Bits & Bytes: Berkshire Pulse summit, performance; Alice Hoffman at Knosh & Knowledge; Tigue at Simon’s Rock; Cynthia Wick at BBG; Cantilena Chamber Choir concerts

Berkshire Pulse dancers invited to participate in youth arts summit

Housatonic — Five teen students from Berkshire Pulse’s Young Choreographers Initiative have been invited by the Creative Youth Development National Partnership to present an original dance piece on sexual assault Saturday, Nov. 2, at the National Young Artists Summit in Austin, Texas.

Last fall, YCI director Susan Quinn worked with students to explore the connection between movement and social activism by providing a forum for them to express their viewpoints through the art of movement. “These students all had things they urgently wanted to express,” said Quinn. “They just needed a way to voice them and be heard.” The young artists chose sexual assault as the issue on which they wanted to focus. “The students researched the topic and shared their findings,” Quinn explained. “This naturally led to discussion and journaling about what consent is, how survivors are often blamed or not believed, and brainstorming how to prevent sexual assault. The movement invention and structure of the piece was generated from the discussions, their feelings, and their writing.”

YCI participants Cecilia Kittross, Paige Lussier, Rubielle Nejaime, Pearl Wright and Stella Wright will attend the summit along with chaperones Quinn and Diane Pearlman, chair of Pulse’s board of directors. To raise the funds needed for travel expenses, an open rehearsal performance and reception will take place Saturday, Oct. 19. at 3 p.m. at Berkshire Pulse’s studios. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to berkshire.pulse@gmail.com.

–E.E.

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Knosh & Knowledge program to feature author Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman. Photo: Deborah Feingold

Great Barrington — On Friday, Oct. 18, at 10:45 a.m. at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire, the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires’ Knosh & Knowledge program will welcome bestselling author Alice Hoffman, who will talk about her latest novel, “The World That We Knew.” The presentation will be followed by a buffet lunch.

Hoffman is the author of more than 30 works of fiction, including “The Rules of Magic,” “The Marriage of Opposites,” “Practical Magic,” “The Red Garden,” the Oprah’s Book Club selection “Here on Earth,” “The Museum of Extraordinary Things” and “The Dovekeepers.” Following her talk, Hoffman will take audience questions and sign copies of “The World That We Knew,” which will be available for purchase.

Admission to the program with lunch is $11; the program only is free. Advance reservations for lunch are required. For more information or to make reservations, contact the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires at (413) 442-4360 x10 or federation@jewishberkshires.org.

–E.E.

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Bard College at Simon’s Rock to welcome percussion ensemble Tigue

Tigue. Photo: Catalina Kulczar and Juan Miguel Marin

Great Barrington — The South Berkshire Concert Series will present percussion trio Tigue Saturday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. in the McConnell Theater of the Daniel Arts Center at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

The Brooklyn-based trio of Matt Evans, Amy Garapic and Carson Moody makes their own blend of instrumental minimalism while opening up the possibilities of instrumentation through commissioning and collaboration. Tigue’s debut album, “Peaks,” was released in 2015 with highlighted performances at the Ecstatic Music Festival; Bric Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival; and the Zemlika Festival in Durbe, Latvia. Recent commissions and premieres have included works by Molly Herron, Randy Gibson, Jason Treuting, Adrian Knight and Robert Honstein alongside collaborative ventures with Kid Millions and visual artist/sculptor Michael Mercil. The works have been presented throughout the country at venues including EMPAC, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Noguchi Museum, Yale School of Music and Princeton University. Their program, titled “Breathing Castle,” blends improvisation and multimedia elements of theater with an environmental sensibility

Admission is free; there is a suggested donation of $10. For more information, call (413) 528-7212.

–E.E.

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Berkshire Botanical Garden to host art exhibit by Cynthia Wick

Artist Cynthia Wick at work. Photo courtesy Berkshire Botanical Garden

Stockbridge — Berkshire Botanical Garden will host the exhibit “Cynthia Wick/The Shape of Color” Saturday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Dec. 1, in its Leonhardt Galleries. An opening reception will take place Friday, Oct. 18, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Cynthia Wick moved to the Berkshires 10 years ago. Her new work created for the exhibit is a synthesized collection representing a blend of both coasts depicted through abstracted landscapes and bouquets. “My way into a painting is always color first,” said Wick, “Color is everything to me and I continue to find surprising combinations of color and shape by combining paint and collage. It is so thrilling.”

Each Saturday through Nov. 30, BBG visitors can meet Wick in the galleries for an informal overview and discussion, and on Sundays through Dec. 1, docent-led gallery tours will be offered at 1 p.m. On the Sundays of Oct. 20, Nov. 3 and Nov. 17, each gallery tour will be followed by a free drop-in collage art workshop inspired by the artist and suitable for adults and children age 12 and up.

The reception is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Berkshire Botanical Garden at (413) 320-4794.

–E.E.

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Cantilena Chamber Choir to hold concerts at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

The Canitlena Chamber Choir. Photo courtesy Cantilena Chamber Choir

Lenox — On Saturday, Oct. 19, and Sunday, Oct. 20, at 3 p.m., the Cantilena Chamber Choir will present a 90th anniversary concert in the barn at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The concerts of nature-inspired music from Renaissance to modern will feature music by Janequin, Josquin, Mendelssohn and Samuel Barber, with special presentations of new works by composers Gregory Brown and James Kallembach on texts by John James Audubon.

The cost is $35 for general admission and $25 for Mass Audubon members. Seating is limited to the first 50 patrons for each concert. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Cantilena Chamber Choir at (518) 791-0185 or satbchoir@yahoo.com.

E.E.