Call for Performers - Concerts in the Common (2025)
Ends on
Free outdoor entertainment series June 11-October 8, 2025
Application deadline: March 27, 2025 at midnight
ANY APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL BE MOVED TO A BACKUP LIST AND CONSIDERED ONLY IF SPACE ALLOWS.
The Harvard Ed Portal is hiring family-friendly musical, dance, or other stage performers to perform 30-90 minute outdoor shows on select Wednesday afternoons June-October at the Brighton Farmers Market.
This free series presents eclectic live performances and can include acoustic or amplified music, dance, storytelling and/or educational entertainment. We are actively seeking a wide array of genres and performance styles, from Children’s music to hip hop, folk to salsa, funk or mariachi – surprise us!
Our primary mission is to serve the Allston-Brighton community through artist support and professional development. Applicants can be emerging entertainers or long-time pros. Preference will be given to performers living, studying and/or working in Allston-Brighton. We are also focused on the rest of Boston and Cambridge. However, we welcome artists living throughout Greater Boston. BIPOC & LBGTQIA+ creatives are strongly encouraged to submit. Accommodations can be provided for artists with disabilities.
Performances are held once a month at Brighton Common, a pocket park across from the Brighton Library with a large outdoor stage at one end. Load-in is at 3:30pm. Performances begin at 4:30pm. Performers should come prepared to plug in and play. Concerts in the Common will provide a limited stage set up, including [2] speakers on stands, [2] floor monitors, [2] 110 volt outlets, a few mics and stands, a 16-channel analogue mixer, a brief sound check and a concert manager/audio technician. Performers must bring their own instruments, props, additional sound equipment and/or crew, as desired. Weather note: The stage has a decorative overhang but is not water-tight; a shade tent may be available on hotter days.
Concerts are “fair weather only” but artists will be paid rain or shine as long as they report to the farmers market the day of the show ready to perform. Payment typically ranges between $200-$1,200 per act based on set length, experience level, number of performers, etc. Transportation, parking, and food are at the performers’ expense.
Presented in partnership with the Brighton Farmer's Market and the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative.
To be considered this year:
Please submit a formal application, even if you are in one of our contact databases.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Contact and Demographic Information
- 3 samples of past or proposed performances or material (at least one must be video clip or audio file) (Please submit images as JPEG files no larger than 2000 pixels max width @ 72 DPI. ALL FILES MUST BE NAMED AND NUMBERED "lastname.firstname_title01")
- Minimum of 2 hi-res promotional photos to be used for our website and concert flyers if selected
ONLINE SUBMISSION PERIOD: Now–March 27
SELECTION NOTIFICATION: Late April–Early May
CRITERIA for jurying submissions may include, but are not limited to: appropriateness for an all-age audience; readiness for 30 or 90 minute outdoor set; connection to local community; quality of performance and audience engagement; and diversity of style or genre.
We look forward to reviewing your application!
*** Didn’t find the answer you were looking for OR need help filling out the application? ***
Contact the Harvard Ed Portal: at 617-496-5022 or edportal@harvard.edu. Staff is available if you speak Portuguese, English and/or Spanish. Mandarin may also be available.
About the Ed Portal:
The Harvard Ed Portal (HEP) is a collaborative partnership involving Harvard, the Allston-Brighton community, and the City of Boston. Created in close consultation with the Allston community, it’s a space where Allston-Brighton residents, students, families, and professionals from every walk of life participate in innovative programming and learn from one another. From K–12 education and family programs, to opportunities for digital learning, career and economic development, personal wellness, and the arts, the Ed Portal provides countless resources to support and enrich the lives of those in and around the community.