The Foundry announces 2022 summer season lineup
WEST STOCKBRIDGE — The Foundry has announced it summer lineup, which will feature a diverse range of multidisciplinary artists and events.
For fans of edgy, contemporary music, SUO, the solo project of Brooklyn-based musician and artist Saara Untracht-Oakner of BOYTOY, appears in May. In June, the New York-based band Gold Casio returns with irresistible indie-dance melodies and a high-energy performance. Rockers will appreciate Thelma and the Sleaze, an all-female, queer southern rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, coming in July.
Returning for a third year this August is the band Billy Wylder, featuring Avi Salloway joined by a cast of artists who have performed across five continents. In the same month, Hudson Valley reggae-inspired The Big Takeover makes a return appearance.
Also in August, jazz and blues lovers will enjoy both the Skyla Burrell Band as well as Madame Pat Tandy with Charlie Apicella and Iron City. And classical music fans will appreciate pianist Chelsea Randall in a solo recital of modern and contemporary Black composers.
In addition to its musical lineup, the venue continues to present comedy, cabaret, theater, dance and its Emerging Artists Series, which gives a platform to young talent.
Collaborations supporting local community groups such as the West Stockbridge Historical Society, West Stockbridge Wisdom Lodge, and Pittsfield High School Chamber Orchestra remain part of the venue’s mission, as well as donating The Foundry Green every summer to the West Stockbridge Farmers Market and the West Stockbridge Visitors’ Center on the venue’s property.
—A.K.
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Dewey Hall presents workshop, concert with fiddler Aaron Jonah Lewis
SHEFFIELD — Dewey Hall will host fiddle player Aaron Jonah Lewis on Friday, April 22, for a workshop from 5:30–6:30 p.m. ($25), followed by a concert from 7:30–9 p.m. ($20). Those who wish to attend both the workshop and concert can purchase tickets for a reduced fee of $40.
In the Old Time Fiddle by Ear Workshop, Lewis will teach fiddle styles of the Appalachian mountains, which are characterized by their syncopated bowing patterns and driving rhythms. The workshop will be spent discussing musical and technical aspects and learning a tune. This workshop is for people who can already play their fiddle/violin, but will be taught by ear so you don’t need to read music.
Aaron Jonah Lewis (they/them) is a virtuoso banjo player and fiddler whose concerts take audiences on a journey through the back roads of American old time and folk music, with detours through ragtime and early jazz. Lewis has taken blue ribbons at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia, and at the Old Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia, the oldest and largest fiddlers convention in the country. They spend most of their time teaching, touring as a solo performer, and with the Corn Potato String Band, the Lovestruck Balladeers, and other projects.
Lewis has appeared on dozens of recordings from bluegrass and old time to traditional jazz, contemporary experimental, and Turkish classical music projects. They have taught workshops at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and at the English Folk Dance and Song Society in London. They also play and teach banjo, mandolin, and guitar.
Lewis’ most recent recording is 2020’s “Mozart of the Banjo: The Joe Morley Project,” which is devoted to the music of the great English prodigy and virtuoso composer Joe Morley (1867-1937), who wrote a significant body of great banjo pieces in a technique that people today call “classic fingerstyle.”
—A.K.
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BCC to hold virtual open house for Early College program
PITTSFIELD — High school students are invited to get a jump on their college careers by attending Berkshire Community College (BCC)’s virtual open house for its Early College Program on Saturday, April 23 from 9-11 a.m.
Dual Enrollment Coach Kiara Badillo will present an overview of the program, followed by breakout sessions on how to register for college classes while in high school, academic advising opportunities, student support systems, and admissions. A Q&A session will conclude the event.
Supported by BCC’s dual enrollment grant, the Early College Program allows eligible Massachusetts high school students to take up to two free courses during Session I and/or Session II of the 2022 summer term. Tuition and fees are waived; purchase of books and other classroom materials may be the responsibility of the student. Funding is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
—A.K.
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Clark Art Institute announces final Free Sunday of the season
WILLIAMSTOWN — The Clark Art Institute will hold its final First Sunday Free program of the season on Sunday, May 1. Offering free admission to the galleries and special exhibitions from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., the day will also feature a series of special activities from 1–4 p.m., centered around this month’s theme, “May Day at the Clark.” Visitors are invited to weave a spring wall hanging, make a kit to plant their own flower garden, and enjoy live music. At 2 p.m., join a docent to browse springtime highlights in the Clark’s collection. As always, visitors can enjoy the outdoors by relaxing near the reflecting pool or taking a hike on the Clark’s trails.
This event is free. To reserve tickets, click here.
—A.K.
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Educational task force adopts new name, new mission
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire County Education Task Force (BECTF) has changed its name to better reflect a mission that has changed over the past two years. The new name, Berkshire Education Resources K12 (BERK12), reflects a renewed focus on creating and making available the resources school districts need to make the best decisions for their communities.
“We have always viewed our role in schools’ success across the region as one of helping, not directing,” said Dr. William Cameron, chair of BERK12. “Now we’re expanding the way we help — we are becoming doers as well as helpers.”
The mission — “to support Berkshire County school districts and educators by collaboratively offering solutions to short and long-term issues, in order to promote high-quality public education” — evolved from how the organization met challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. BERK12 found themselves addressing issues in a more active manner. They created the Berkshire Remote Learning Initiative, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, to make sure high-quality online and remote learning was available to all students and faculty across the county. A Portrait of a Graduate grant, secured through the Barr Foundation, has led to the development of innovative high school reform adopted across a number of Berkshire districts.
Based on those experiences, BERK12 plans do more, centering its action around research, collaborative projects, and public engagement.
“We’re opening the resources we’ve developed to everyone, especially those in Berkshire County,” said Brian Fairbank, one of the organization’s founders. “While our past focus included regionalization, our refreshed goals are more about research and organizational assistance, and helping school districts of all shapes and sizes address public education needs.”
For more information, email jakeeberwein@gmail.com.
—A.K.
