UMass Amherst dance major Caroline Ball’s senior thesis, a queer retelling of the “Carmen” story, will play in the Totman Performance Lab at UMass at 7 p.m. nightly from Thursday, Nov. 7, through Saturday, Nov. 9.

UMass Amherst dance major Caroline Ball’s senior thesis, a queer retelling of the “Carmen” story, will play in the Totman Performance Lab at UMass at 7 p.m. nightly from Thursday, Nov. 7, through Saturday, Nov. 9. CONTRIBUTED

More than 40 resident artists, businesses, and nonprofits who use space at Eastworks will showcase their art and workspaces to the public during Eastworks Open Studios on Saturday, Nov. 2, and Sunday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

More than 40 resident artists, businesses, and nonprofits who use space at Eastworks will showcase their art and workspaces to the public during Eastworks Open Studios on Saturday, Nov. 2, and Sunday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. CONTRIBUTED

Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley will host an author talk with Janis Hubschman, author of “Take Me With You Next Time: Stories,” on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m.

Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley will host an author talk with Janis Hubschman, author of “Take Me With You Next Time: Stories,” on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. CONTRIBUTED

On Sunday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m., Japanese affinity groups and performers will celebrate Bunka no Hi, also known as Culture Day, at BOMBYX Center for the Arts & Equity in Florence.

On Sunday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m., Japanese affinity groups and performers will celebrate Bunka no Hi, also known as Culture Day, at BOMBYX Center for the Arts & Equity in Florence. CONTRIBUTED

The Italian pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni died in 1924. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death, the Smith College Department of Music will present “Celebrating Pianos! Busoni and His Muses,” an event series on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, at Sage Hall.

The Italian pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni died in 1924. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death, the Smith College Department of Music will present “Celebrating Pianos! Busoni and His Muses,” an event series on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, at Sage Hall. CONTRIBUTED

Grammy Award-winning musician Lisa Gutkin will lead a klezmer workshop and play a concert on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, at BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity in Florence.

Grammy Award-winning musician Lisa Gutkin will lead a klezmer workshop and play a concert on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, at BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity in Florence. CONTRIBUTED/ADRIAN BUCKMASTER

To celebrate Polish Heritage Month (October), the New England chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation is hosting a screening of “Czerwone Maki” (“Red Poppies”) as part of its Polish Film Festival on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. at the Alumnae Library at Elms College.

To celebrate Polish Heritage Month (October), the New England chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation is hosting a screening of “Czerwone Maki” (“Red Poppies”) as part of its Polish Film Festival on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. at the Alumnae Library at Elms College. CONTRIBUTED




Eastworks Open Studios

More than 40 resident artists, businesses and nonprofits who use space at Eastworks will showcase their art and workspaces to the public during Eastworks Open Studios on Saturday, Nov. 2, and Sunday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Artwork exhibited will include photography, drawing, painting, jewelry, stained glass, pottery and more.

Five local food trucks — Push for Joy, Wake The Dead Donuts, Rasta Rant, North Elm Butcher Block and Ginger Love Cafe — also will be on site.

Check out eastworksopenstudios.com for a full list of participating artists.

Japanese Culture Day

On Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3 p.m., Japanese affinity groups and performers will celebrate Bunka no Hi, also known as Culture Day, at BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity in Florence.

The day will spotlight Japanese arts and culture through performances of bonodori dancing, eisa folk dancing, shakuhachi (flute) music, taiko drumming, lion dancing and more. There will also be a lion dancing workshop from 5 to 6 p.m.

Admission is free and open to the public. To learn more, visit bombyx.live/events/bunka-no-hi.

A queer retelling of ‘Carmen’

UMass Amherst dance major Caroline Ball’s senior thesis, “Carmen Suite,” will play in the Totman Performance Lab at UMass at 7 p.m. nightly from Thursday, Nov. 7, through Saturday, Nov. 9.

This version of the Rodion Shchedrin ballet, itself an adaptation of the famous Bizet opera about a Spanish woman caught in a love triangle with a bullfighter and a soldier, will be reimagined with queer themes. According to a news story published by the UMass College of Humanities & Fine Arts, the production will feature a gender-blind cast, elements of drag performance and “drama and mystery.”

To reserve your free seats (or to reserve access to a stream for a sliding-scale fee of $10-$25), follow the respective links at linktr.ee/carmensuite2024.

Celebrating an Italian pianist’s legacy

The Italian pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni died in 1924. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death, the Smith College Department of Music will present “Celebrating Pianos! Busoni and His Muses,” an event series on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, at Sage Hall.

Saturday’s events will be a 6:30 p.m. lecture about Busoni by UMass Amherst music history professor Erinn Knyt and a 7:30 p.m. piano recital of Busoni’s work by Jiayan Sun.

Sunday’s events will be a panel discussion with pianists Albert Cano Smit, Yang Liu and Jiayan Sun at 2 p.m., followed by a chamber music concert with the three panelists, UMass Amherst violin professor Elizabeth Chang and Smith music lecturer Katherine Saik DeLugan at 3 p.m.

All of the events are free and open to the public. To learn more, visit bit.ly/SmithBusoniFest.

Free Polish film screening

To celebrate Polish Heritage Month (October), the New England chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation is hosting a screening of “Czerwone Maki” (“Red Poppies”) as part of its Polish Film Festival on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. at the Alumnae Library at Elms College.

The movie is about the Allied victory at the decisive Battle of Monte Cassino, which was led by Polish troops. It’s in Polish with English subtitles. Admission is free.

‘Take Me With You Next Time’ author talk

Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley will host an author talk with Janis Hubschman, author of “Take Me With You Next Time: Stories,” on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.

Hubschman’s debut book, according to a news release, is about “characters who confront crises of infidelity, addiction, death and dementia” and features “women held captive by heartbreak, misguided desire and bewildering grief, who grapple with past choices and must make new ones.”

Hubschman will be in conversation with Celia Jeffries.

Klezmer workshop and concert

Grammy Award-winning musician Lisa Gutkin will lead a klezmer workshop and play a concert on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, at BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity in Florence.

Gutkin, a member of the band The Klezmatics, will be joined by musicians Christina Crowder, Pete Rushefsky and Rachel Leader for “a whimsical wander through her musical styles, intertwining Irish, Jewish, American and other sounds with improvisations and humorous touring stories,” according to a news release.

Gutkin co-scored, performed in and co-music-directed the Broadway play “Indecent,” and she played violin for the Broadway musical “The Last Ship.”

Tickets to the workshop are $25; tickets to the concert are $20-$35; streaming tickets are available for $10 at bombyx.live.

To learn more, visit bombyx.live/events.