Author Kevin O’Hara to discuss new book at Lenox Library May 11
LENOX — The Lenox Library will host local author Kevin O’Hara to discuss his new book, “Ins and Outs of a Locked Ward: My 30 Years as a Psychiatric Nurse,” on Wednesday, May 11 at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of The Bookstore.
O’Hara worked for three decades as a psychiatric nurse at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. There, he brought his patients the same warmth and humor that won him acclaim for his first two memoirs, the Irish travel saga “Last of the Donkey Pilgrims,” and “A Lucky Irish Lad,” his witty evocation of growing up as an Irish Catholic immigrant in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Now he tells the stories of the many colorful characters he encountered on the locked ward over all those years, and of the camaraderie of hospital workers. Though intended to be entertaining, “Ins and Outs of a Locked Ward” has much to say about changes in the medical profession and mental health treatment over the years. Set within the framework of a transformative week near the end of his career, O’Hara careens freely through the years to tell his story (and those of others) with characteristic energy, unbridled humor, and feeling for detail.
—A.K.
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Berkshire Chapter of American Organists Guild to hold recital May 6 in Pittsfield
PITTSFIELD — The Berkshire Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) will present an organ recital on Friday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. in St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Pittsfield. David VonBehren, newly appointed assistant university organist and choirmaster at Harvard, will play works by Marcel Dupré, Florence Price, Tom Trenney, Carson Cooman, J.S. Bach, and Julius Reubke.
David von Behren earned his Master of Music degree at Yale University’s School of Music/Institute of Sacred Music, studying organ with Martin Jean and improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart. He is also a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance and music theory (double degree), pursuing organ studies with Todd Wilson. Von Behren is currently a doctoral candidate at Boston University College of Fine Arts where he studies with Peter Sykes. His recent album, “French Flourishes from First Plymouth” (2021), has been featured on American Public Media’s “Pipedreams.”
A freewill offering of $10 per person will be accepted. AGO members will be admitted free. St. Stephen’s church is located at 67 East St. in Pittsfield and is handicap accessible.
—A.K.
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Pittsfield Education Foundation to hold takeout-to-donate event
PITTSFIELD — The Pittsfield Education Foundation (PEF) presents Food for Thought: Takeout-to-Donate Event to build funding for the foundation. PEF partnered with Smokey Diva’s to create barbecue dinners for purchase. A choice of the BBQ Box or Vegetarian Box contains an assortment of foods specially prepared by owner Lorraine Jones.
Dinners available for pre-order only, now through Friday, May 13 on the Eventbrite page. Order by Friday, May 13 and pick up on Friday, May 20 between 4:30–6:30 p.m., at Smokey Diva’s, 239 Onota Street in Pittsfield.
—A.K.
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Clark Art Institute to host artist roundtable on Blackness May 12
WILLIAMSTOWN — The Clark Art Institute’s Research and Academic Program (RAP) presents an MCLA Artist Lab Roundtable on Blackness as a Multifaceted Experience and Giving Artists an Opportunity to Interpret the World on Their Own Terms on Thursday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and will be held live in the Clark’s auditorium.
Caroline Fowler, Starr Director of the Clark’s Research and Academic Program (RAP), joins a conversation with Conrad Egyir, a Ghanaian artist whose figurative narratives of the African Diaspora blend religious and West African folk iconography with domestic scenes; Joshua AM Ross, a multidisciplinary artist with a research-based practice grounded in archival experiences of photography; and Nathaniel Donnett, a multidisciplinary cultural practitioner whose work engages with the poetics of the everyday and socio-political and cultural concerns. The participants were all in residence in North Adams in 2021–22 as part of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ (MCLA) Artist Lab Residency program.
Prior to the roundtable, attendees are invited to join a reception in the Manton Reading Room at 5 p.m.
—A.K.
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James Bagwell to conduct Berkshire Bach Society concert May 14
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Berkshire Bach Society will continue its season on Saturday, May 14 at 4 p.m. with well-known choral conductor James Bagwell leading soloists, chorus, and orchestra in two beloved choral works — J.S. Bach’s Cantata, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, and Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major, RV 589 — at the First Congregational Church in Great Barrington. Distinguished Bach scholar George Stauffer will provide commentary about the music.
Conductor Bagwell is familiar to Berkshire Bach audiences as a master of choral technique and purity of sound, and his realizations of the works on this program will showcase the beauty of Baroque sacred vocal music. Professor of Music and Director of Performance Studies at Bard College, Bagwell is internationally recognized for his work conducting choral, operatic, and orchestral music. He has led important orchestras both in the U.S. and abroad, and has worked with conductors from Charles Dutoit to Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Ricardo Muti, Andris Nelsons, Zubin Mehta, and others.
Audience members will recognize Renée Anne Louprette, recently featured in Berkshire Bach’s season opener, and longtime members of the Berkshire Bach Ensemble as part of the musical forces for this concert.
Tickets available at the door and online. Seats $35–$60. Berkshire Bach member discounts apply. Young Professionals tickets available, and children and students (with valid ID) are admitted free.
—A.K.
