Brookline is made even more livable by being near several colleges, universities, and cultural organizations. Many of the offerings are free and open to the public or available at a modest cost.
Arts Boston offers a comprehensive list of music, theater, dance, opera, and more – and will also, on request, send a daily email offering half-price tickets that can be picked up at a Bostix booth the next day. 617-262-8632
Boston.Com is the on-line calendar sponsored by the Boston Globe. You can narrow your search by asking for dance, music, theater, comedy, etc.
The Boston Musical Intelligencer is an online journal that provides a calendar of music events along with essays and reviews by critics.
Brookline Chorus is a 100-voice auditioned chorus that is gaining a reputation as one of Metro Boston's premier choral ensembles. The chorus presents four concerts a year. Tickets are $25 each and $20 for seniors.
Brookline Music School 617-277-4593 is the oldest and largest cultural institution in Brookline. Founded in 1924 by the Brookline Public Schools, it became a private organization in the 1940s and was incorporated as a private, nonprofit school in 1967. Faculty and students are regularly showcased in performances.
Brookline Symphony Orchestra After a ten-year hiatus, this orchestra has had a rebirth. In addition to three annual concerts, the group’s goals include performances at schools and nursing homes. Tickets are $10 with a $5 discount for students and seniors. Most concerts are at All Saints Parish, 1773 Beacon Street.
Coolidge Corner Community Chorus Open to singers of all levels and choral backgrounds. No auditions required. Its Bel Canto Singers offers more experienced members of the chorus an opportunity to work on more challenging a capella works. Concerts are in United Parish Church, 210 Harvard Street.
Music in the Brookline Library Six Sunday concerts, free of charge, at the Main Library. Click here for schedule. 617-730-2370
Brookline Senior Center
Presents varied musical offerings – everything from gospel, to jazz, to broadway, to classical performances. 617-730-2777.
We are enriched by the presence in our midst of five professional music schools --
The Coolidge offers several support services, described here, for those with hearing difficulties.
290 Harvard Street
Telephones: 617-734-2500 (recording) 617-734-2501(office)
Every Tuesday at 1:30 a current film is shown free of charge at the Senior Center, 93 Winchester Street. Come early for lunch – which must be reserved the day before by 11:00 a.m. (for Monday lunch, call the previous Friday). Call 617-730-2770 for lunch reservation.
Coolidge Corner Branch Library
offers a free film every Thursday, 1:30-4 PM, preceded by refreshments at 1:00 p.m.
31 Pleasant Street
Telephone: 617-730-2380
Putterham Branch Library
offers a free film every Wednesday, 1:30-4 PM
959 West Roxbury Parkway, Chestnut Hill
Telephone: 617-730-2385
There is an abundance of excellent theater in the Greater Boston Area, much of it very close to Brookline.
Photographs of Heritage Trees and Scenic Vistas from Olmstead’s Emerald Necklace will be on display through December 30 in an exhibit by Erik Gehring. “These trees are some of the biggest and oldest tree specimens in the park,” says Gehring. The 20-photo exhibit displays trees in every season.
There are many other opportunities in Greater Boston to visit galleries and museums. Here are some of them: