Arthur Greene to give solo piano recital at Simon’s Rock
Great Barrington — Arthur Greene, concert pianist and professor at the University of Michigan School of Music, will offer a piano recital at Bard College at Simon’s Rock on Sunday, September 27, at 3 p.m. in the Daniel Arts Center’s McConnell Theater. Greene will perform works by Charles Ives and Chopin. Professor Greene will feature an introductory presentation about Ives’s Sonata, which portrays the spirit of four significant figures of the Transcendentalist movement: Emerson, Hawthorne, the Alcotts, and Thoreau. Admission is free and open to the public; no reservations are necessary.
Arthur Greene was born in New York, and grew up in Sheffield, Massachusetts. He attended Berkshire School and studied piano with Vincent Marlotti, who was on the faculty at Simon’s Rock. He went on to Yale University, and then Juilliard where he studied with Martin Canin. He now teaches at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned the Harold Haugh Award for Excellence in Studio Teaching. Greene has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Czech National Symphony, and others.
–E.E.
* * *
Hopkins Forest celebrates fall season
Williamstown — Local residents are invited to the annual Fall Festival at the Hopkins Forest on Sunday, September 27 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event celebrates the changing of the seasons and features music, apple butter and cider production, refreshments, a canopy walkway, an active honey bee hive, and children’s activities. There will also be hands-on activities including traditional shake-splitting and a cross-cut saw competition.
The 2,600-acre forest has been actively managed by Williams College for teaching and research endeavors for more than 40 years. At this year’s festival, visitors will be able to take home a small piece of the forest as local native tree seedlings, ready for fall planting, will be on sale.
The festival is free to the public and appropriate for all ages. For more information on the forest and related activities, contact the forest manager at (413) 597-4353.
–E.E.
* * *
Book discussion on the death penalty at Lenox Library
Lenox — The sentencing of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston Marathon bombings brought up a lot of questions about execution in a non-death penalty state. An earlier federal case involving the death penalty was tried in Massachusetts in 2000. The judge who presided over that case, the Honorable Michael A. Ponsor, wrote a novel to invite conversation on the issue. He will discuss his book, “The Hanging Judge,” on Sunday, September 27, 4 p.m. at the Lenox Library.
Judge Ponsor, a 1975 graduate of Yale Law School, has served for the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts in Springfield since his appointment by President Bill Clinton in 1994. He has been a senior judge since 2011.
The talk is free and the public is invited. Judge Ponsor’s novel, which received the 2015 Golden Pen award and honorable mention from the Massachusetts Center for the Book, will be available for purchase and signing.
–E.E.
* * *
Berkshire Festival of Women Writers’ Creative Spirit showcase
Pittsfield — Berkshire Festival of Women Writers (BFWW) will host Creative Spirit: a Showcase for Women Writers, Artists and Artisans on Sunday, November 22 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Berkshire Hills Country Club.
The free event will showcase the creative talents of women in and around the Berkshires. Authors, publishers, artists, artisans, and other businesses and organizations will offer goods, services, and networking opportunities with a focus on celebrating the creativity of women.
Space is limited; some table space for vendors is still available. Contact Lorrin Krouss at info@berkshirewomenwriters.org for information.
The Festival has also issued a call for submissions for its 2016 Program Guide, which will include year-round BFWW events as well as creative writing by women of all ages. Advertising opportunities are also available for what will be the region’s only literary magazine by and for creative women.
For submission guidelines, ad rates, or to reserve a table for the November 22 Showcase, email info@berkshirewomenwriters.org
–E.E.
