonewengland.org/engage/earth-day
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
April 26 Bonobo at House of Blues, concerts1.livenation.com
April 27 Cabinet at The Sinclair, axs.com
April 29 Brian Wilson at Lynn Memorial Auditorium, ticketmaster.com
April 30 21 Savage at House of Blues, concerts1.livenation.com
May 3 Kris Kristofferson at The Wilbur, ticketmaster.com
May 8 Mastodon at House of Blues, concerts1.livenation.com
May 9 Desiigner at The Sinclair, axs.com
May 16 Trey Songz at House of Blues, concerts1.livenation.com