Sunday, July 20, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

Monica Bliss

Monica Bliss grew up in the Berkshires and now lives in New Lebanon, N.Y. with her husband, daughters, dog, and cats. She spends her time singing, acting, directing, writing, cooking, baking, and working towards social change.

written articles

Summer Fennel & Pear Salad from the kitchen of Monica Bliss

The licorice flavor of the fennel paired with the sweet pear, fresh herbs, tart lemon, crunchy walnuts, and creamy yogurt creates a symphony of flavor and texture.

BITS & BYTES: Reverón Piano Trio with Oskar Espina Ruiz at Music Mountain; Tanglewood Music Center and Tambuco at The Mahaiwe; Susan Morrison at...

“I have rewritten my B Major Trio and can now call it Opus 108 instead of Opus 8,” Brahms wrote to Clara Schumann. 

BITS & BYTES: Jackie Beat at The Foundry; Sarah Sherman at MASS MoCA; Catherine Russell at Music Mountain; ‘Olatuja’ at Fisher Center; Lina Lapelytė...

Proving that you can’t kill what’s already dead, drag icon, TV writer, and comedienne Jackie Beat celebrates over 35 years as a shameless clown —and one more trip around the sun— with live singing, hilarious new parodies, sick and twisted classics, and “comedy” that legally must be put in quotation marks.

BITS & BYTES: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at Shakespeare & Company; Red Clay Dance Company at Jacob’s Pillow; Movie and TV stars at The Clark;...

Shakespeare & Company presents an outdoor production of “Romeo and Juliet” at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre, recently named one of the “Top 10 Outdoor Performance Venues in the U.S.” by Newsweek.

BITS & BYTES: Sondheim at Glimmerglass; Jason Carter at Fisher Center; Erica Feldmann at MASS MoCA; Bill Bowers at Chester Theatre; Third Thursday at...

Nominated for 10 Tony Awards and Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Sondheim’s innovative score explores pointillism in sound before opening out into one of the most glorious choral finales in the repertory.

BUSINESS BRIEFS: Great Barrington naturopathic practice; Housatonic Valley Association new executive director; Downtown Pittsfield announces awardees; County Ambulance Service nationally recognized; Berkshire Health Systems...

The practice offers functional lab testing, nutritional counseling, herbal medicine, and lifestyle medicine, specializing in women's health, fertility, gut health, cardiovascular health, and general wellness.

BITS & BYTES: BAAMS faculty concert; Berkshires Jazz presents Jasper Zimmerman and Estaban Castro; Chinobay at The Clark; Andrew Lippman at The Mount; Stephanie...

This inspired night of jazz, blues, world, and funk music features an all-star band led by trumpeter Richard Boulger, featuring saxophonist Ron Blake, guitarist Rodney Jones, Alex Blake, Dario Boente, and drummers Mino Cinelu and Kenwood Dennard.

BITS & BYTES: Geoffrey Moss and Jennifer Violette at Childs + Clark Gallery; Bernay Fine Art annual group exhibition; Pamela Berkeley and Joan Griswold...

“The Era of Manifestations” was a period from 1837 to the mid-1850s when Shakers came under a spiritual revival marked by visions and ecstatic experiences among the followers.

BITS & BYTES: ‘Jubilee’ at Fisher Center; Ancram Center for the Arts presents regional premiere; ‘Tosca’ at Glimmerglass Festival; Aston Magna 2025 concert season;...

Replete with dancing bears and bags of luck, and set on the day after the Emancipation Proclamation, “Jubilee” joyfully asks what the world might become when all people are truly free.

BITS & BYTES: Kyle Marshall at PS21; Yiddish Book Center presents Yidstock 2025; Gaby Moreno at The Clark; Alex Harvey and Shinbone Alley at...

The evening-long dance piece is set to composer Julius Eastman’s jubilant work of the same title, “Femenine” is a vibrant embodiment of queer joy, celebrating Black and Brown LGBTQ+ people and artistry in times of resilience and solidarity.

10-Layer Bean Dip from the kitchen of Monica Bliss

Your fellow Tanglewood concert goers will stop by to admire, compliment, take photos, and ask for the recipe. 

BITS & BYTES: Glori Wilder at Berkshire Botanical Garden; Roberta Harold at Ventfort Hall; Ashley Gilbertson and Franco Pagetti at Mad Rose Gallery; Michelle Young at...

Wilder’s rich, soulful sound and growing catalog of original, captivating music will be accompanied by the Moonflowers in front of the Fitzpatrick Greenhouse.

BITS & BYTES: ‘Reading Frederick Douglass Together’ at TurnPark Art Space; BODYTRAFFIC at Jacob’s Pillow; Daniil Trifonov at Tanglewood; Taconic Music presents Matthew Lee...

“Reading Frederick Douglass Together" is being presented at more than 50 sites across Massachusetts in partnership with the Du Bois Freedom Center, the West Stockbridge Historical Society, and American Composer and West Stockbridge resident Eric Shimelonis.

BITS & BYTES: Pittsfield’s Fourth of July Parade; ‘We Are America Too’ at Installation Space; Fourth of July at Norman Rockwell Museum; Balla Kouyaté at...

The Pittsfield Parade Committee presents the Pittsfield Parade Concert, an evening of incredible live music at the Pittsfield Common, featuring the iconic Greater Kensington String Band, affectionately known as “The Mummers” with special guests, the WhoaPhat Brass Band.
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