NORTHAMPTON — The Youth Performance Festival, a collaborative program of Play Incubation Collective and the Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley, is preparing for its annual event this Saturday and Sunday in Northampton.
Now in its sixth year, the Youth Performance Festival is a free opportunity for youth artists ages 8-18 to create original performance pieces under the guidance of mentor artists in the fields of music, dance, theater, poetry/spoken word, and animation/video.
This year’s festival will feature the work of 46 youth artists, from towns throughout the Valley, who have worked with a talented team of mentor artists in Springfield and Northampton over seven weekends to develop their original work. The performance will take place Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. both days, at Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St. Tickets are on a sliding scale from $5 to $25, and can be purchased at nohoarts.org/youth-performance-festival.
The 2025 Youth Performance Festival is sponsored in part by the Amherst, Northampton, South Hadley, Hadley, and Springfield Cultural Councils, local agencies that are a part of the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
For more information, contact Kelly Silliman at kelly@nohoarts.org, or at 413-584-7327.
SOUTH HADLEY — The Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School West African Drum and Dance Company, Wofa, will present “Le Tonnere de Wofa,” which translates to “The Thunder of Wofa!”
The show will run on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7-8, with performances beginning at 7 p.m. in the main stage theater at 15 Mulligan Drive, South Hadley. Tickets are as follows: $10 general admission; $7 military and seniors; $5 PVPA alumni, and $3 students. Tickets are available at the door, or online at www.pvpa.org/shows.
PVPA dance teacher Kabisko Kaba (Bisko) founded Wofa in 2009, to give PVPA students the opportunity to explore the rich culture and heritage of Guinea, West Africa.
NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Arts Council will host the 41st annual Silver Chord Bowl, New England’s most prestigious collegiate a cappella showcase, on Sunday, at 2 p.m. at John M. Greene Hall on the Smith College campus, 60 Elm St. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
This year’s Silver Chord Bowl begins with a performance by Northampton High School’s Northamptones, followed by performances from the Smith College Smithereens, Berklee College of Music Upper Structure A Cappella, Rochester Institute of Technology Eight Beat Measure, UMass Amherst Duly Noted, University of Connecticut Extreme Measures, and Northeastern University Treble on Huntington.
Tickets in advance online are available at FreshTix.com, or by phone at 678-701-6114. Prices range from $15 to $35. They can also be purchased in person in advance at State Street Fruit Store in Northampton and Cooper’s Corner in Florence. Tickets on Sunday will be available starting at 1 p.m. at the John M. Greene Box Office. They will range between $20 and $40.
The Northampton Arts Council presents the Silver Chord Bowl with support from Smith College, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the city of Northampton.