The Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend
PITTSFIELD — The tenth Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend will take place in Lee on June 17-19. The festival will feature seven groups at five different events: with two headline concerts, an afternoon of jazz in the park, and two jazz brunches.
Headliners include Michael Benedict and Bopitude on June 17, and Karrin Allyson with legendary tenor saxophonist Houston Person on June 18. Allyson’s group also includes Berkshires stalwarts Jason Ennis on guitar and Marty Jaffe on bass.
Tickets for the headliner shows are $30 in advance of the event, and can be purchased at www.BerkshireGatewayJazz.org/events/, where a full schedule and list of locations can also be found. All other events throughout the weekend are free of charge.
Jazz fans can also look forward to the first annual Bousquet Jazz Festival in Pittsfield on June 30, an event sponsored by Mill Town Capital. The lineup includes Ted Rosenthal, Emily Braden, the Lucky Five, and Jason Ennis with Kris Allen. Details can be found at www.BousquetMountain.com/music.
—A.J.
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Calliope members to perform at the Southfield Church
NEW MARLBOROUGH — Music at the Southfield Church continues its sixth season with a performance from members of Calliope: a Renaissance Band on Saturday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Southfield Church. Admission to the concert is free; a collection will be taken at the door to support the artists.
Musicians Lucy Bardo, Allan Dean, and Ben Harms will perform music from early to late Renaissance using instruments of the period: recorders, crumhorns, cornetto, pipe-and-tabor, vielle, viola da gamba and a variety of percussion instruments. The group will also venture into the 19th and 20th centuries using the same instruments with arrangements of old tunes.
Lucy Bardo is a long-time member of Calliope, the New York Consort of Viols, and the Berkshire Bach Society. She has performed with many organizations over the years, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, Philharmonia Virtuosi, and Musica Viva. She has extensive recording credits, is an experienced teacher of viola da gamba and cello, and has edited two publications for viola da gamba.
Allan Dean is Professor Emeritus at the Yale School of Music, having retired from the school in 2019 after 30 years on the faculty. He is still actively performing with the Berkshire Bach Society. He was a founding member of Calliope, can be heard on over 80 recordings, and is an experienced performer and teacher of modern trumpet and early brass.
Ben Harms studied at University of Cincinnati, Curtis Institute and City University of New York. His performing career as a percussionist has ranged from playing medieval, renaissance, and baroque music with prominent early music groups including Calliope, premiering works of the composers Steve Reich, Olivier Messaien and others, to the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has performed extensively throughout the East Coast, and his recording credits include performances on all major labels. He has performed as a recorder player in two Metropolitan Opera productions and plays viola da gamba in annual performances of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos presented by the Berkshire Bach Society.
For more information, a full season lineup, and updated Covid protocols, visit thesouthfieldchurch.org. A reception on the lawn follows each concert (weather permitting).
—A.J.
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The Lisa Vollmer Photography Studio and Gallery presents new exhibit
GREAT BARRINGTON — The Lisa Vollmer Photography Studio and Gallery presents the new exhibition “The Moroccan Landscape” from Vollmer’s “Man Versus Nature” series. A reception will be held Saturday, June 18, 2022, from 3-5 p.m. at the gallery. The exhibit is on view through the end of August.
Lisa Vollmer holds a fine art degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a master’s degree from the University of Arts in Berlin, Germany. Her career as a photographer began when she took a job as a professional fine art printer in New York City for artists Irving Penn, Louise Lawler, Saul Leiter and others. After graduate school, Vollmer managed the lighting studio at the Maine Media Workshops. Her personal projects have led her to photograph throughout Europe, the U.S., India, Japan, Turkey, Cuba, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Morocco.
The works presented in “The Moroccan Landscape” were photographed this spring in Marrakesh, over the Atlas Mountains, and into the Sahara Desert dunes of Erg Chebbi. Vollmer’s work explores the natural surviving the artificial. Depictions include goats in argan trees, and satellite dishes encroaching on a palm.
The Lisa Vollmer Photography Studio and Gallery is open to the public for the 2022 spring and summer season Thursday through Monday from noon to 5 p.m. as well as by appointment for private viewing. For more information, contact the Lisa Vollmer Studio & Gallery at (413) 429-6511 or contact@lisavollmer.com.
—A.J.
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Tag Sale Fundraiser for Berkshire Environmental Action Team
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) will hold a tag sale on Saturday, June 18, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at their Environmental Leadership & Education Center, 20 Chapel Street in Pittsfield. The sale will be held rain or shine – it will be moved indoors if necessary.
BEAT is a 501(c3) non-profit that works with the community to protect the environment. BEAT has three major focal areas: stewardship, education & outreach, and watchdogging. Through these efforts, they enact meaningful change throughout Berkshire County and western Massachusetts.
Tag sale items will include a variety of goods from Immanuel Community Church — 18 solid wood pews (which will be sold for $100 each), a piano, a small organ, electric stoves, a metal cabinet, reversible rolling chalkboards, and lots of plates. An assortment of donated items will also be for sale, including a moon globe, a baby’s playpen, and several bicycles. If you would like to donate items towards BEAT’s fundraising tag sale, please contact Chelsey at chelsey@thebeatnews.org.
To learn more about BEAT, visit their website at www.thebeatnews.org, or contact them at team@thebeatnews.org, (413) 464-9402.
—A.J.
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Lenox Car Show
LENOX — On Saturday June 18th, the town of Lenox will host the Lenox Car Show from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The event is a collaboration of the Lenox Chamber of Commerce and Donovan Motorcars.
Classic and vintage cars will be featured, and at least 50 cars are expected to be on display. Cars will be judged based on class and category. The Lenox Fire Department will serve hamburgers and hotdogs to event attendees.
The Lenox Car Show marks the return of the car show after years of hiatus. The chamber is re-starting the car show with hopes to make it an annual event with Donovan Motorcars.
Cars will be parked in the municipal parking lot behind Berkshire Bank located at 25 Main Street. Those interested in exhibiting their vehicles can visit https://lenox.org/lenox-car-show/ for more information.
—A.J.
