By Megan Conway
With the cool breezes of autumn comes a range of exciting visual and performing arts events in Baltimore – we’ve rounded up top picks across all categories for those looking to engage with creative programming in the city this fall.
MUSIC
Baltimore x Baltimore: Waterfront Music and Makers Festival [October 6]
The fifth and final installment in the 2024 Baltimore by Baltimore festival series hosted by the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore welcomes attendees back to the Inner Harbor Amphitheater for a showcase of the city’s creative communities. More information at waterfrontpartnership.org.
Verona Quartet at Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University [October 8]
Johns Hopkins University’s Conservatory will welcome the award-winning Verona Quartet to its Baltimore Campus for a recital as a part of the lauded ensemble’s Levi Family Distinguished Visiting Artist residency. Free to attend; more information at peabody.jhu.edu/concert-event/verona-quartet.
Maryland Opera: Morte e Vita [November 16]
The first event of Maryland Opera’s 2024-2025 season is Morte e Vita, a performance featuring the final acts of Puccini’s La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, and Manon Lescaut. Held at Church of the Redeemer on North Charles Street, this show will be fully staged and costumed. Tickets at marylandopera.org.
Symphony in the City: War Memorial [November 20]
To celebrate Veterans Day and honor veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will be holding a free outdoor concert at the Baltimore War Memorial. This is part of the Robert Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker Community Concert event series. More information and tickets at my.bso.org.
VISUAL ART + GALLERIES
Good Sports: The Wisdom & Fun of Fair Play at the American Visionary Art Museum [Opens October 12]
The 29th Mega-exhibit of the AVAM explores our world’s preoccupation with sports throughout history in the hopes of gleaning more insight into humanity and celebrating the values that sports teach, from passion to fairness. For more information, visit avam.org.
Art and Process: Drawings, Paintings, and Sculptures from the 19th-Century Collection at The Walters Art Museum [Opens October 24]
Celebrating the artistic process and extensive work that goes into an artist’s composition, this exhibition will present 60 works from the museum’s permanent collection, featuring sketches and measurements made by artists before their final works were complete. “Art and Process” will allow visitors to view new acquisitions never-before-seen on view at the museum, including Two Students in the Life Room of the Heatherley School of Fine Art by Nellie Joshua (1877-1960). For more information, visit thewalters.org.
Turn Again to the Earth at Baltimore Museum of Art [November 2024]
In line with Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s goal of reaching 100% clean energy in the state by 2035, the Baltimore Museum of Art will celebrate its 110th anniversary by kicking off on its environmental commitment, including a series of ten exhibitions themed around the relationship between art and environment alongside the development of the museum’s strategic sustainability plan and a city-wide eco-challenge. More information and updates at artbma.org.
Suzi Galletti: Rhapsody in Color [Through November 14]
Architect and self-taught artist Suzi Galletti is exhibiting her paintings spanning 25 years of work at the Joseph & Rebecca Meyerhoff Gallery at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts. In addition to the acrylic paint work she’s best known for, Galletti also has experience in sculpture, collage and photography. “Rhapsody in Color” focuses on her abstract, nature-inspired paintings. For more information, visit gordoncenter.com or suzigalletti.com.
LITERATURE/FILM
We Will Dance Again [October 1]
The Gordon Center for Performing Arts will be screening this award-winning documentary about the attack on Oct. 7, with stories told by more than a dozen survivors in Israel. The film chronicles the events of the day minute by minute, and had a week-long Oscar qualifying theatrical run in late August. The screening will be followed by a community discussion. More information at gordoncenter.com.
New/Next Film Fest at The Charles Theatre [October 3-6]
Returning for another year with an expanded lineup of programming, the New/Next Film Festival, presented by Baltimore Public Media, will run for four days of screenings, including at least 2 free screenings for the Baltimore community. The festival is set to once again feature a diverse lineup of international scope with a particular focus on work with ties to Baltimore and Maryland. More information at newnextfilmfest.com.
2024 International Edgar Allan Poe Festival + Awards [October 4-6]
The 2024 iteration of the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival & Awards commemorates the 175th anniversary of the poet’s death in Baltimore and the 75th anniversary of the city’s Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum. Featuring three days of Poe-themed performances, art, programs, exhibits, vendors and food, the festival celebrates the literary figure’s life, works and influence, taking place just outside of his historic chamber door. General admission free, special events ticketed. More information at poefestinternational.com.
THEATER + LIVE PERFORMANCE
Block Party: Baltimore’s Best Black Improv [October 11]
This monthly variety comedy performance at BlakWater House showcases the best of Baltimore’s Black improv artists – expect music, jokes, comedy games, interviews, audience participation and more. Presented by Highwire Improv. Tickets sold in advance on EventBrite + at door.
Fall 2024 at Baltimore Center Stage
2024/25 is the inaugural season for Baltimore Center Stage’s Tony Award-nominated and Obie Award-winning new Artistic Director, Stevie Walker-Webb, who joins Adam Frank, BSC’s Managing Director, to form the theater’s core leadership team. This fall, Walker-Webb’s tenure begins with an exciting mix of classic and new works, including:
World Premiere – Oh Happy Day! [Through October 13] – Presented in association with NYC’s The Public Theater, this play reimagines the story of Noah’s Ark through the twists and turns of one day for a Laurel, Mississippi-based family. Written by and starring two-time Tony nominee Jordan E. Cooper, the writer of Broadway’s critically-acclaimed “Ain’t No Mo’.”
Pride and Prejudice [October 17-November 10] – Playwright Kate Hamill’s fun and charming adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel brings a progressive view of expectations of and about women. Presented in association with Arkansas Repertory Theatre.
Black Nativity [November 30-December 22] – ArtsCentric returns to BCS following its sold-out run of Cinderella with this Langston Hughes play featuring original music by Cedric D. Lyles. This retelling of Jesus’ birth through an African American kaleidoscope promises a joyful night at the theater. In celebration of the production, Lyles is set to release the Black Nativity album at this time.
More information on all productions and tickets can be found at centerstage.org.
Swan Lake at The Lyric Baltimore [October 30]
A full-scale production of one of the world’s most famous ballets will be presented at the Lyric Baltimore by Classical Arts Entertainment, performed by the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. Over 200 custom scenery pieces make this production a spectacular visual feat. Tickets at lyricbaltimore.com.
Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains at Everyman Theater [October 20 through November 17]
Written by Caleen Sinnette Jennings and Directed by Danielle A. Drakes, this final chapter of the award-winning Queens Girl trilogy follows protagonist Jacqueline Marie Butler’s years at college amid the Vietnam War and Kent State shootings, told through poetry, music and dance. New this year, Everyman Theater’s partnership with FreedomCar provides dedicated shuttle service to the venue for a flat rate from sites around Baltimore. Tickets at everymantheatre.org.
Jillian Diamond contributed to this article.
