July 2015 Print Edition

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SERVING THE FENWAY, KENMORE SQUARE, UPPER BACK BAY, PRUDENTIAL, LONGWOOD AREA AND MISSION HILL SINCE 1974 VOLUME 41, NUMBER 7 JULY 3-31, 2015
Berklee, Conservatory Kick
the Tires on Potential Merger
B
BY KELSEY BRUUN
erklee College of Music and Boston
Conservatory are currently in
discussion about a possible merger.
They have signed a
memorandum of understanding that serves as
a formal commitment to discuss the possibility
of combining the institutions. The document
does not guarantee that they will merge, but
it does commit the two to having serious
discussions about the prospective merger.
“The leadership of both Berklee and
The Boston Conservatory plan to spend the
next several months in detailed discussions
to create a joint strategic plan for the future
of a combined entity which should lead to a
greatly enhanced student experience on both
sides,” explained Abra Bush, director of the
Music Division at Boston Conservatory.
If the merger does occur, Boston
Conservatory would become the Boston
Conservatory at Berklee.
Berklee College of Music president Roger
H. Brown explained details of the proposed
merger and the student benefits of such at a
town hall meeting on June 29. He highlighted
that the programs at the institutions have very
little overlap and said a merger would increase
JULY 16
JULY 18
JULY 19
BILLY JOEL
FOO FIGHTERS
FOO FIGHTERS
After years of careful planning, the beautifully redesigned Symphony
Community Park officially opened with a ribbon-cutting on June 23. The park,
adjacent to Morville House, a senior residence, has been designed for both
beauty and safety. A large crowd of friends and neighbors turned out for the
ceremony, sitting on the curving Goshen stone walls and stepping on the soft
grass of the central lawn.
East Fens resident Marie Fukuda, along with the Friends of Symphony
Park, led the long design and construction process. She thanked everyone
who contributed, including other
groups and donors. Other speakers
included Boston Parks Commissioner
Chris Cook, Councilor Josh Zakim, Rep.
Jay Livingstone, and Jon Pate, the
park’s landscape designer.
In harmony with the park’s
name and neighborhood, much of the
design has a musical theme. One low
wall is carved with a musical passage from J.S. Bach. The park design will be
completed in the fall, when a soaring sculpture by Jacob Kulin, full of music
references, will be installed.
PHOTOS: MARIE FUKUDA
FENWAY PARK CONCERT
ALERT (5:30-10:30pm)
academic offerings.
“Students choose Berklee because
we’re not a classical conservatory and there’s
a wonderful classical music program 100
yards away,” Brown explained. “It seems like
collaboration could and should happen.”
Both Brown and Bush from the
conservatory explained that students would
have the option of registering for courses at
both institutions. “We will be discussing joint
programs…(and) cross-registration between
Berklee and the Conservatory,” said Bush.
While students would be able to use both
institutions’ course offerings, “leadership
from both schools envision that Boston
Conservatory programs in music, musical
theater and dance will remain autonomous
within the larger structure, with faculty
oversight of curriculum and the rigorous
audition process,” Bush explained.
At the town hall meeting, Brown said
that while Boston Conservatory would remain
relatively autonomous, certain aspects of the
two institutions would merge entirely.
Brown pointed out that both institutions
have liberal arts departments that would
combine “to put together an even stronger
liberal arts department.”
The schools’ music education programs
could also merge. Brown said that Berklee’s
department specializes in the visually impaired and the Conservatory’s department specializes in people with autism. “We could join
forces around music education,” he explained.
In addition to combining certain
programs, as a result of the merger the
institutions would be able to use each other’s
facilities. “They have over 150,000 square feet
of facilities,” said Brown. He explained that
Berklee could use the Conservatory’s large
theater space and the Conservatory could use
Berklee’s recording studios.
Brown said that the institutions could
also benefit in terms of recruiting and
admissions, but emphasized that Boston
Conservatory is healthy, saying, “They’re
expecting record enrollment in the fall. They
don’t have to do this.”
However, Brown also explained that
Redesign Brings New Life to East Fens Park
Walsh Taps New Neighborhood Liaison
Just a year out of Tufts University, Jacob Wessel has already amassed an impressive resume,
having worked as research director for the state Democratic Party and as a field organizer
for Sen. Ed Markey’s 2014 campaign. Now Wessel adds a new title to his resume—Office of
MERGER on page 2 > Neighborhood Services liaison for the Fenway, Mission Hill, Back Bay, and Beacon Hill. At
Tufts, Wessel spearheaded non-partisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns
and led the Tufts Democrats. Originally from Los Angeles, he lives on Beacon Hill. Contact
him at 617-635-2679 or [email protected].
Grants Granted: Where Does Mission Hill
Fenway Neighborhood Trust’s Money Go?
T
they be relied upon, if we pony up, to execute
what they propose?” After three years on the
hough perhaps a bit repetitive,
board, I’m coming to the conclusion that the
each year Mission Hill Fenway
answer to those questions is almost (but not)
Neighborhood Trust (MHFNT)
always “yes.”
board members line up behind a
To submit a proposal requires not only
comment the board’s leader, Lauren Dewey
Platt, made at this year’s award ceremony: “It’s drafting that proposal, but providing evidence
of the disposition of previous grants from the
fun giving away money.” (Disclosure: I am a
member of the MHFNT board.) Dewey Platt’s MHFNT (if any), receipts and accounting for
all expenditures, evidence of organizational
statement may sound flip, but it makes plenty
of sense in the context of Fenway and Mission capacity to manage cash or, failing that—a not
infrequent circumstance—the ability to hook
Hill citizen activism.
up with an outfit that will provide accounting
What the Trust does is not like standing
services. A number of our grantees do have
on a street corner tossing bundles of bills in
front of astonished pedestrians. Indeed, before a record with us, which means that they have
demonstrated in the past their capacity to
“the fun part” comes a lot of preparation. But
manage grants and invest funds in activities
once that’s done, it really is fun.
The MHFNT working year usually starts that seem likely to enrich life in the Mission
in September, when the six board members get Hill and Fenway neighborhoods.
GRANTS on page 3 >
together for a quick up-date on any problems
that have arisen over the summer (occasionally
they do) and to plan the year’s campaign. The
central question that drives our deliberations
Fenway News
is: “Who should we throw money at?” Anyone
Association
who’s ever been involved in “development”
Annual
work understands that while the question
Meeting.
seems clear and simple, the answers decidedly
are not.
See page 3.
There’s always an overriding issue in such
discussions: “Are these people serious? Can
BY JAMIE THOMSON
9
JULY
City Releases Financial Specifics for Fenway Projects
Boston City Council has approved the City’s fiscal 2016 operating budget, and the Mayor’s
Office has released hard numbers showing which Fenway projects are funded and for how
much. The Capital Plan, approved in conjunction with the budget, is a tool that allows
the City to identify long-term goals and investments in infrastructure (roads, bridges,
sidewalks, and parks), buildings, equipment and technology. Projects in the Capital Plan
are implemented over a multi-year period and go through several phases, including study,
design and construction/implementation. According to the Mayor’s Office, new projects for
2016 include improvements at the Westland Avenue entrance to the Fens ($820,000) and
a feasibility study for the Boston Arts Academy that will result either in construction of a
new facility or renovation of an existing one to support the BAA ($1.7 million). Existing
projects include the Symphony Garden (see box above), the Symphony Area Streetscape
project (see p. 3), and the dredging of the Muddy River (look out for more on that in next
month’s issue). The Symphony projects are allotted roughly $4.7 million, while the Muddy
River undertaking will cost nearly $90 million.
State Launches Online Voting Registration
The Secretary of State’s office launched a new Web page last month that allows you
to register to vote, check your registration status, or change your voter-registration
information (if, for example, you move to a new address). The General Court (that’s the
state legislature’s official name) authorized online-registration tool as part of a larger set
of voting reforms last year, including early voting audits of election equipment. Visit the
registration landing page at www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/
Get Up Out of Your Chairs ! Wait, No, Don’t...
Pattie Geier and the Huntington Avenue Y will conduct an introductory “chair fitness”
class on Monday, July 20, and Wednesday, July 22, at 11am. What’s chair fitness? According
to Geier, it’s a class designed for seniors or others with mobility issues who may find
themselves unable to engage in traditional training but are still committed to fitness. The
class is free and open to the community and will include chair exercises, weight training
and Dynabands.
2 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2015
PHOTO: BARBARA BROOKS SIMONS
Green-Thumbed Fenwickians Awarded for Floral Feats
It's summer in the garden. . . and on Saturday, June 20,
the gardeners at the Symphony Road Community Garden
invited their neighbors to join them among the roses, tomatoes, basil, and thyme. Whole Foods provided tasty wraps
for hungry visitors, while young musicians from Berklee
brought the music. Ayn Inserto's plot was named Garden of
the Month, while Jane Hartmann was the runner-up. A raffle
gave a door prize­—a Whole Foods gift certificate—to Jihye
Lee, Suji Kim, Drew Krasner, and Eduardo Mercuri. The community garden is part of the Boston Natural Areas Network.
—BARBARA BROOKS SIMONS
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A LOT HAPPENED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
SINCE THE LAST ISSUE, INCLUDING...
Hoping to ride the momentum of the newly opened Bruce Bolling
Building in Dudley Square (built around the old Ferdinand’s Furniture
building), a Roxbury developer unveiled plans for a 25-story, mixed-use
building right across the street. Proposed by Long Bay Management,
the 390,000-square-foot tower would contain stores, office space,
and roughly 100 apartments and condos affordable to middle-income
households earning too much to qualify for subsidized housing but
too little to pay market rates in the overheated downtown market. The
Bay State Banner broke the new. ☛ A few blocks to the west, the Baker
administration pulled the plug on a plan to move MassDOT from Park Square
to a parcel across Tremont Street from Boston Police headquarters. Patrick
administration officials had proposed selling the agency’s current site and
using the proceeds to pay for the new location and bring
in some revenue for the department. ☛ Speaking of
moves, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has
completed a move from about the Landmark Center
to slightly smaller quarters (roughly 330,000 sf) at
101 Huntington Ave. ☛ The Prudential Center’s food
court shut down to make way for the third US Eataly,
an Italian food bazaar masterminded by celebrity
chef Mario Batali. Eataly’s New York flagship offers a
dizzying choice of shops and services, from a Nutella bar
to a produce market to pasta-making classes, all organized around Italian
food that can be eaten on-site or taken home. Eataly will fill three stories and
45,000 square feet, straddling the food-court space and the 888 Boylston
building now under construction. ☛ The MBTA pared back its late-night
weekend service, begun in 2014. Final departures move up from 3am
to 2am Saturday and Sunday mornings. Subway, trolleys and the Silver
Line will now run but with roughly 20-minute headways. Service on 5 of
20 bus routes will end, but the #1, #39, and #57 will continue to run. ☛
A Simmons college professor wrote the grim assessment of the BPL’s print
collection­ made public last month just days after staffers discovered prints
by Dürer and Rembrandt had been misfiled, not stolen. Martha Mahard
teaches in the Simmons School of Library and Information Sciences. Her
report, commissioned last year, found the print collection lacked the funding
it needed to assure full staffing and criticized methods for tracking and
storing the collection. The Boston Globe reports that Mahard will lead a team
of eight Simmons students in a nine-month inventory of the print collection’s
holdings, said to number more than 300,000.
Y
IC
MI
Farmer’ s Markets
The last local
strawberries give
way to blueberries,
peaches, and
raspberries. New
arrivals will include
local squash,
peppers, broccoli and
the big summer stars,
tomatoes and corn
on the cob. Toward
the end of the month
you may find early
varieties of apples.
ROXBURY CROSSING T STATION (ORANGE LINE)
Tuesday
12:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
COPLEY SQUARE
Tuesday & Friday
11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
B.U.: 775 COMM AVE AT MUGAR MEMORIAL LIBRARY
Thursday
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
MISSION HILL: VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK (HUNTINGTON/FRANCIS )
Thursday
11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
NORTHEASTERN: BETWEEEN RYDER HALL & RUGGLES MBTA STOP
Wednesday
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
SOUTH END: 540 HARRISON AVENUE (AT SOWA ARTS MARKET)
Sunday
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
> MERGER from page 1
“[Boston Conservatory] is much more New
England-based and much more domesticbased [than Berklee is].” In contrast, Berklee
auditions potential students in 55 cities
worldwide. With access to this network,
Brown believes that Boston Conservatory will
be able “to attract the very best students in the
world.”
The merger would also benefit both
institutions in terms of gender ratio. Berklee
enrolls more men than women and Boston
Conservatory enrolls more women than men.
While the merger would not create an even
split, enrollment would move closer to a 50/50
split.
Overall, Brown believes that the merger
will “make [Berklee] a better organization
than if we didn’t do this.”
Fri., July 3
7:10 p.m.
Sat., July 4
1:35 p.m.
Sun., July 5
1:35 p.m.
Tues., July 7
7:10 p.m.
Wed., July 8
7:10 p.m.
Fri., July 10
7:10 p.m.
Sat., July 11
7:15 p.m.
Sun., July 12
1:35 p.m.
Fri., July 24
7:10 p.m.
Sat., July 25
4:05 p.m.
Sun., July 26
1:35 p.m.
Mon., July 27
7:10 p.m.
Tues., July 28
7:10 p.m.
Wed., July 29
7:10 p.m.
Thurs., July 30
7:10 p.m.
Fri., July 31
7:10 p.m.
He emphasized that there will be more
town hall meetings for students, faculty
and staff of both institutions to voice their
concerns. Brown also said that there is a page
on the Berklee website dedicated to comments
about the merger.
While students and faculty expressed
some concerns at the town hall meeting, early
feedback seems positive. “I believe that both
parties are very excited about the synergies
possible between the two institutions,” said
Bush from Boston Conservatory.
Brown is enthusiastic about the
possibility: “If we do this right we can create a
21st-century music education,” he said.
Kelsey Bruun is a journalism major at
Northeastern University.
FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2015 | 3
> GRANTS from page 1
life in the neighborhoods. These activities
are dreamed up, shaped, adjusted and
implemented by local leaders who volunteer
their time. To what? Some examples follow:
• Supporting yoga classes for Mission Hill
residents 55 and older at the Parker Hill
Branch Library (itself a hotbed of citizen
creativity and action).
• Financing women’s weekly writing
sessions, again at library, where Mission
Hill residents can learn to write about their
experiences, receive constructive criticism
from an instructor and their classmates,
have a little “time for themselves” to reflect
on who they are and where they’re going,
and acquire new skills to express those
realities in written form.
• Helping the Fenway Civic Association
acquire a sound system for Symphony
Park, in the East Fens. The venue provides
opportunities for student musicians to
entertain elderly neighboring residents (and
anyone else who desires to attend), coupling
enjoyment with professionally relevant
experience. Other public activities will be
able to access the same sound system.
• Financing aspects of the Boston Arts
Academy (BAA) Intercession Program,
in which students from Mission Hill and
the Fenway designer their own learning
experiences. This initiative transforms
students—for a limited period and with
BAA faculty assistance—from consumers
End (Finally) in Sight for Streetscape Project
W
hat’s going on at the Mass Ave/Huntington intersection? And
when will it be finished? That’s what neighbors have been
wondering ever since construction (and demolition) began in
late 2012; several years of planning and public meetings preceded that.
A recent briefing from MassDOT (Department of Transportation) offers
some answers. The overall project is based on streetscape improvements
around Symphony Hall. It affects an area running northward from the
intersection of Mass Ave and St. Botolph Street to the intersection of St.
Stephen Street and Westland Avenue. It also involves major structural
repairs and improvements to the bridge where Mass Ave crosses
Huntington Avenue.
According to MassDOT, the streetscape project has a broad scope,
including improvements in the roadway and sidewalks, as well as
landscaping and streetscaping along all the streets involved. That
includes new street lights, pedestrian crosswalks, traffic controls, and
signage. So far, work on the sidewalks and bridge ramps is about 75%
complete, as is Phase I of work on the Mass Ave bridge. Work planned
for this summer includes sidewalk construction in front of the Christian
Science Church, and further work on the bridge. In the fall, work will go
ahead on plantings and the streetscape.
Several unexpected and unwelcome surprises have delayed this
project. During the bridge demolition, workers discovered—and had to
deal with—abandoned stairways to the Green Line Symphony station.
It also turned out that a 100-year-old water line needed to be replaced.
According to the briefing, the revised completion date is now midSeptember 2015. —BARBARA BROOKS SIMONS
Join Us For Our Annual Meeting on July 9
T
he Fenway News Association will hold its 2014 annual meeting on Thursday,
July 9, in the Fensgate Community Room, 73 Hemenway Street. The meeting
will begin at 7:30 p.m. In addition to a guest speaker and light refreshments,
we will present a year-end summary, hold elections for new and continuing
members of the Board of Directors, and vote on proposed changes in the by-laws of the
Association.
Membership in the Fenway News Association is open to anyone in the Fenway
neighborhood and other communities served by the paper. According to our by-laws, a
member must join the Association at least 14 days before the meeting in order to cast a
vote at the annual meeting.
ASSOCIATION MEMBERS AS OF MAY 29, 2015: Iory Allison, Delia Alvarez,
Arlene Ash, Nicole Auberg, Jonathan Ball, Alison Barnet, Richard Barry,
Stephen Brophy, Will Brownsberger, Kelsey Bruun, Bob Case, Steve Chase,
Conrad Ciszek, Brian Clague, Suzanne Comtois, Jim Cooper, Helen Cox, Tracey
Cusick, Alex Danseco, Bennie diNardo, Richard Dunshee, Margot Edwards,
Johnette Ellis, John Engstrom, Stan Everett, Lisa Fay, Mary Finn, Nikki Flionis,
Michael Foley, Lori Frankian, Marie Fukuda, Steve Gallanter, Slim Gelzer, Galen
Gilbert, Elizabeth Gillis, Kathy Greenough, Sam Harnish, Steven Harnish, Duke
Harten, Mary Ellen Hendrickson, Tim Horn, Tito Jackson, Cathy Jacobowitz,
Lois Johnston, Akshata Kadagathur, Rosie Kamal, Sajed Kamal, Mandy Kapica,
Steven Kapica, Kyle Katz, John Kelly, Joseph Kenyon, Ruth Khowais, Jonathan
Kim, Shirley Kressel, Marc Laderman, Nasreen Latif, Kristen Lauerman, Nate
Lescovic, Gil Loo, Aqilla Manna, Joanne McKenna, Mike Mennonno, Joan
Murphy, Patricia Murphy, Letta Neely, Patrick O’Connor, David Patel, Catherine
Pedemonti, Richard Pendleton, Jana Peretz, Ellen Pfeiffer, Camille Platt, Gloria
Platt, Lauren Dewey Platt, Michael Prentky, Alison Pultinas, Michelle Reinstein,
Bill Richardson, Karla Rideout, Mike Ross, Rosaria Salerno, Valarie Seabrook,
Helaine Simmonds, Barbara Brooks Simons, Matti Kniva Spencer, Ginny Such,
Mat Thall, Jamie Thomson, Eric Tingdahl, Anne Tobin, Theresa Tobin, Fredericka
Veikley, Chris Viveiros, Derrick Warren, Jim Wice, Margaret Witham, Steve Wolf
FENWAY SCHOOLS HOLD GRADUATIONS
T
he Fenway is home to three of Boston’s finest public high schools—
Fenway High, Boston Arts Academy, and Boston Latin School. Fenway
High held graduation on Friday, June 5, at Emmanuel College, the school’s
last before it moves to Mission Hill this summer. Diplomas were presented
to 75 graduates. Boston Arts Academy held its ceremony on Monday, June
8, at the Schubert Theatre, where 84 graduates received diplomas. Boston
Latin School held graduation on Monday evening, June 8, at the Harbor Lights
Pavilion. Diplomas were presented to 357 graduates. Congratulations to the
Class of 2015 from all of the neighborhood’s high schools.
PHOTO: PATRICK O’CONNOR
These small “institutional barriers”—
proposal preparation, record keeping,
accounting—serve as informal filters to
dissuade those not fully committed. Any outfit
that can handle them, however, is more than
welcome to respond to the MHFNT requests
for proposals, which typically appear in late
winter.
Through formal and informal inquiries
board members review all applications—
discuss them, collect additional information
needed to clarify proposal elements, confirm
leadership responsibilities and capacity, and
so on. We then make decisions, based on
the amount we have to disburse each year (it
varies each year), about how much to award to
which organizations.
We funded eighteen proposals this
year, distributing a total of $80,000, with
the two neighborhoods each receiving
roughly $40,000. These amounts are not
overwhelming. We are, after all, a small
foundation, not the Rockefeller Foundation.
Often our grants supplement money that
recipient organizations receive from other
sources. But however large or minor our
contribution, we generally feel confident
that the money will contribute, at least at the
margin, to improving the quality of life in the
two neighborhoods.
What’s perennially noteworthy is the
range of citizen efforts that we support,
something that reveals the vibrancy of
From left, Fenway High’s Class of 2015 salutatorian Ajia Salmon, principal
Peggy Kemp, and valedictorian Laura Escolero.
•
•
•
•
•
of education to authors of their own
learning, allowing them to prioritize
activities they value and about which they
want to know more.
Financing for pruning and enrichment
plantings in McLaughlin Woodland and
Orchard, an urban forest on Mission Hill,
where neighbors come together as stewards
of a woodland from which they draw
enjoyment year round.
Financing for professional pruning and
maintenance in Ramler Park in the West
Fens.
Support for three summer youth
employment and leadership training
programs separately offered by Sociedad
Latina, Operation PEACE and Phillips
Brooks House Association. These programs
channel youthful energy into recreation and
constructive learning that supports families
and community activities while helping
youth leaders acquire skills that will benefit
them throughout life.
Funding for several arts-related programs,
notably Mission Hill Artists Collective, Kaji
Aso Studio ,and Maria Jane Loizou and
Friends summer concert in the Fenway.
To those must be added “Halloween on
the Hill” in Mission Hill; support for
expansion of farmers markets and a health
fair there; Mission Hill Legacy Project’s
six informational seminars for seniors and
youth on racism, sexism and capitalism; a
job fair encompassing both neighborhoods;
and support for the Peterborough Senior
Center’s recreational and cultural field trips
and a year-round weekly hot lunch program
for elders. Practitioners at Longwood
Medical Area institutions emphasize how
important it is for seniors to avoid isolation
and remain physically and mentally active.
This Senior Center program fosters both
outcomes.
• Support for Mission Hill’s Thomas L.
Johnson 13 & Under Basketball League to
celebrate its 40th anniversary. Over those
four decades the volunteers who provide
coaching for youngsters have groomed a
number to the point where they earned
college athletic scholarships with the
quality of their play, and some even entered
professional basketball.
These activities don’t demand huge
amounts of money. This year’s largest grant
came to only $11,500, and grants averaged
under $4,500. What, one might well ask, can
an organization do with such dribbles of cash?
As the list above suggests however, the
answer is “a whole lot” when the bulk of the
investment is volunteer time, and the Trust’s
supplementary funding provides just that
little bit more that equips citizens to make a
difference for themselves and for others in
their communities. Most of these activities
support specific individuals, but they also
generate public goods in the neighborhoods
that are accessible to all, by supporting and
reinforcing quality of life. For such an end, it
really is fun giving away money.
Jamie Thomson lives in the West Fens.
Dashboard
 STREET CLEANING
The City cleans Fenway streets
between 12 and 4pm on the first and
third Wednesdays of each month (oddnumbered side) and the second and
fourth Wednesdays (even-numbered
side). More info at 617-635-4900 or www.
cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping.
The state cleans streets along the Back
Bay Fens on this schedule:
• SECOND THURSDAY
The Riverway, 12:00–3:00pm
• SECOND FRIDAY
The Fenway (includes inside lane),
Charlesgate Extension and Forsyth Way,
8:00am–12:00pm
• SECOND FRIDAY
8 to 54 The Fenway (includes inside
lane) and Charlesgate Extension, 12:00–
3:00pm
• THIRD TUESDAY
> Park Drive (includes inside lane), upper
Boylston Street, 8:00am–12:00pm
> Park Drive, from Holy Trinity Orthodox
Cathedral to Kilmarnock Street and
from the Riverside Line overpass to
Beacon Street, 12:00–3:00pm
Visit www.mass.gov/dcr/sweep.htm for a
complete schedule and maps.
 TRASH & RECYCLING PICK-UP
• BACK BAY (contractor is Sunrise Scavenger): Trash pick-up on Monday
and Thursday. Recycling pick-up on Monday and Thursday.
• FENWAY (contractor is Sunrise Scavenger): Trash pick-up on Tuesday
and Friday. Recycling pick-up on Tuesday and Friday.
• MISSION HILL (contractor is Sunrise Scavenger): Trash pick-up on
Tuesday and Friday. Recycling pick-up on Tuesday and Friday.
4 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2015
BRA Must Change Its Approach to Development on Huntington
I
BY MARC LADERMAN
nvestors are poised to build over 2 million square feet of new
construction along Huntington Avenue between Mass. Ave. and
Brigham Circle in the next few years. The BRA has already
approved the project scopes.
So what is it about the Fenway that encourages investment?
And will the proposed development enhance the neighborhood’s
attractiveness or diminish it, leading to decline and to the erosion of
quality of life for residents of the neighborhood?
New buildings and major expansions by the New England
Conservatory, Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute of
Technology, Museum of Fine Arts and Harvard Medical School have
the ability to alter the fabric of the neighborhood well into the future.
It is crucial for our neighborhood’s health to build the best version of
our future.
I believe that the future of our neighborhood
will be assured if we take advantage of our urban
locale and build in a transit-oriented way. Green Line, Orange Line,
and commuter rail service is what makes the Fenway a magnet for
investment. Building around automobile traffic volumes and adding
a superabundance of structured parking will eventually scare away
residents and future investors. Let’s shape these new buildings to take
advantage and enhance our strength.
The BRA has recognized the significance of all of this
concentrated neighborhood transformation. The agency put together
a study to provide guidelines to coordinate these disparate efforts by
the multiple investors. The meetings have been poorly attended by
Fenwickians. That’s too bad, because we, the residents, understand the
strength of our neighborhood and could provide the insight to steer
these projects in the right direction. Unfortunately, the guidelines
proposed are not tending in a positive direction.
In a transit-oriented neighborhood, transit is the first priority.
The BRA study got off on the wrong foot by not including the Boston
Transportation Department. Streetscape and the width of the sidewalks
are being discussed in a unified manner, but transit improvements
will only be dealt with on a project-by-project basis. This isn’t transitoriented; this is a recipe for disoriented!
Discussions about increasing the E branch’s capacity by
continuing it below ground from Gainsborough Street to Brigham
Circle and reducing the number of stops were swept off the table. A
better E branch would really be the answer to accommodating the
added trips all of this new development will generate.
The recognition that the neighborhood hub is Ruggles Station
remains veiled. Commuter rail and the Orange Line should be
thought of as the principal means of reaching this area, and all new
development should lean towards Ruggles as the first or last pedestrian
leg of a trip.
The allocation of prestigiously tall buildings is on the BRA
agenda. But once again, the proposed solutions are shortsighted and
ultimately harmful. The BRA has proposed
that each institution have its prestige
marker along its section of the avenue. It is
a solution more in tune with medieval Bologna, with its Guelph and
Ghibelline fortified towers, than a successful 21st-century Boston.
In fact it is a rehash of the old “Boston Plan” for the city to cede our
neighborhood to institutional fiefdoms and squeeze out residents.
Also lacking in the BRA study is an allocation of land for civic
functions. Where is the elementary school that the downtown neighborhoods need? Where is the branch library, the post office, the tot lot?
While privately owned open space is being considered, it isn’t
big enough to create the type of neighborhood that will continue to
succeed. Open space may encourage people to linger. Civic spaces
bring diverse people to the area. I believe that diversity of uses will
define the successful urban spaces of the future.
The final BRA meeting to present the guidelines has not yet been
scheduled. When it occurs I urge all who live and work in the East Fens
to attend and be heard. I’ll be pushing for transit-oriented development.
I’ll be pushing for an inclusive neighborhood that has space for
residents. I’ll be advocating for change that will appeal to the future.
Guest Opinion
Marc Laderman lives in the East Fens.
Stop,Smell the Roses…
and Have a Picnic
An estimated 200 people turned out for
the Fenway Civic Association’s annual
picnic next to the Kelleher Rose Garden on
June 10. The Dave Ehle Guitar Trio provided
a lively jazz background for picnic dinner,
which was supplemented by drinks and
other refreshments from Sweet Cheeks
and Star Market.
PHOTO: KATHLEEN BRILL
PLUTOCRATS WILL PROFIT WHILE
OUR TAXES PAY FOR OLYMPICS
TO THE EDITOR:
L
ast month (in Hold On, Naysayers:
Boston Can (and Should!) Host
Olympics), Mike Ross claimed Boston’s
citizens oppose the corporate-funded Boston
2024’s plans out for fear of failure.
Our major problem as a society is that
nothing is done unless wealthy interests desire
it. We are a democracy in name only. We are
told that “doing the Olympics right” offers
us our big chance to fix our traffic, public
transportation, and recreational deficiencies.
Hmm…Where have I heard that before?
Did anyone ever hear of Fenway Park?
Back in 1998, the
Red Sox, without
consulting the
citizenry, announced a
plan to demolish their ballpark and replace it
with a massive facility along the north side of
Boylston Street. They got politicians on board
and got BU to support constructing a massive
garage at the corner of Yawkey Way/Boylston
(their idea of needed infrastructure).
Local media thundered about our
terrible, antiquated ballpark, justifying an
infusion of taxpayer money. Then-Mayor
Menino, when we objected, commented that
the Fenway neighborhood had “gone beyond
NIMBYs [Not In My Backyard], all the way
to BANANAs, as in Build Absolutely Nothing
Anywhere Near Anything.”
Our state legislature approved a massive
subsidy for land takings. Back then, private
interests were unashamed and did not try
to hide the fact that taxpayer money would
support their lucrative venture. Is it a sign of
“progress” that now they feel compelled to
hide behind claims that our tax dollars will be
paying for things we need anyhow?
Building trades unions saw a jackpot for
their suburban and out-of-state membership.
We were told at the time by BRA officials,
The Boston Globe, our mayor, and even by
the Fenway Civic Association, that the new
facility was good for us.
But we in the Fenway remembered that
we had stopped inevitable things before. In
the early 1970s, we stopped freeways from
destroying our neighborhood. We stopped an
urban renewal plan that would have replaced
all of Edgerly Road and Mass Ave up to
Boylston Street, with a brutalist extension
of Church Park, where the plan had already
demolished scores of graceful old buildings.
Later, we stopped a 17-story tower slated
for the site now occupied by St. Cecelia’s
elderly housing on Kilmarnock Street. So we
opposed the Red Sox proposal,
even as simultaneously, Millennium Development planned
a 57-story tower for the Mass/
Boylston intersection, which could have fueled
massive real estate speculation.
More recently, a community effort
stopped NU from building dormitory towers in the East Fens, insisting NU build their
dorms on its own land. (Though shamefully,
they were then built along Ruggles/Columbus
Avenue, on land the Roxbury community had
rescued from the highways.) I think nearly everyone feels we are better for having stopped
projects benefitting a few well-connected parties at the expense of the community.
Fortunately, 1999 was a City Council
election year. Mike Ross won that election
largely because his opposition to the ballpark
proposal seemed the most credible. Once
elected, he kept his campaign promises. New
owners decided the Red Sox would stay at
Fenway, and now, ironically, boast of their
century-old ballpark, which only our protests
forced them to preserve.
Infrastructure, such as Yawkey Way
Station and the Muddy River daylighting,
has happened anyhow, without corporate
Letters
Serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon
Circle, upper Back Bay, lower Roxbury, Prudential,
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FENWAY NEWS ASSOCIATION
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“Comforting the afflicted and
afflicting the comfortable.”
The founders of The Fenway News adopted this
motto to express their mission of exposing and
opposing the dangers the neighborhood faced in
the early 1970s—rampant arson, unscrupulous
landlords, and a destructive urban renewal
plan. If the original motto no longer fits
today’s Fenway, we continue to honor its
spirit of identifying problems and making our
neighborhood a better and safer place to live.
sports-welfare catalyst. Hundreds of millions
of dollars of taxpayer money slated for the
eminent domain slush fund, in the end, were
available for public needs.
If we give in to the blackmail, which says
that there is no money to fix our roads, parks,
subways, and schools unless we go along with
the plutocrats’ plans for their 2024 carnival in
Boston, then we further erode our democracy.
America isn’t broke; we just let the wellconnected call the shots now. What Mike Ross
and our community said 15 years ago about
the Red Sox, is just as true today about Boston
2024. No Boston Olympics!
The Fenway News reaches the stands every
4-5 weeks, usually on the first
or last Friday of the month. Our next issue
will appear on Friday, JULY 31.
HE’S HOMEWARD-BOUND
The deadline for letters, news items, and ads
is Friday, JULY 17.
JON BALL, JAMAICA PLAIN
A
fter living in Florida for the past
two years, I have decided to return
to Boston...to stay. It’s been a great
two years—I got to reconnect with family
and made several new friends. However, my
sister and her husband sold the mobile home
I had been residing in, and rather than start
off somewhere else, I decided to relocate to
Boston...which had been my home for the past
35 years. In Leesburg, where I resided, I had
the opportunity to live in a small community...
started the Crime Watch Unit and National
Night Out. I was also fortunate to continue my
art and had a Faces In Florida show...whereas I
photographed and interviewed 40 individuals
who live...work and attend schools in Florids. I
has a dog that I took in from the animal shelter
that provided me with great love and warmth.
Another chapter in my life has passed. I
will soon be on the Amtrak Train...headed for
Boston on July 3rd...arrive on July 4th. I will
be in Boston just in time to attend the annual
Fenway News meeting on July 9th and continue my work as a writer and photographer with
Boston’s best newspaper. I hope to reconnect
with many of you at the meeting.
PEACE...MATTI KNIVA SPENCER
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FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2015 | 5
DESPITE ADDED POLLUTION, STATE OKS EXPANDED LMA POWER PLANT
O
BY ALISON PULTINAS
the facility. The analysis submitted in the
filings under the Massachusetts Environmental
Policy Act (MEPA) stated that the cumulative
impact of the changes added to ambient
concentrations of air pollutants will not exceed
any national standards. The public comment
period with the MEPA office ended June 19.
The 14.4-megawatt turbine will burn
natural gas, with ultra low-sulfur diesel
(ULSD) as a backup fuel. The project involves
n June 26, the MATEP (Medical
Area Total Energy Plant) Limited
Partnership received approvals
from the Executive Office of
Energy and Environmental Affairs, to add
another turbine to the existing cogeneration
plant in the Longwood Medical Area.
MATEP (of which Morgan Stanley
Infrastructure is the majority owner, and
Veolia North America is the
operator) at 474 Brookline Ave is a
46-megawatt heat and power plant
that supplies steam, chilled water
and electricity to Harvard Medical
School, Harvard T. H. Chan
School of Public Health, Brigham
& Women’s Hospital, Children’s
Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer
Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center, Joslin Diabetes
Center and Merck.
It is a micro-grid network,
meaning that it can operate
The MATEP plant in the Longwood
independently of the main grid
if there’s an extended power
new roof-mounted supporting equipment and
interruption. The emissions stack, at 315 feet,
removal of the cone at the top of the stack to
has been the tallest structure in the Fenway
and Mission Hill neighborhood for decades, a allow additional exhaust flow. The diameter
of the two flues will be enlarged by more
prominent beacon for miles.
than two feet. Adding a third turbine was
As documented in filings with the state,
anticipated when the facility was built in 1980.
the turbine will bring a significant increase
The existing plant requires 714,000 gallons of
in CO2 and particulate matter emissions from
state’s Kenmore Square monitoring station,
roughly a mile from the site, measures air
quality in the Longwood area.
In 2015, several state agencies commented on the proposed turbine. However, the
city’s Environment Department and the Air
Pollution Control Commission were not on the
circulation list. MATEP was reviewed in 2001
when two smaller turbines were added to increase plant capacity because of growth in the
Longwood area. Since then state regulations
have changed because of new federal restrictions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
from stationary sources that emit more than
75,000 tons per year. The proposed new turbine could generate 123,000 tons of CO2.
The response from the Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection
(MassDEP) reflects concern over the proposal
to burn ULSD fuel up to 5,000 hours annually.
GHG emissions are 39% higher for ULSD
than for natural gas. John Ballam of the state
Department of Energy Resources states in his
comments that the description of mitigation to
be undertaken as it pertains to GHG emissions
is inadequate.
The next steps are a mandated review
from MassDEP for major comprehensive plan
approval, a more detailed process that begins
after the MEPA office issued its decision.
Construction is estimated to last 17 months
and expected to be complete by June 2017.
Alison Pultinas lives on Mission Hill.
Skywalk Surprise: 260 Guests Meet
New FCDC Director at Fenway Ball
Residents’ Ideas Fuel ‘Urban Village’ Plan Update
ore than 260 guests of the Fenway
Community Development Corp.
(FCDC) got a surprise at the group’s
June 18 gala atop the Prudential Building:
An introduction to the group’s newly hired
executive director, Leah Camhi.
The evening began with a cocktail
reception, hors d’oeuvres, and a buffet
dinner. Guests enjoyed a breathtaking
evening view over the Fenway and photo
opportunities with three World Series
trophies (2004, 2007, and 2013) lent by
the Sox to add some sparkle to the event.
Ryan Burg, Wally, and Grace
Guests included funders, FCDC members,
Holley stand with some odd
and both State Rep. Jay Livingstone and
sports trophies.
City Councilor Josh Zakim. Berklee’s Anthony Tóth Trio performed jazz for much of the evening, but stopped long
enough for a live auction that featured tickets to the sold-out Billy Joel,
James Taylor, and Foo Fighters concerts at Fenway Park.
Marilyn Swartz-Lloyd, president and CEO of the Medical Academic
and Scientific Community Organization, praised
the CDC’s work briefly as a prelude to CDC board
president Louvere Walker’s introduction of Camhi,
the new director. “We’re excited to have Leah join
Fenway CDC,” Walker said, “and especially happy
she could join us tonight to meet some of our
financial supporters and residents leaders.”
Camhi, a Brooklilne resident, has worked as
executive director for three nonprofit groups,
including the Boston Living Center, which she led for
eight years. She began work at the CDC on July 1.
he Fenway Community Development
Corporation (FCDC) has released
a community plan featuring the
ideas of more than 200 Fenway
residents. The update of A Community Vision
for a Fenway Urban Village illustrates
proposed solutions and innovative ideas for the
Fenway, based on thoughts from community
members on housing, business, transportation,
community and environment, and building
community power.
The plan is the result of more than
two years of input from neighbors around
the Fenway. Through public meetings,
topic-specific working groups, and surveys,
residents share their thoughts on how to move
the Fenway toward an “urban village” ideal.
An urban village typically is home to diverse
residents of varying incomes, races, ages and
abilities. Every resident has access to open
space, reliable transportation and a healthy
business community. Mixed-use zoning
brings activity throughout the day that keep
sidewalks lively and supports gathering spaces
In the repport—which updates a
community plan that first appeared in 1991 as
The KAFNI Report—residents focus on the
need for more affordable housing and home
ownership in the neighborhood (the Fenway
has the lowest home-ownership rate in Boston
at approximately 7.8%, and many residents
pay more than 30% of income for their
housing, making them “rent-burdened”). Other
ideas include better access to more reliable
T
BY GRACE HOLLEY
PHOTO: RAY CHOW
M
PHOTO: FENWAY CDC
water per day; the additional turbine will use
14,000 gallons daily.
Current state policies require that
renewable energy sources be considered.
However, according to the proponents’
environmental impact report filed with MEPA,
solar panels could not be used because of a
lack of available roof or ground space and
shadow impacts from adjacent buildings.
The plant owners met regulations related
to environmental justice for low-income and
minority populations by scheduling a public
meeting on January 28 (with translators
available) and by posting notices for the
public review process in local newspapers.
Unfortunately the attendance list for the
January meeting is missing from the file at the
MEPA office. Boston’s blizzard on January
27 and the subsequent travel ban undoubtedly
impacted the turnout. Federal regulations
require an enhanced public-participation
process for environmental justice populations.
The closest residences are homes on Francis
St. and the 10-story, Roxbury Tenants of
Harvard apartments under construction on the
former Massachusetts Mental Health Center
property, 80-82 Fenwood Rd., 150 feet from
the plant.
For years, controversies delayed
permitting for MATEP. Respiratory disease
and increased rates of hospitalization due to
asthma and chronic pulmonary disease are
known risks associated with air pollution. The
transportation, “complete street” design that
serves pedestrians, bicyclists, and wheelchair
users in addition to vehicles, more input from
the community in planning both buildings and
open space, and thriving businesses.
FCDC, whose mission includes
preserving and developing affordable housing,
is hardly new to community planning. In
1999, it released its Urban Village Plan,
based on the earlier KAFNI document. The
CDC released two updates of the plan prior
to this one. The Community Vision for a
Fenway Urban Village builds on past versions
while adding a stronger focus on the ideas
of community members. While the CDC
facilitated the process of putting together the
plan, the plan reflects the priorities, issues and
ideas of the 200-plus residents who took part
in the community process.
The CDC will host community meetings
throughout the summer to give residents and
property owners a chance to learn more about
the Community Vision and discuss ways to
implement it. Refreshments will be provided
and childcare will be available if requested
in advance. Meetings will take place in the
East Fens, West Fens and Longwood Medical
Area in mid-July and August, with dates to be
announced soon.
To view the “Community Vision”
document online, visit fenwaycdc.org. If you’d
like to be involved in upcoming meetings, or
to receive a printed copy of the plan, please
contact Community Planner Grace Holley at
[email protected] or 617-267-4637x 16.
6 | FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2015
Northeastern Quietly Turns Campus into Canvas for Public Art
G
the school’s artist in residence last fall.
Northeastern chooses its artists after
“Each artist has a story. The work has
a period of research, and they are approved
raffiti isn’t always the most
to fit with the place,” said Northeastern
by Aoun. Horn said that this is a passion of
welcome sight to see when
University president Joseph E. Aoun in a
Aoun’s and that he has been the one to focus
walking through a college
Boston magazine article from June 17. “The
on street art, personally suggesting Aérosol for
campus. However, Northeastern
University now boasts the spraypainted stencils of street artist Jean-François
Perroy (better known by the pseudonym Jef
Aérosol), the largest of which is on the side of
Cargill Hall on Huntington Avenue.
With smaller pieces cleverly scattered
throughout the campus and depicting images
ranging from Northeastern students to more
famous faces (Edgar Allan Poe and John Lee
Hooker, for example), Aérosol is the latest
collaboration with the university and its public art initiative. The French stencil artist is
considered a main proponent in the first generation of street art going back to the 1980s.
“Whether it’s the Gallery 360 or the
Center for the Arts, we’ve been doing art in
public spaces for the public for years now,”
said Clare Horn, the associate director of
marketing at Northeastern.
Horn notes that the university’s formal
declaration of its public art initiative began
in spring 2014 when Houston-based Daniel
Anguilu painted the wall behind the Curry
Student Center that separates the campus
from the train tacks. But, Horn notes, the
informal initiative began earlier, when
Jef Aérosol painted this stencil of Jimi Hendrix on Northeastern’s campus as part of
Shepard Fairey painted the mural in the
NU’s public art initiative.
International Village dormitory entrance.
Since both vibrant murals have gone up, the
students have reacted extremely positively.
the recent installations.
university has also welcomed Miles “Mac”
“It adds a level of vibrancy to a the
MacGregor, a Los Angeles-based artist known The beauty is when they work on the murals,
campus not just as an urban university but also
as El Mac, and Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, who was the students stop, and then we talk.”
within the city,” said Horn. “[The art] really
becomes part of the fabric of the city.”
The initiative is also allowing for more
integration with the city. Horn noted how the
art has changed spaces throughout campus
and causes both students and visitors to stop
and think.
BY JOHN ENGSTROM
in the Orfeo commentary, “we might well
PHOTO: MATTHEW MODOONO
BY ALEXANDRA MALLOY
Lackluster Sets Distract, But Voices
Enchant in Early Music Festival Operas
W
henever somebody asks me
if I like Italian opera I always
say, “No—but I like Monteverdi.”
It’s true. Monteverdi’s operas
are spectacular and ravishing to me in a
way that sets them apart from mainstream
Italian repertory opera. He did, after all,
compose the first opera that exists—Orfeo—
and almost invented the genre, though not
single-handedly.
The just-ended 18th Biennial Boston
Early Music Festival (BEMF) gave early music
and opera lovers the unforgettable thrill of
not one but three of the Italian Renaissance
composer’s operatic masterpieces in fully
staged performances with luxury casting,
all in one week. The theaters in which these
historic operas—Orfeo (1607), Il Ritorno
d’Ulisse in Patria (1640) and L’incoronazione
di Poppea (1643)—were presented (Jordan
Hall and BU’s Huntington Theater, a block
apart) were packed solid and sold out well
in advance. For Boston, the “Monteverdi
Trilogy” was a cultural event of note: the
hefty festival catalogue was full of plaudits
from everybody from Gov. Baker and city
Arts and Culture Chief Julie Burros to Sen.
Elizabeth Warren.
Many people love Monteverdi for the
same reason they love Shakespeare: both
17th-century artists knew their way around
the human heart, explored the mysteries
of love, confronted death, had a keen sense
of drama and tragedy, cared about poetry,
and left us with some of the most sublime
sounds ever invented. Shakespeare’s
medium was the spoken word, whereas
Monteverdi was more interested in
translating speech into song or aria.
BEMF artistic co-directors and early
music veterans Paul O’Dette and Stephen
Stubbs performed in the Monteverdi
orchestras with the guitar-like chitarrone
(also called a theorbo), an “extinct,
giraffe-like instrument,” in Stubbs’ words,
shaped like a gourd with a long stem and
descended from the kithara used in ancient
Greek tragedy. Monteverdi wrote two of
these instruments into the score of Orfeo.
Suggested music scholar Thomas Kelley
hope” by the use of such instruments “to
achieve the effect that Greek tragedy had on
its own audiences.” As far as Monteverdi’s
Renaissance-Platonist ambition to re-create
Greek drama with the new form of opera,
music scholar Ellen Rosand—a participant
at this year’s BEMF—believes Ulisse comes
closest to the ideal with its re-invention of
Homer.
The intense, intimate performance
of Orfeo at the BEMF benefited from a
beautifully integrated theatrical concept
(originated in 2012) by director Gilbert Blin
that effectively merged the opera’s formal,
artificial elements with the loose informality
of street theater. The conceit was that we
were watching a traveling troupe of singers
performing the opera with the onstage
orchestra in 1607. A theatrical stratagem
that could have been thin and formulaic
turned out to be fresh and inspired—and
gorgeous-sounding. The mingling of singers
and instrumentalists was natural and
beautiful. Candles along the rim of the Orfeo
stage and on the platforms added a homey
touch (but torches would have been better).
Meanwhile, the full glory of the
Monteverdi sound—big, sensual, warm, rich,
emotional, archaic, other-worldly—became
more evident in the Jordan Hall Orfeo than
it did at the Huntington (where Ulisse and
Poppea were performed). The hall, of course,
is a room in heaven with magnificently
mellow acoustics that impart a dark, opulent
sound to the strings and brass. For Orfeo the
BEMF Chamber Ensemble was joined by Dark
Horse Consort with primal-sounding wind
and brass that gave a spine-chilling fanfare
for the opera’s opening scene.
Despite the festival’s promoting the
Monteverdi performances as the first-ever
trilogy, these productions were not, strictly
speaking, parts of a unified concept, even
though they shared the same director. Only
Ulisse was a new production this season
(directed by Gilbert Blin). The other two,
Orfeo and Poppea were revivals from earlier
Festivals. Compared to Robert Wilson’s
Surrealist Baroque Monteverdi productions
OPERA on page 7 >
“I feel that as an urban university, it’s
important for us to be a part of the city and
I feel that art is a great connector and bridge
in so many ways,” said Horn. “I think our
students and general public who come to our
campus every day have been so responsive to
the art so far.”
The City of Boston embraced the
increase in public art with the appointment of
Julie Burros in 2014 as Boston’s first Chief of
Arts and Culture, a recently created cabinet
position within city government under Mayor
Martin Walsh.
As noted by Karin Goodfellow, director
of the Boston Art Commission, the focus
on art is presenting itself both within city
government and throughout neighborhoods all
through the city.
“I think when [the focus on public art]
started, people were unsure,” said Goodfellow.
“But now I think people are really embracing
it. This is the city we want to be.”
Goodfellow also notes that partnerships
between schools and the City are the key to
change.“Our city and community is made
up of all these university campuses,” said
Goodfellow. “We need to think holistically
about the environment we create for ourselves
and visitors, and public art is an important
way to do that.”
Goodfellow called Northeastern’s role in
expanding the artists’ presence an incredible
resource. “Our universities really create our
urban campus,” she said.
Horn and those involved in the artistselection process are currently in the midst of
planning for next year and look forward to the
potential projects.
“Public art is so unique because it’s out
there and it’s not enclosed,” Horn said. “It’s
also important to bring art directly to the
people for them to enjoy.”
Alexandra Malloy is a journalism major
at Northeastern University.
FENWAY NEWS | JULY 2015 | 7
> OPERA from page 6
currently on-going in Europe, these Boston
stagings might seem tame or timid. But
the choreography of the singers in both
Ulisse and Poppea was both expressive and
Baroque, while Orfeo had its own dance-like
rhythm.
These were good evenings vocally,
with versatile performances all around.
Singers Erica Schuller and Nell Snaidas
played Fortuna and Amore in both Ulisse and
Poppea. With a burning stage presence that
carried to the top of the theater and dark,
gleaming vocalism, Canadian-Greek mezzo
Mary-Ellen Nesi portrayed the long-suffering
Penelope of The Odyssey (the source of
Giacomo Badoaro’s libretto for Ulisse).
The closing number of Ulisse with her and
tenor Colin Balzer as the returned Odysseus
declaring their renewed love was thrilling.
Tenor Aaron Sheehan’s graceful, eloquent Orfeo became the very soul of grief as
he sang and gestured—he was believable as
the son of the god of music. Mezzo Mireille
Asselin capably doubled as Music in the Prologue and Euridice both above ground and
in the under-world. She was also a razorsharp Minerva in Ulisse. Also excellent were
countertenor David Hansen as smoldering,
exploding Roman Emperor Nero (a part
first performed by a castrato), sumptuous
soprano Amanda Forsythe as moody but
seductive Poppea, adorable Jason McStoots
in different parts in Orfeo and Ulisse.
Anna Watkins’ costumes for Ulisse
made ancient Greeks look like Aztecs! The
clothes for Orfeo were a fetching blend
of Renaissance and ancient Greece. But
Watkins’ Poppea wardrobe was very Sun
King Baroque. Director-designer Blin’s
functional, neo-Baroque scenery—a view of
receding classical colonnades painted on
drops and wings—evoked the Monteverdi
period, and for Ulisse there was a churning
ocean and looming sea god Nettuno
(Matthew Brook) to provide spectacle.
Churning oceans and sea monsters in a
Baroque opera are always fun.
But I wish Blin hadn’t re-used the
Ulisse scenery for Poppea: the sets served
passably enough the first time around, but
wore out their welcome by the second. With
its shabby-looking columns and capitals the
scenery looked a bit like the original 1882
performance of Parsifal, festive all right but
not believable as a palace in imperial Rome
or the island of Ithaca in Greek antiquity.
Despite its sordid characters and sordid
(history-based) narrative, The Coronation
of Poppea does have what used to be called
“redeeming social value:” it’s a passionate
exploration of different kinds and qualities
of love: unrequited love, selfless love,
sexual love, egotistical love, adulterous
love, treacherous love—all these co-exist
and drive the opera’s racing, febrile plot.
(Libretto by Giovanni Busenello.) Drusilla
loves Ottone, who loves Poppea, who loves
Nero, who loves Poppea back and banishes
his true wife Octavia (performed in a blaze
of vocal glory by Shannon Mercer.) Almost as
an afterthought, Nero orders the execution
of the stoic philosopher Seneca (voiced
by commanding Christian Immler). As in
Shakespeare, there are clowns and princes
on the stage, with jarring tonal shifts from
the sublime to the ridiculous. And there is a
drag element—a man dressed as a woman (in
opera it is usually the other way around).
If I had to compare these performances
with the “Cycle” of Monteverdi operas
produced in Europe in the ’seventies by
conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt and
director-designer Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, I
would say the European team delivered
more visual consistency (a helpful thing
if the director is also designing the sets)
than they did vocal luster. But if Boston’s
American-international “Monteverdi Trilogy”
was a bit of a let-down visually (though not
in Orfeo) in acoustic terms it bestowed on
its rapt, crowded, maybe elite audiences the
music of the spheres.
John Engstrom lives in the West Fens.
UN FESTIVAL DE FILMS FRANÇAIS
AVEC BEAUCOUP DE DENEUVE
C
BY STEPHEN BROPHY
atherine Deneuve has been a star since the 1960s, but she has been
a serious actor all that time as well. She rose to the world’s attention
in 1964 in the all-singing Umbrellas of Cherbourg, directed by Jacques
Demy and Agnès Varda, and almost immediately played a very different
role in Roman Polanski’s Repulsion (1965). Two years later she made Belle du
Jour with Luis Buñuel, and her reputation as an artist became unassailable.
She has been considered the most beautiful woman in the world, with her
face becoming the model for Marianne, the national symbol of France, from 1985
to 1989. She married once, and has had serious relationships with several other
men, including François Truffaut. She has two children, one fathered by Roger
Vadim, the other by Marcello Mastroianni, and five grandchildren.
Two new films with Deneuve, plus one of her classics, are featured in this
year’s French Film Festival at the MFA. The festival highlights an early Deneuve
film, The Young Girls of Rochefort, made with Demy. Coinciding with this
rescreening, an exact replica of the ship Hermione, which was built in Rochefort
and bought the Marquis de Lafayette to Boston in 1780, will visit Boston July 1112. On Friday and Sunday, July 17 and 19, Deneuve is featured in Benoit Jacquot’s
3 Hearts, a touching and tense drama in which Deneuve plays the mother of two
women (one played by her daughter Chiara Mastroianni, the other by Charlotte
Gainsbourg) who discover they are both in love with the same man.
On July 26, the festival comes to a close with In the Courtyard, a 2014
comedy by Pierre Salvadori, in which the caretaker of an old building in Paris
develops a friendship with one of the older residents (Deneuve). This earned the
actress the latest of her 13 César Award nominations.
France was one of the birthplaces of commercial cinema; the first audience
to pay to see moving images projected onto a wall gathered in Paris in
December 1895. The French film industry offered a serious commercial challenge
to Hollywood in the 1920s and ’30s, and surpassed it in artistry. Jean Renoir and
Marcel Carné made films then that permanently changed how we watch and
interpret what we watch.
After World War II, France again led cinematic experimentation with its New
Wave, driven by the work of Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Varda, Claude Chabrol,
and a host of others. Deneuve first lit up our screens during this fertile period.
Since then France has maintained high standards of artistry and entertainment.
For 20 years, the Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Film Program has brought us the best
of French cinema, working closely with the Cultural Services Office of the French
Consulate in Boston.
Other highlights of the festival include The Clearstream Affair (July 10/12), a
fact-based thriller about a journalist’s investigation of Europe’s opaque banking
system; Near Death Experience (July 11/18), in which controversial writer Michel
Houellebecq portrays a burnt-out call-center employee who chooses to bicycle
out of his urban life to live his remaining days in the mountains; Gemma Bovary
(July 11), a seriocomic re-imagining of Flaubert’s classic novel in which two
British expatriates move into a farmhouse in the same Norman village in which
the novel took place a century earlier; The Easy Way Out (July 23-24), based on
a story by Boston novelist Stephen McCauley; and Li’l Quinquin (Jul 24/26) an
absurdist metaphysical murder mystery by Bruno Dumont.
Stephen Brophy lives in the East Fens. For information and a complete
schedule, visit www.mfa.org/programs/series/the-20th-annual-boston-frenchfilm-festival. Purchase tickets at mfa.org/film; by phone at 800-440-6975, or in
person at any MFA ticket desk. Tickets are $9 for members, $11 nonmembers.
10AM–3PM
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+
Rothschild Family Treasures” traces the
Nazis’ plundering of jewelry, furniture,
and paintings—80 objects shown here—
owned by the Viennese branch of a fabled
Jewish family. Eventually restored to the
family, the collection was donated to the
MFA recently. More information at www.
mfa.org/exhibitions/restoring-a-legacyrothschild-family-treasures
THROUGH SUN, JULY 12: Northeastern’s
Gallery 360 presents “24 Hours in the
Life of a Swiss Cuckoo Clock.” Students
and faculty at a leading Swiss arts
college re-imagined the kitsch icon for
contemporary times, required only
to keep the bird and mark the hours
with a song. Find the gallery in the Ell
Building at 360 Huntington Ave. M-F,
11am-7pm and Sat-Sun, 12-5pm. More
info at www.northeastern.edu/
northeasterncreates/gallery360/
currentexhibit.html. FREE.
+
THU, JULY 9/16/23/30: Senior yoga, Boston
Parks Fitness series. 10-11am at Symphony
Park, 30 Edgerly Rd. Yoga mats
provided. FREE
+
FRI, JUL 3: The Rowe’s Lane Quartet, made
up of Handel+Haydn Society musicians,
marks July 4th with string quartets from
the Revolutionary War era, played on
period instruments. 12:30 pm, in the
courtyard of the Boston Public Library,
Copley Square. (An exhibit honoring
the 200th anniversary of H+H is
on view in the library’s Cheverus
Room.) FREE
+
WED, JUL 8: Join curator Lawrence Berman
for a gallery talk on “Faces from Ancient
Egypt.” From the bust of Prince Ankhhaf
All events take place at the Peterborough
Senior Center, two blocks from Boylston
between 100 and 108 Jersey St. (Walk
down the alley and look left.) For more
information, call 617-536-7154.
RECURRING
TUESDAYS
•9:30am—Coffee hour
•11am—Exercise with Mahmoud
•11am—Trivia!
•noon—Hot lunch & movie
WEDNESDAYS
•9:30am—Coffee hour
•10am—Blood pressure screening
THURSDAYS
•9:30am—Coffee hour
•11am—Music with Berklee students
•all day—Book Swap
SPECIAL EVENTS
to the head of a priest known as the
Boston Green Head (subject of Berman’s
newest book) these faces range from
2500 BC to 350 BC. 6-7pm; meet in the
Sharf Visitor Center. Free with museum
admission. www.mfa.org/programs/
gallery-activities-and-tours/faces-fromancient-egpyt
THU, JUL 9: Neighborhood Night at the
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—art,
live music, art-making, and special tours.
Also July 23 and August 6. 5–9 pm.
FREE
+
THU, JUL 9: YouTube sensation Tordick Hall
brings his all-ages show to the Berklee
Performance Center. Hall’s wacky cast of
characters sing laugh and twerk the night
away. $25-$80. 7:30pm. More at www.
berklee.edu/events/todrick-hall-live.
THU, JUL 9–SUN, AUG 2: Nora Theater Company has managed to snag a Hollywood
star—Jennifer Coolidge, whose credits
include Legally Blonde, Best in Show, and
the TV series 2 Broke Girls—to head its
cast for Saving Kitty. The political comedy
pits a liberal Manhattan mother against
her daughter’s new boyfriend, an evangelical Christian. At the intimate Central
Square Theater; tickets $15-$59. Days and
times vary, but generally Wed-Sat at 7:30
or 8pm, with Sat and Sun matinees. Info
and times at www.centralsquaretheater.
org/shows/saving-kitty/
JUL 9–26: The MFA’s Boston French Film
Festival ranges from political thrillers to
dramas to romantic comedies. It includes
works by directors such as Bruno Dumont and Anne Le Ny and features actors
including Catherine Deneuve, Gemma
Arterton, and Guillaume Canet. Single
tickets are $9 for members/$11 for nonmembers. Half-festival passes (9 films),
$72/$90; full-festival passes (19 films),
$152/$190. More info at mfa.org/film.
SAT, JUL 11: The Prudential Center opens a
series of free animated films in the South
Garden with The Boxtrolls. Entertainment starts at 6pm; screening at sundown;
giveaways before each movie. Picnic
blankets and beach chairs are welcome.
Upcoming films include Disney’s Frozen
(July 18) and Big Hero 6 (July 25), perhaps
the best example of American anime yet.
www.prudentialcenter.com/entertain_events_premier.html?id=263
FREE
+
TUE, JUL 14–AUG 4: “Expats: Artists in
America and England.” A four-part MFA
course on how English and American
artists—from Copley to Whistler to
Hockney—influenced and interacted with
each other’s cultures. Tuesdays, 10:30am–
noon, Remis Auditorium, members $96/
nonmembers $120; individual sessions,
$28/$35. www.mfa.org/programs/series/
expats-artists-in-america-and-england
TUE, JUL 7:
• 9:30am—Pancake Breakfast
• noon—Task Force meeting
WED, JUL 8:
• noon—Watercolors, with Bill
• noon - War and Peace (Hollywood, 1956)
THU, JUL 9: 12:30pm—Excursion Thursday—
Take a walk with PSC
TUE, JUL 14: noon—Wellness workshop, with
Penina
WED, JUL 15: noon—Bingo!
THU, JUL 16: 12:30pm—Welcome home party
for Matti Spencer
TUE, JUL 21: noon—Healthcare presentation
WED, JUL 22:
• 11am—Taxi coupons
• 12:30—Short story discussion, with
Stephen
WED, JUL 23: 12:30—Book club
TUE, JUL 28: noon—Hot lunch and movie
WED, JUL 29: noon—Bingo!
THU, JUL 30: noon—Monthly birthday and
poetry potluck lunch
5 Days of Free Performance: Outside the Box
FRI, JULY 3: Councilor Josh Zakim
holds office hours 8-9:30am at Trident
Booksellers & Cafe, 338 Newbury St.
Contact [email protected] if you
have a concern but can’t come.
TUE, JULY 7: Fenway Liaison for the Office
of Neighborhood Services holds office
hours 3:30-5:30pm at the YMCA, 316
Huntington Ave.
Kacey Musgraves
After a year’s break, the Outside the Box
festival returns with 70-plus acts presented
over six days on Boston Common—entirely for
free. The festival mixes local musical acts and
some high-wattage national artists, including
country singer Kacey Musgraves (July 17) and
’90s power-pop stars Gin Blossoms (July 16).
This second edition of OTB will absorb the
WBOS Earth Day concerts, long a springtime
staple on the Esplanade, and that line-up
includes Guster and New Politics (June 18).
Key partners include Berklee and radio group
Greater Media Boston. The list of artists
ranges far and wide and includes vocal groups,
puppeteers, ballet, opera, world music, jazz,
acrobats, comedians and more. Visit http://
otbboston.com/site/festival-performers/ for
more information.
WED., JUL 15: The MFA’s Concerts in the
Courtyard series continues with North
America’s premiere Greek American
band, Orfeas. Doors at 6pm, concert at
7:30pm. No outside food; low lawn chairs
or blankets suggested. $24 member/$30
nonmemember. Visit www.mfa.org/
programs/music/orfeas-0
WED-SUN, JULY 15-19: Always-astonishing,
Cirque du Soleil brings its Verikai show
to BU’s Agganis Arena, 925 Comm. Ave.
Wed-Sat 7:30pm; Fri-Sat 4:00pm; Sun 1:30
& 5:00pm. Tickets $37.50-$140.50; lower
prices for children, students, and seniors.
Tickets through Ticketmaster or the box
office; for more information, visit www.
agganisarena.com/events/calendar and
select the July calendar.
THU, JUL 16: Don Lappin—known for oneof-a-kind voice on the guitar, created in
part by unorthodox two-handed tapping—and Scott Tarulli, playing instrumental music from his album, Anytime,
Anywhere, bring the Lappin/Tarulli Project to the Berklee Performance Center.
8pm. $8 advance/ $12 day of show. www.
berklee.edu/events/don-lappin-scotttarulli-project
FRI, JUL 17: Women in World Jazz present
a family concert featuring musical styles
from around the world, including Latin
American rhythms from Cuba to Brazil.
12:30pm in the courtyard of the
Boston Public Library, Copley
Square. FREE
+
FRI, JUL 17: Once again the Highland Street
Foundation sponsors a free summer day
at the MFA. Family-focused art making,
drawing, and free tours and talks occurs
from 10am to 9:45pm. www.mfa.
org/programs/series/free-fun-friday
FREE.
+
THU, JUL 23: More than a dozen galleries
along Newbury Street open their doors,
for the 2015 Summer Arts Walk, which
TUE, JULY 14: Audubon Circle
Neighborhood Assn. board meets at
7pm. All are welcome. Room 3C, in the
Annex, Harvard Vanguard Building, 133
Brookline Avenue. Call 617-262-0657 for
questions.
TUE, JULY 14: Symphony Neighborhood
Task Force meeting, 6pm. Location to be
decided. Contact Nicholas Carter at 617THU, JULY 9: Rep. Michael Capuano’s liaison 635-4225 or [email protected]
for details (Note: May move to July 21.)
holds office hours 12-1pm at Fenway
Health, 1340 Boylston. Call 617-621-6208 WED, JULY 15: West Fens Police/Community meeting, 5pm, Landmark Center police
if you have a concern but can’t come.
substation, 401 Park Drive.
SAT, JULY 11: Prime Timers, an educational
and social network for older gay/bisexual
men, meets at Harriet Tubman House,
564 Columbus Ave. Refreshments 2:30,
program 3:30; $2 at the door. Visit
www.bostonprimetimers.org or email
[email protected] or call
617-447-2344.
PICK OF THE MONTH
THROUGH SUN, JUL 5: “Restoring a Legacy:
This symbol indicates a free
event. For even more listings,
visit www.fenwaynews.org
also offers live music, art demonstrations,
and refreshments. 5-8pm. Learn more at
www.boston.com/sponsored/extra/
summerartsweekend/artswalks
FREE.
+
SAT, JUL 18: Discover Roxbury’s “High
Notes of Jazz Roxbury” is a two-hour
walking tour that recounts the history of
some of the key venues on the East Coast
jazz circuit. The same geography nurtured
a bumper crop of activists in the Civil
Rights movements, for a fascinating mix
of culture and politics. 11am-1pm. $15.
Meet at Ruggles Station, Tremont Street
stairs. Tickets at www.discoverroxbury.
org/visit/walking-tours
SUN. JUL 26: Handel + Haydn Society
performs Beethoven’s Symphony No.9
(“Ode to Joy”) in Copley Square.
12:30pm. FREE.
+
SAT-SUN, JUL 25-26: Summer Arts
Weekend: Dancing, art, and live music
by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell,
Aaron Neville, and Natalie Macmaster.
Copley Square. Full schedule at
bostonsummerarts.com. FREE.
+
WED, JULY 29: Two of our musical favorites,
the Boston Landmarks Orchestra and
the Longwood Symphony—made up
entirely of medical personnel from the
LMA—team up for “A Night at the Ballet,”
featuring the LSO playing Stravinsky’s
The Firebird and Offenbach’s Gaité
Parisienne. Hatch Shell, 7pm. Info at www.
landmarksorchestra.org/concerts.
html FREE
+
WED, JUL 29 & FRI, JUL 31: Boston Midsummer Opera presents Martha, an 1849 opera that uses the hoary device of nobility
masquerading as servants to set a complex
love story in motion that manages to get
all the right partners together by the end.
7:30pm, Tsai Performance Center, 685
Comm. Ave. Tickets $40-80. Info at www.
bostonmidsummeropera.org/
[email protected] if you have a
concern but can’t come.
MON, JULY 27: The LMA Forum, for com-
munity review of development projects,
meets when necessary at 6:30pm, location to be determined. Contact Rachel at
[email protected] for details
and to be added to the notification list.
TUE, JULY 28: East Fens Police/Community
meeting, 6pm, Morville House, 100
Norway St.
THU, JULY 30: Fenway CDC’s Urban
THU, JULY 23: Rep. Michael Capuano’s
liaison holds office hours 10-11am at JP
Licks-Brigham Circle, 1618 Tremont St.
Call 617-621-6208 if you have concerns
but can’t come.
Village Committee meeting. Help
monitor development and advocate for
the neighborhood you want. 6pm at the
CDC office, 70 Burbank St. To verify date
or for more info, contact Grace Holley at
617-267-4637 x16 or email her at gholley@
fcdc.org
FRI, JULY 24: Councilor Josh Zakim holds
office hours 8-9:30am at Mike’s Donuts,
1524 Tremont St. Contact his office at
For BRA meetings and hearings, check
www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/
calendar/calendar.asp